The Living and the Dead (2006)

In a decaying mansion in England, the former Lord Donald Brocklebank lives with his wife Nancy, who is very ill, and their schizophrenic teenage son James, who needs to use several pills to... See full summary »

Director:

Simon Rumley

Writer:

Simon Rumley

Stars:

Leo Bill, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Kate Fahy

7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Leo Bill	...	James Brocklebank
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Donald Brocklebank (as Roger Lloyd Pack)
Kate Fahy	...	Nancy Brocklebank
Sarah Ball	...	Nurse Mary
Neil Conrich	...	Policeman
Richard Wills-Cotton	...	nurse Mike
Alan Perrin	...	nurse Bob
Richard Syms	...	Vicar
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hilary Hodsman	...	Auntie Pat

Storyline

In a decaying mansion in England, the former Lord Donald Brocklebank lives with his wife Nancy, who is very ill, and their schizophrenic teenage son James, who needs to use several pills to stay calm. Donald is completely broke, apparently for paying for Nancy's medical treatment, and has been pressed to sell his manor. One day, Donald needs to travel early in the morning to London for business and he summons Nurse Mary. However, James decides to prove to his father that he is capable of taking care of his mother and he closes all the accesses to the house and locks himself with his mother inside the house. He gives an overdose of pills to his mother expecting to heal her and Nancy dies. At the funeral, there is another problem with James driving Donald insane.

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Plot Keywords:

pill | nurse | england | overdose | funeral | 

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Taglines:

Terror by good intentions.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Entre vivos y muertos

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£650,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Giant Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min 83 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Donald Brocklebank: [answering phone] Hello? Hello? Yes, yes I know. No, I didn't know that. No, that's not good at all. No, she doesn't know. Hmm. Hmm. Exactly. Okay, goodbye.
James: They going to make it?
Donald Brocklebank: No, they're not.
James: Can I look after mummy this time.
Donald Brocklebank: I'm not going away.
James: But you always say that, you always do.
James: [knocking] Some one's at the door!
[starts running]
Donald Brocklebank: Stop James, I said stop!
[...]

User Reviews

A very different and compelling offering

I thought this movie was great, A lot of people commented on it falling short of the 'horror' genre, but I don't think it was ever meant to be one. Watch it as a tragic drama, and these disappointments fade. I think Leo Bill did a fantastic job and I felt drawn into his character even further by the camera's exceptional use as he moves about the house. I don't want to spoil anything, so suffice to say it was a well acted movie with great camera-work, an exceptional cast and the overlying doom which permeated throughout the movie drew me in sometimes - enough to identify with some the universal aspects of the story and at times feel a shudder through my back, more so than any 'horror' show I've seen in the last few years.