Right in line with films such as The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby, Lost Souls offers an apocalyptic view of the coming of the Antichrist.

The story follows Maya Larkin (Winona Ryder) as she scours the country for signs of the coming of Satan into the world.

After attending the exorcism of a serial killer, Larkin unlocks the code that will give the name of the person chosen to be taken by the devil, so that he may assume human form.

She soon discovers the person she is looking for is famed author Peter Kelson (Ben Chaplin). Larkin arranges to meet Kelson in an attempt to discover if he is truly the one she is searching for.

After much convincing, Larkin and Kelson both begin to see the truth about his destiny. Now the race to save the world and Kelson’s humanity is on.

The story may not be a new one, but Lost Souls does add a modern feel and powerful cinematography to it.

The film seems to add new depth to the age-old tale about the Antichrist. The modern and sometimes terrifying nature of the story comes from the diligent work of director Janusz Kaminski.

After working as cinematographer for both Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, Kaminski set out to direct his first film. He did a spectacular job. The film flows very smoothly throughout and really has a nice dark setting, perfectly befitting the subject matter.

Winona Ryder and Ben Chaplin give moderately good performances in the roles of a religious do-gooder and an atheistic soon-to-be-Satan, respectively.

The moments of visions that Winona Ryder’s character experiences are a great feature. However, these scenes could also be viewed as highly offensive to a deeply religious person, since they contain profuse swearing and blasphemy.

Overall, Lost Souls provides the audience with jumps and a compelling storyline. Filled with suspense and the dark overtone of a hopeless struggle, the film should be well received by anyone who enjoys fright films.

Rating: B+