Spirit Lost

Spirit Lost is a 1997 American horror drama film directed by Neema Barnette, produced by Tim Reid, and starring Leon Robinson, Cynda Williams and Regina Taylor.

Premise

After John, a painter, and his wife move into an old house on an island, a seductive widow ghost shows up in mirrors, windows and in John's dreams and nightmares. She eventually lures him into moving into his attic studio while she tries to scare his now unhappy and pregnant wife away.

Cast

Leon Robinson as John
Cynda Williams as Arabella
Regina Taylor as Willy
James Avery as Dr. Glidden
Yvonne Brisendine as Dr. Fisher
Deacon Dawson as Realtor
J. Michael Hunter as Harrison Adders
Juanita Jennings as Vera
Alan Sader as Randolph Smythe

Development

Spirit Lost is loosely based on the book of the same name by Nancy Thayer.

Release

Spirit Lost was released direct to home video in 1997.

Themes

Robin R Means Coleman wrote in her book Horror Noire that Spirit Lost was a "rare horror film that was nearly an all-female affair" and that the film prominently featured characters that served as moral arbiter and saviors. She would later revisit the film in her 2023 work The Black Guy Dies First, further noting the codependent relationship between John and the ghostly Arabella.