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The Living and the Dead

Play trailer Poster for The Living and the Dead 2006 1h 23m Drama Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A British aristocrat who has lost his wealth, Donald (Roger Lloyd Pack) is desperate to find treatment for his cancer-stricken wife, Nancy (Kate Fahy). In order to give her proper medical care, Donald plans to sell the family mansion. However, his troubled and mentally disabled son, James (Leo Bill), decides that he's going look after his mother. When Mary (Sarah Ball), the nurse assigned to Nancy, tries to care for the ailing woman, she ends up clashing with the volatile James.

Critics Reviews

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Andrew O'Hehir Salon.com 10/25/2007
The Living and the Dead is not an easy movie to sit through, and its darkness may be a little mannered, but it's an elegant construction with real emotions buried deep inside. Go to Full Review
Joshua Rothkopf Time Out 10/25/2007
4/6
This is a truly haunted movie. Go to Full Review
Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times 10/24/2007
3.5/5
A bizarre psychological study of degeneration and dependency, The Living and the Dead is a horror movie only in the most literal sense. Go to Full Review
Laura Clifford Reeling Reviews 03/31/2008
B-
...has elements of horror, as the plethora of knives and hypodermic needles point to, but this is a unique entry for those who like thought-provoking concepts served up with their grue. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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11/18/2019 This was one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. Not scary like The Shining... it's scary like Requiem For a Dream. The movie tested the limits of my patience re a mentally ill kid. To see what he does re his mom is beyond cringe. You want to physically restrain him. And it's not told in a linear fashion, so you get a bit confused as the subplots seem to flow as 1 very long event. The acting by Leo Bill is by far the best performance I've ever seen from an actor. His portrayal of a mentally ill kid was jaw dropping. Some say this is just a drama... it's absolute not. It feels like a horror movie. And it's great. See more 11/16/2018 I was very intrigued by this movie, but after actually watching it really does not live up to the praise. It is not terrible, for example, the acting is fine and at least the portrayal of a mentally unsound person is not completely butchered. The cinematography works well and can convey some important aspects of the scene for the viewer. I enjoyed the movie for the first half, but this film soon deflates of all suspense. It delves into some dream-like sequences, but these just come off as pretentious. Overall this movies starts as a slow burn and leaves you wanting the ending going in a completely different way, and not in a good way. See more 04/21/2015 Not the regular horror... It's dark, it's emotional, it's genuine. Something that you're sure you'll remember for at least the next decade of your life. See more 02/17/2014 They've cocked this up and mashed 2 films together. This refers to the Simon Rumley film. See more 11/30/2013 Unbearable and exhausting for all the right reasons, The Living and the Dead was a bolt from the blue--'Psycho' on Acid!! See more 05/06/2013 At times unwatchable and unintentionally funny - that's how annoying, infuriating and unbelievable the lead character is. There's barely enough story here to fill 80 minutes, so we get plenty of long, predictable, drawn-out, repetitive scenes. What story there is has characters behaving like no human being ever would. The cinematography and set are well done, and there's a genuinely terrifying nightmare sequence. Kill List and Sightseers are such huge step ups from this. See more Read all reviews
The Living and the Dead

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Movie Info

Synopsis A British aristocrat who has lost his wealth, Donald (Roger Lloyd Pack) is desperate to find treatment for his cancer-stricken wife, Nancy (Kate Fahy). In order to give her proper medical care, Donald plans to sell the family mansion. However, his troubled and mentally disabled son, James (Leo Bill), decides that he's going look after his mother. When Mary (Sarah Ball), the nurse assigned to Nancy, tries to care for the ailing woman, she ends up clashing with the volatile James.
Director
Simon Rumley
Producer
Nick O'Hagan, Simon Rumley
Screenwriter
Simon Rumley
Genre
Drama, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 25, 2008
Runtime
1h 23m