''Spirit Lost'' is a 1997 film directed by

Neema Barnette Neema Barnette is an American film director and producer, and the first African-American woman to direct a primetime sitcom. Barnette was the first African-American woman to get a three-picture deal with Sony Pictures. Since then, she accumulate ...

, produced by

Tim Reid Timothy Lee Reid Sr. (born December 19, 1944) is an American actor, comedian and film director best known for his roles in prime time American television programs, such as Venus Flytrap on ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–82), Marcel "Downtown" Br ...

, and starring

Leon Robinson Leon Preston Robinson (born March 8, 1962), usually credited as simply Leon, is an American actor and singer who began his professional career as a film actor in the early 1980s. He is best known for his roles as J.T. Matthews in the 1991 Rob ...

Cynda Williams Cindy Ann Williams is an American actress. She is credited as Cynda Williams. Early life and education Williams was born Cindy Ann Williams in Chicago, Illinois to Charles, a police officer and Beverly, a medical lab technician. She was rais ...

and

Regina Taylor Regina Taylor (born August 22, 1960) is an American actress and playwright. She has won several awards throughout her career, including a Golden Globe Award and NAACP Image Award. In July 2017, Taylor was announced as the new Denzel Washington En ...

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

as John *

as Arabella *

as Willy *

James Avery James La Rue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Philip Banks in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Judge Michael Conover on ''L.A. Law'', Steve Yeager in '' The Brady Bunch M ...

as Dr. Glidden * Yvonne Brisendine as Dr. Fisher * Deacon Dawson as Realtor * J. Michael Hunter as Harrison Adders *

Juanita Jennings Juanita Jennings (born September 12, 1952) is an American actress, known for her roles on television. Career Jennings won the 1994 CableACE Award for Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries for her role in '' Laurel Avenue''. She guest-starr ...

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.

References

External links

* 1997 films 1997 drama films Films directed by Neema Barnette 1990s English-language films American horror drama films 1990s American films 1997 directorial debut films {{1990s-US-drama-film-stub