The Living and the Dead (2006)

Director:

Simon Rumley

Writer:

Simon Rumley (writer)

Release Date:

24 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror by good intentions.

Plot:

A descent into Hell is triggered when "Ex-Lord" Donald Brocklebank finds that he must leave Longleigh...

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Barricade | Headbanger | Suicide By Stabbing | Maze

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Donald Brocklebank
Leo Bill	...	James Brocklebank
Kate Fahy	...	Nancy Brocklebank
Sarah Ball	...	Nurse Mary
Neil Conrich	...	Policeman

Directed by
Simon Rumley

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Simon Rumley		writer

Produced by
Elliot Grove	....	executive producer
Paris Leonti	....	line producer (as Barry Leonti)
Nick O'Hagan	....	producer
Simon Rumley	....	producer
Carl Schönfeld	....	co-producer
Uday Tiwari	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Richard Chester

Cinematography by
Milton Kam

Film Editing by
Benjamin Putland

Casting by
Joyce Nettles

Production Design by
Will Field

Art Direction by
Alasdair McKay

Costume Design by
Alice Wolfbauer

Makeup Department
Jacqueline Fowler	....	makeup designer (as Jackie Fowler)

Production Management
Lucy Teire	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Simon Downes	....	second assistant director
Mick Ward	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Elliott Stallion	....	art department assistant

Sound Department
Mike Kneafsey	....	boom operator
Keith Tunney	....	production sound mixer
Hilary Wyatt	....	supervising dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Robin Pritchard	....	prosthetic technician

Camera and Electrical Department
Alex Brown	....	sparks
Cherry Carmen	....	assistant camera
Ewan Cassidy	....	gaffer
Thomas English	....	Steadicam operator
Alex Hudson	....	grip
Mihalis Margaritis	....	focus puller
Annika Summerson	....	sparks (as Annika Holm)
Brian Udoff	....	assistant camera
Susanne Willett	....	sparks

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Vida Wolfbauer	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Andrew Dearnley	....	digital intermediate technician
Connan McStay	....	on-line editor
Nic Smith	....	digital intermediate technician

Other crew
Helene Oosthuizen	....	script supervisor
Lucie Phillips Browne	....	production runner
Aidan Williams	....	production assistant
Aidan Williams	....	production coordinator

Thanks
Lulu O'Hagan	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Giant Films

Distributors

• TLA Releasing (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Accent Film Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Blue Sky Media (2007) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• DNC Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• M.I.B. (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• TLA Releasing (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Molinare Studio  post-production facilities

Also Known As:

The Living in the Home of the Dead (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

Argentina:83 min | Germany:83 min (European Film Market)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Australia:MA (2008) | Argentina:13 | UK:18 | New Zealand:R18

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company:

Giant Films

Trivia:

The Longleigh House location was once a World War I hospital, the Hawtreys School for young men, and then was run as a drug rehabilitation clinic. Local reports are that at least three ghosts, an old woman, a soldier, and a child who fell 75 feet while sliding down the banisters, still inhabit the Tottenham House near Savernake, England.

Quotes:

James: When you leave, I'm the one to look after our house, I'm the one to look after Mummy.

Solid short film. Not as a full-length movie.

I'm just going to get this out of the way before I trash: I liked The Living and the Dead for what it was. A simple, psychological horror/drama that was brilliant and did exactly what it set out to do. So why the low score? Because as brilliant and disturbing as it was, there was nothing really special about it. It was short film turned into a full-length movie. It fit more into the "that's cute" category than the "I got my entire money's worth here" category. That was the major problem I had with it: it wasn't anything that deserved a full-length movie, necessarily. If the runtime and price were both cut in half, this would have gotten a much higher score for me.

I guess I'll just start out with saying that this was one of the few movies I've ever seen that genuinely disturbed me. There was little to no blood, but the subject matter gripped me emotionally and hit home and it disturbed me. Will it disturb everyone? No. Will it disturb most? Maybe, but I doubt it. It's an acquired taste. The movie banks on you being emotionally affected, and if you're not, there really is no point in watching it because you'll be bored out of your mind. The Living and the Dead is relative in every aspect of the word, and I can't give it a definitive "this sucks" or "this was good" because it varies person to person. That isn't true about most movies, unlike what people want to believe, but that does apply here. It's your call.

As for the aspects of the film that aren't relative: The acting is pretty good. The story isn't entirely original, but it isn't typical either. The camera-work is well-done for the kind of movie it is. The pacing gets a little bloated, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been. Everything was well-done in the technical stance. The story was borderline brilliant, though I can see why people would disagree.

Overall, if you're looking for a psychological movie that will disturb you, this is worth a shot. I haven't seen a truly disturbing movie in years, but this was almost a little too much for me to handle. Almost. But that was based on my emotional engagement, and that is relative. Just watch it and make up your own opinion.

2/10