Long Time Dead (2002)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Horror	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio Featurette Featurette Featurette-Behind The Scenes Teaser Trailer Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Back To The Future Trilogy
Rating
Year Of Production	2002
Running Time	90:03 (Case: 94)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (49:38)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Marcus Adams
Studio Distributor	Universal Pictures Home Video	Starring	Joe Absolom Lara Belmont Melanie Gutteridge Lukas Hass James Hillier Alec Newman Mel Raido Marsha Thomason
Case	?
RPI	$39.95	Music	Don Davis

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes, normal cigarettes, and illegal drugs.
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    The story of Long Time Dead surrounds a group of dead-end, no-hoper young Londoners (apparently "your average London kids") who one day decide that they are going to try a Ouija board session. At this point, it should be noted that it seems no-one ever told the writers that the Ouija board went out with Abba, and unlike the latter, has yet to come back in - a minor quibble, I know, but as these are supposedly "hip" young Londoners, it seems strange they would do something like this. Anyway, back in the story, the Ouija board "goes wrong" - the glass starts moving rapidly, spelling out "Djinn", then one of the members around the table freaks out, smashes the glass and runs away. Shortly thereafter, a member of the group is killed, and the body is covered in horrible burns. As the members of the group are slowly killed, one by one (well, apart from the times when it is two, or three...but I digress), they must try to band together to discover the perpetrator, and stop them before it is too late - but is it a human or a demon that is pursuing them?

    This film creates some genuine jumps and frights, and towards the end when the identity of the killer is revealed, the judicious use of CGI effects creates very creepy visuals indeed. The problem is that everything around these is just so, well, clichéd. It doesn't matter how well they pull the material off, the fact that it is so utterly unoriginal is its downfall. The longer the movie goes on, the more clichéd and obvious it becomes - a poor effort on behalf of the film makers. There are the stupid people - crawling around in the dark, at night, alone, while all your friends are being killed, really isn't that smart. There are the dark and creepy houses, there are the bumps in the night, and there are the wild chases with the ambiguous killer following. It is so obviously clichéd that it would not be out of place if one of the characters from Scream came around the corner and explained the rules of slasher movies to the Long Time Dead characters.

    The performances are also quite good, if not spectacular, although the total lack of any real character old enough to think that going to raves every night is not actually a good idea does give the film a very immature feel. The young actors do a good job with the material, but it is probably quite safe to say that based on these performances at least, none are destined for super-stardom.

    This movie, as devoid of ideas as it is, cannot be recommended in good conscience to any but genre fans. Those that are looking for a good scare, and to get the hairs on the neck rising (as opposed to the hackles that rise when the clichéd nature becomes apparent), may find it worth checking out.

Video

    Presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, this transfer is 16x9 enhanced.

    Sharpness is excellent - the detail, whether fine or not, is vibrant and easy to see. There is nothing hidden in this transfer, and it presents a wonderfully clean image. There is absolutely no visible grain at all, improving matters further. Shadow detail is equally as good. The lighting is superb, and the night time sequences that comprise the majority of the movie really have a life of their own. There is no low level noise.

    The colours are not quite as good as the shadow detail, but this seems to be a deliberate choice, as they are not as vibrant as could be expected. Highlights are muted, while the dark and neutral colours are heightened. The end result is a very atmospheric look that really adds to the nature of the film.

    There are absolutely no compression artefacts at all in this transfer, and the only film artefacts are tiny and extremely rare. The only problem with the transfer is aliasing. It is present in most shots, and on many occasions is not limited to a single item. Some of the worst examples include the railing from 17:53 to 18:20 and the cigarette (joint) from 46:40 to 46:56, but they are only a mere sample. It is quite distracting, and is even more disappointing given the top of the line nature of the rest of the transfer.

    The subtitles are generally accurate, but do change words on a semi-regular basis. They are nicely paced, and easy enough to read, if not exactly attractive.

    This is an RSDL formatted disc with the layer change occurring at 49:38 between Chapters 13 and 14. It is well placed on a fade of both video and audio, and is considerably harder to detect than most (although once again, the drop in audio does pin-point it).

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There is only a solitary Dolby Digital 5.1 (at 384 Kbps) audio track present on this disc, and it is of the original English dialogue.

    Dialogue is clear and easy to understand at all times. There are no issues with the mixing, and the music and sound effects all combine well. Audio sync is spot on throughout, and never causes a problem.

    The music is a combination of club music and a traditional score, composed by Don Davis. The score is about as clichéd as the movie, and so fits in well, while the club music is generally restricted to the club scenes, making it quite appropriate.

    The surround channel use is sparing, but very effective. There are only a very few instances where the surrounds are really brought into play (supporting the score), but it is this selective use that makes it so effective. When they are used, the effect is all the creepier, and they really help to set the atmosphere for the movie.

    The subwoofer is also very well used. It backs up the club scenes, and any other necessary sound effects, but is not overused at all.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

Featurette 1 (2:47)

Featurette 2 (3:29)

Behind The Scenes

Teaser Trailer (1:24)

Theatrical Trailer (1:40)

Back To The Future Trilogy Trailer (1:34)

    This could have been one of the best transfers out there. Unfortunately, a plethora of aliasing prevents that, although it is still a very nice transfer.

    The audio quality is very good, presenting a very restrained soundtrack that follows the "less is more" approach, and works well to enhance the movie further.

    The minimal and short extras have almost no interest value at all, and are really not worth bothering with.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall