... Long Time Dead received a lukewarm reception when it was released in the cinema in the UK, having been eclipsed by the hype surrounding the US production, Jeepers Creepers. In deference to this situation, the distributors have rather slyly added a tagline to the DVD and video release that ... Read review
In London a group of students at an all night warehouse party dare each other to play a ... more
Ouija board. But what starts out as fun rapidly descends into a nightmare when the glass spells out a terrifying message: ALL DIE... Unnerved the students retre...
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A spine - tingling, nerve - shattering ride of a horror movie!London: A group of students ... more
at an all night warehouse party dare each other to play a ouija board. But what starts out as fun rapidly turns into a nightmare, when the glass spells out the me...
Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Advantages: A decent English chiller! Disadvantages: Not quite enough gore
...see a British horror movie. Long Time Dead received a lukewarm reception when it was released in the cinema in the UK, having been eclipsed by the hype surrounding the US production, Jeepers Creepers. In deference to this situation, the distributors have rather slyly added a tagline to the DVD and video release that states “Makes Jeepers Creepers Look Like The Tweenies”. I’m not sure I would necessarily agree with this rather hyperbolic ... ...One of the reasons that Long Time Dead works well is that, although it is a horror film, the makers have relinquished on endless scenes of blood and guts and have focused instead on creating a feasible, innovative story line set amidst a very creepy back drop. Long Time Dead lacks most of the tired Stalk N Slash cliches that are so prevalent in modern US horror movies and as such, you never quite know what is going to happen next. The story line ... more
When a group of young friends spend the night at a party, their conversation turns to what they would consider to be the ultimate thrill. As well as the inevitable tales of drink, drugs and debauchery, one of the group says that one of his strangest experiences was encountered after a game on an Ouija Board. Intrigued by what he has to say, the rest of the group of friends agrees to take part in a game of their own, and they all descend to a disused basement to start playing. Most of the group is unfamiliar with what they should do, but guided by an experienced member of the party, they all do as they are told. The rules are quite simple – don’t push the glass, don’t pull the glass and most importantly of all, don’t take your finger off the glass until any contacted spirits have returned to the other side.
Initially, they get very little response, and can barely stifle their giggles. But just when they think that nothing is going to happen, the glass jerks gently and then starts sliding across the board at breakneck speed. To their question, “Who are you?” they receive the response D-J-I-N-N. To their next question, “What do you want?” they receive the response A-L-L D-I-E, over and over again. Understandably frightened, the friends do their best to hold on to the glass, but it’s all too much for one of them (Liam) who grabs the glass and smashes it on the floor. But it doesn’t end there. Having broken one of the cardinal rules of Ouija Board game play, they soon begin to understand what fear is all about. What have they released from the other side? What does it want from them and who is the sinister figure that watches over them from the basement of their creepy, rented home? Can they avoid the inevitable or will they indeed ALL DIE?
It makes rather a refreshing change to see a British movie production that doesn’t feature hopeless single women in huge knickers or Hugh Grant stuttering like a bumbling fool – and it makes even more of a change to see a British horror movie. Long Time Dead received a lukewarm reception when it was released in the cinema in the UK, having been eclipsed by the hype surrounding the US production, Jeepers Creepers. In deference to this situation, the distributors have rather slyly added a tagline to the DVD and video release that states “Makes Jeepers Creepers Look Like The Tweenies”. I’m not sure I would necessarily agree with this rather hyperbolic statement, but of the two movies Long Time Dead was by far the superior film for me.
One of the reasons that Long Time Dead works well is that, although it is a horror film, the makers have relinquished on endless scenes of blood and guts and have focused instead on creating a feasible, innovative story line set amidst a very creepy back drop. Long Time Dead lacks most of the tired Stalk N Slash cliches that are so prevalent in modern US horror movies and as such, you never quite know what is going to happen next. The story line seems to have a genuine purpose, and whilst the plot is not seamlessly coherent, this film knows exactly what it wants to be – creepy, suspenseful and intriguing. I have grown rather tired of late of the formulaic pattern used in US horror movies, where groups of pretty young teenagers get thrown together for one reason or another and then gradually get picked off for one reason or another. Whilst the teenagers of Long Time Dead are themselves in great peril, there is more substance to this movie, as the viewer embarks on the same journey of discovery as the characters themselves. It is also rather refreshing to see a group of teenagers that aren’t all heartthrobs and ex-models. The group of friends in Long Time Dead actually looks like a normal bunch of kids, rather than extras from a Loreal advert.
My knowledge and experience of Ouija Board playing is virtually nil. Despite my inherent fascination with all things supernatural, the constant barrage of warnings from friends and family members has somehow managed to convince me that there are some things that are best left alone. Having watched this movie, my feelings certainly haven’t changed and the movie makes no attempt to glamorise Ouija Board playing. Everyone that I know who has experience of this “game” tells tales of horrible fates that befell anyone who played with them. Whether any of this is true or not remains to be seen, but either way Long Time Dead will help perpetuate any myths. Without giving too much away, what the teenagers ultimately do is release a Djinn – a fire demon – that is then tied to them as they were the ones that opened the gateway and called upon it. The Djinn supposedly possesses one of the party and right from the beginning you are dropped various clues as to which one of the group has become possessed. I liked the story line – it was different and it made sense – two things that you can’t take for granted in modern movies.
I think it would be safe to say that none of the locations used in this film are normal. Everywhere that we see the friends is dark, creepy and mysterious and this all adds to the atmosphere of the movie. The friends live in a huge old house where, needless to say, the lights keep failing, so they spend most of their time wandering around in the dark. Even their college is grim and menacing, with isolated corridors and cold, threatening rooms. I have to say that they still do those things that only people in horror movies do. For example, I know for sure that if I were in a darkened house that was giving me the creeps, I wouldn’t wander round in the darkness calling out for my friends – I’d leg it. It all adds to the fun though – and the director has a rare gift of cunningly making you think that the danger has passed before promptly striking down a cast member in a completely unexpected and grisly way.
As a horror movie, this is certainly not the most graphic or violent example of its kind, and the 15 certificate demonstrates this. The film relies more on tension than blood and guts, although there are one or two brief scenes of violent deaths. The demon is not seen properly until the climax, and even then, the glimpses are brief, but in a film that probably wasn’t as well funded as a US counterpart would have been, I thought that Long Time Dead was visually very impressive. Special effects are kept to a minimum, with the music, direction and locations doing all the real work.
The youthful cast was generally unknown to me – I’m sure I recognised some of them from other movies, but only Joe Absolom was identifiably familiar to me. Soap fans will recognise Joe as the actor who played Matthew in Eastenders and his role in this film is really quite similar, in that he is “living on the edge”. Pete Postlethwaite is superb as a sinister landlord and caretaker – I don’t think they could have picked anyone creepier and I would have liked to have seen him in action a bit more than I did. The most striking performance is that of the guy who plays the father of one of the teenagers (not sure of his name). The characters scenes in the lunatic asylum are short and few in number, but his portrayal of the tortured father is quite shocking and it is the image of his crazed face staring at the screen that is the most memorable scene in the film.
Long Time Dead is not a masterpiece – I’m not sure it would attract anyone other than fans of this kind of movie. Nonetheless, it’s a good film that does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s exciting, it’s frightening and it actually stimulates some thought. Full marks to the makers who have proven that British films can actually outdo the Americans. Long Time Dead puts any recent US horror movie to shame and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Advantages: May provide some cash for the flagging British cinema industry Disadvantages: Cliched and predictable
...movie hasn’t surfaced for a long while. Sure, Dog Soldiers is well spoken of, but the only other totally effective UK chiller that springs to mind is ‘The Wicker Man’. So step up to the plate Marcus Adams, and let’s see if you can hit one out of the park with ‘Long Time Dead’ (also the name of a Taggart special you know!).
***THE PLOT***
A bunch of flatmates living somewhere in Britain goes out one night to a good old fashioned rave-up. They decide ... ...called for and so decide to mess around with a makeshift ouija board. Kids of today, eh? Never happy! Anyhoo, things go f**ked when they accidentally summon a ‘djinn’ – an ancient demon – that tells them they will all die that night. How does it know? Because it’s only gone and possessed one of them! But who? And can they stop it etcetera.
* * * * *
And that’s that! A simple set up which tries to convolute itself around hidden secrets and the clichéd ...
peppersinclaire 02.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Long Time Dead (DVD)
Advantages: Possibly a second film Disadvantages: Lame acting, predicatable.
...Yeah, I’m talking about Long Time Dead. The story line was unoriginal and the acting was lame. It sounded like the actors/actresses were reading the lines as they were acting them out.
The film starts off in Morocco in 1970 something or other. A group of people are playing around with a ouija board and they unlock a Djinn into their world and it tries to kill them all one by one. Ill say no more.
Then the film comes to the this year and a bunch ... ...see three lads at first and one of them is Joe Absalom who played Mathew Rose in Eastenders. This is his first film by the way. I was that bored watching this film, I’ve even forgotten all of there names. The “coloured” girl, the only one infact was in Black Knight with Martin Lawrence. She is supposed to be the expert on the “spirit world”. One night when they go out to the club, they all start talking about there best experiences and one of the ...
The_Game11 10.02.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Long Time Dead (DVD)
Advantages: Good five minutes with the Ouija board Disadvantages: gets boring afterwards
...disagree with me there! Still, Long Time Dead was about ouija boards and I am partial to them, anything a bit different.
Well, the ouija board is in the film for all of five minutes, the only good five minutes in the entire film. This is because none of the cast talk.
The film is about a group of teenagers who decide they might like to try the ouija board while out clubbing one night (as you do). So they all take a trip down to the dark, cold, ... ...and rip up bits of paper (which you always carry with you when you go clubbing) and make a ouija board. A spirit is then contacted and they break the link to the spirit and it’s trapped in their world and wants to kill them all. Obviously it’s an evil spirit, a Djinn in case anyone wants to know (previously cast in Wishmaster).
This film could have been good, there is a storyline there but they don’t make anything of it. The acting ...
annette_tr9 31.01.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Long Time Dead (DVD)
Advantages: Disturbing, scary moments Disadvantages: joe absolom = eastenders
I saw a trailer for this film at the cinema before it was released and thought it looked really good. I then went to live in Jamaica for a year where no one had heard of it, so I didn't manage to see it until it was on DVD. However, it's still a good film.
A lot of the creepiness of this film for me is the fact that it's British. At the beginning of the film, there's this group of friends out in a club in London, drinking, messing about etc. And ... ...more real. There's a bit of distance when you're watching an american horror, because the people and the places aren't what is around you all the time. So when I watched this film it really unsettled me because it seemed so much more real. A group of friends decide to do a Ouija board (always a bad move - I thought everyone had seen Witchboard), and despite being warned not to let go of the glass, one of the lads not only lets go of the glass but ...
emma_bedward69 15.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Long Time Dead (DVD)
Advantages: fairly decent plot, some good effects Disadvantages: bull**** acting!!
this film had potential but the choice of actors to play the parts were poor. Lukas Haas, Joe Absalom, Lara Belmont (Stella), James Hillier, Melanie Gutteridge, Alec Newman, Mel Raido, Marsha Thomason
7 friends are at a party doing usual party things drinking, snogging, dares , until 1 person comes up with the smart idea of playing a ouigi board ( to summon spirits) they all agree as it will be a buzz! they arrange letters of the alphabet on a table ... ...it upside down and all place they're finger on it (i bet your thinking wow!) a girl called kate then starts filming them do this as they try to contact some spirits they manage it as they begin a convo with a type of spirit called a fire-gin the glass slowly begins to move and it spells out a-l-l d-i-e (all die) so they all poo their pants and some leave, too scared to continue. 1 of them goes up onto the balcony to "get some air" but what she doesnt ...
jambo126 17.07.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Long Time Dead (DVD)
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Advantages: Great to see the influence on modern horror Disadvantages: Those hunting gore will be dissapointed
compensate, in the case of the Blind Dead their hearing improves to such an extent that if your afraid they can hear your heart beating.
Tombs Of The Blind Dead like its three sequals, was not lost as such but something that was forgotton about for a longtime. As the birth of DVD opened up a revival if you like of Euro Horror, more and more of these lost classics were unearthed. Previously a heavily watered down version of the movie was released which was dubbed from Spanish into English, this made the story difficult to follow and incoherent. When the time came for the Blind Dead movies to be re-released a painstaking effort was made to find the original prints and restore them. This release has two minor cuts, but other than that is completely restored. The cuts are scenes of sexual violence which in fairness make the story more effective ...
A group of students gets much more than they bargained for when they start to play a ouija board...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
4 FRONT VIDEO; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS
Release date
02/05/2005
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
902 626 9
Barcode
3259190262690
Languages
Main Language
English
Subtitle Language
English
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
2 Featurettes, Behind The Scenes, Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen, 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
DVD Description
When a group of students at a warehouse party play the traditional scary game with a Ouija board they get more than they bargained for when they received the message 'All Die'. Thinking nothing of it the group return to their home where one by one they fall victim to a series of chilling murders. The survivors know they have unleashed an evil that has to be stopped before they all perish but time is running out. LONG TIME DEAD is a terrifying British horror movie up there with the best in the genre.
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