Four teens head to a secluded beach for a fun weekend. Before long, the fun dissipates as their trip turns into a nightmare from which they can't seem to escape.
This unknown Australian gem is seriously eerie throughout. Like the masterful 'Long Weekend' before it, this film milks it's lonely beach setting to create a genuinely unsettling atmosphere. The storyline isn't exactly original, nor is the ending hard to pick up on, but the film goes about things in it's own unique way and winds up being an oppressive, enigmatic experience despite mining familiar territory. Most intriguing were the bizarre time anomalies and the question of what the beach, complete with rods sticking up out of the sand, truly is.
Adding to the mood is an otherworldly score that again reminded me of 'Long Weekend'. More specifically, it made me think back to the eerie cries of the sea cow from that film. The score here sounds strikingly similar. The journey to the film's conclusion, where the double entendre of the title becomes apparent, is a compelling one too. Some may be let down in the end, but there's enough going on even after the revelation for me to feel otherwise.
Director Martin Murphy clearly shares my affinity for 'Long Weekend', and it's easy to see this film as a loving homage to Australia's best contribution to the horror genre. It's certainly better than flat-out remaking it. Yeah, I'm thinking of you, Jamie Blanks. All of that aside, 'Lost Things' stands on it's own as a quality film in it's own right.
