The Living and the Dead (2006)

A descent into Hell is triggered when "Ex-Lord" Donald Brocklebank finds that he must leave Longleigh House for London to find a way to pay for the medical treatments for his wife Nancy. ... See full summary »

Director:

Simon Rumley

Writer:

Simon Rumley

Stars:

Leo Bill, Roger Lloyd Pack, Kate Fahy

10 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

A descent into Hell is triggered when "Ex-Lord" Donald Brocklebank finds that he must leave Longleigh House for London to find a way to pay for the medical treatments for his wife Nancy. Alone, his over-protected, delusional, adult son, James, fancies himself in charge of the manor house with his terminally ill mother, and barricades the two of them into the house for a series of ever more panicked home treatments, mistakenly protecting her from the arrival of Nurse Mary and any outside help.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse | barricade | domineering mother | bedridden mother | supernatural power | 

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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 (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is dedicated to the memory of Sheila and David Rumley, parents of director Simon Rumley. Three months after his father had passed away from a heart attack, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. She died three months later.

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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.