LONG TIME DEAD     - A    Narada    Film Review
   
Long Time Dead ,    Directed by Marcus Adams,     Produced by Tim Bevan.

      Viewed On 10 June 2002 .

            As "formula" horror flicks go, Long Time Dead is about as good as it gets, read; "mediocre".     The "formula" for any of you who haven't been to the cinema any time in the last century is as follows:     Start with a group of kids in their late teens.      Next we have the encounter with the occult, where the audience is seduced into suspension of disbelief by one of them finding some ancient literary reference to the occult demon in question.      After that, the demon does one of them in, whereupon they vow to stick together to prevent any more of them from being picked off.      After that, they start doing the 'packaged listing of stupid things', to include, amazingly, not sticking together.      And then, surprise of surprises, the demon starts picking them off one by one.     One of the more amusing 'stupid things' the victims invariably do is walk backward in a darkened room to assure themselves the demon is not behind them - always good for a chuckle.     Unable to resist, Director Marcus Adams includes this little trick with obvious relish.
            Where the British-made Long Time Dead departs from its American horror-flick counterparts is when one of their fellow teenagers is found horribly butchered, the survivors appear to show real remorse at the loss of a friend.
            Notwithstanding the usual bag of terror-inducing camera tricks, Long Time Dead shows a flair for good photography.      The same goes for the sound - and the sound track music.     The cast of mostly unknowns includes Marsha Thomason as Lucy , Alec Newman as Liam , Melanie Gutteridge as Annie , and Lucas Haas ( Mars Attacks ) as Webster .     In spite of its adherence to the tired old formula, Long Time Dead does work.      The ending is not obvious, which in this clichéd genre, is almost unheard of.      It WILL have you gripping the armrests from time to time.
        LEAST Enduring Line Or Phrase:   "We should have all stayed together."

Reviewed by Narada for Bangkok Eyes - 10 June 2002

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