LONG TIME DEAD
UK, 2002. 94 minutes, Colour.
Alec Newman, Joe Absolom, Lara Belmont, Melanie Gutteridge, Lukas Haas, James Hillier, Mel Raido, Marsha Thomason, Tom Bell.
Directed by Marcus Adams.
Long Time Dead might be seen as a British equivalent of the Friday the 13th trend. However, it tries to give the film more substance by a prologue in Morocco where one of the later characters is present as a child at a séance where a djinn is released. However, the boy does not remember what happened and his father was charged with murder of his mother.
The film then goes to contemporary London where a group of young twentysomethings – with indeterminate characters and creating not particularly interesting types, decide after a night at a club to hold a séance with a Ouija board. They release the djinn again. After that, the various members of the group are despatched with leaving only the now grown-up boy (Alex Newman) and his friend Rob (Joe Absolom). In the background is their landlord, played by Tom Bell, who is league with this séance group and the djinns. It is also revealed that the young man’s father is in prison and he goes to visit him.
At the end, there is the usual device of having the djinn enter into the best friend who is then killed. The young man goes to visit his father in prison – and, of course, is possessed by the djinn.
The film is interesting insofar as it is made by Working Title who produced much more upmarket films as well as providing the British variation on the young people in peril theme. The screenplay was written by Eitan Arrusi who wrote Inju for Barbet Schroeder and directed his first film which he wrote, Reverb, 2007.
1.The popularity of this kind of film? Young people? Horror? The supernatural? Deaths?
2.The London setting, flats, clubs? Abandoned buildings? The scenes in Morocco? The dark colours and tones of the film? Musical score?
3.The title, the Ouija board, the séance in Morocco? The liberating of the djinn? The death of Liam’s father? Becker’s role? The young people and the Ouija meeting? Frantic? The release of the djinn? Murderous presence?
4.The characters – how well defined – or not? Young British people and an American? Cipher characters rather than developed?
5.Liam, his background, the incident in Morocco? His being a boy? Not remembering? The truth hidden about his father? Becker? His friends? Going to the club? The drugs, the dancing? The Ouija board? His being affected? His discovering the truth? Having to cope with all the deaths? Going to visit his father? The confrontations with Becker? With Rob who was possessed by the djinn? Final vindication, going to visit his father, his being possessed?
6.The boys, their friendship, their talk, clubs? Their being pursued, the dangers, their deaths?
7.The girls, relationships, fears? Lucy surviving the longest? The gruesome deaths?
8.Becker, the landlord, his sinister attitudes? The truth about him? The confrontations, explanations to Liam? His death?
9.Liam’s father, superstitions, séances, Ouija boards?
10.The credibility of this kind of supernatural experience? In real life? In films?
