August 13, 2008
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Always remember to hide the knives.The majority of the negative reviews surrounding Simon Rumley's scorching 2006 sucker punch The Living and the Dead seem to stem from those who are looking for a more traditional sort of horror. After all, not too many people will appreciate a bleak, uncompromising portrayal of a mentally ill man-child (Leo Bill) who desperately wants to tend to his dying mother while his father is away on business. Murder and madness, of course, soon follow. The ensuing mayhem is as physically and emotionally draining as modern cinema gets, overwhelming its brave audience with the sort of undiluted sadness that lingers long after the film has ended. Rumley's skillful direction, combined with a trio of brilliant performances, turn what could have been a generic shock-a-minute exploitation flick into something unique, touching, and, at times, wholly disturbing. And though I will readily admit that this is an incredibly tough picture to consume, I honestly can't see how anyone in their right mind could find it boring and dull. Horrifying, perplexing, and entirely unhinged, The Living and the Dead should be immediately investigated by anyone who's looking for something different from a genre that's overflowing with septic infection.
Recipe For Success: Leo Bill's Unstoppable Performance + Rumley's Great Script + I Want A Big, Sprawling Manor, Too
Color Me Boo-Hoo Black: Perhaps it's time to watch something a bit more jovial.
That is, until my meds kick in again.
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The Film Fiend
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