DVD review (regions 1 and 2)
Directed by Craig R Baxley, Michael W Watkins
Starring Peter Krause, Kevin Pollak, Julianna Margulies
Release date Out now (region 1); 27 August 2007 (region 2)

Detective Joe Miller attempts to track down a series of magical objects that will help bring his daughter back from the ‘lost room’ of the Sunshine Motel…

The Lost Room is a noirish fantasy mini-series that develops more like a role-playing computer game. Its haunting imagery pushes the boundaries of what television can achieve, and Peter Krause is superb in the central role as the Pittsburgh detective who discovers the mysterious room of the title.

Elsewhere, Kevin Pollak is effective as a sinister collector and Dennis Christopher is enormous fun as an obsessive forensic scientist. The surprise star of the series, though, is Peter Jacobson as Wally Jabrowski, an underdog who sends anyone who crosses him to ‘hell’ with his enchanted bus ticket, It has to be said that Julianna Margulies does let the side down slightly as the generic love interest, but it’s easy to forgive this once you get caught up in the story.

Still, as much fun as these characters are, and as intriguing as the concept is, the central mystery of the show is never fully explained. The ending is likely to annoy as many people as it intrigues, as it enigmatically leaves the door open for a full series.

The only extra is a standard making of feature entitled 'Inside the Lost Room'. Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 7/10
An engaging but curiously unsatisfying yarn that falls apart at the end.