Long Time Dead AKA: The Shadow

Long Time Dead
AKA: The Shadow
©2002

Directed by Marcus Adams

Cast:
Rob -- Joe Absolom
Stella -- Lara Belmont
Annie -- Melanie Gutteridge
Webstar -- Lukas Hass
Spencer -- James Hillier
Liam -- Alec Newman
Joe -- Mel Raido
Lucy Marsha Thomason


This is one hell of a movie based on the old and overused concept -- the Ouiji Board, and an evil spirit.

It’s
a British movie with punch. Largely better than most British horror
before 2002, it surpasses all expectations. I was tense watching this;
the only problem with this movie was the way the lead characters were
introduced -- as social druggies. The four guys are outside snorting
coke off a rail line as the train came toward them, just to see how far
they’ll go for kicks. The girls are upstairs in a warehouse drinking.

There are 8 in all who take part in the Ouiji Board “fun” and one has a video camera.

The
movie opens in the standard “you are about to watch a horror movie”
way. It opens in Morocco, 1976, where a group of occultists are
murmuring / chanting, while a group sits at an Ouiji Board making
contact with “Djin” an evil spirit from the ancient days. A Shaman is
supervising, when all hell breaks loose and Djin kills all but two.

--Time for the credits--

Next
we are introduced to the characters. As I mentioned there are eight.
The leading man, Liam is accosted by constant flashes of a boy running
away from…something. There are two leading ladies at first Stella and
Lucy. Stella dies an awesome death and that leaves Lucy to figure out a
way to get rid of the evil. I didn’t actually know there were two
leading ladies, I thought it was only Stella, so much focus was on her
until she bought the proverbial farm.

Anyway, Lucy is the one
who knows about contacting spirits and it is her idea (while the guys
are stoned and the girls drunk) to do an Ouiji Board session. She warns
them not to break contact with the glass ‘cause that’ll be like
shutting the door the spirit used to enter, leaving them (it) trapped
in here -- our world.

Most don’t believe in this hogwash until
Lucy says, “Is anyone there?” and the glass moves to YES. “Do you have
a message for us?” A-L-L-D-I-E. The messages is repeated twice. Then it
spells out it’s name: D-J-I-N, repeatedly, going faster and faster and
faster until the glass is hot to touch.

Freaked out by all
this and suffering another vision during the ‘session’, Liam jumps up,
grabs the glass and smashed it on the floor. Locking Djin in our world
and the only way he can get back is by killing everyone. But, he’s not
in a hurry to get back -- he has a score to settle with the two
remaining cult members for 1976.

The film’s only been playing
roughly twenty minutes and the next seventy-four minutes are tense, in
your face…fear. That reads: T-E-N-S-E-F-E-A-R. The killings are done
one by one and all are executed beautifully. The best of the lot is
Stella in the University bathroom. And why? Because she’s not alone,
there’s a student in the stall next to her.

Djin is like a God
of fire so the only way to be rid of him is to somehow burn him. But we
never once see the spirit and I think this is what adds to the fear
factor that made this movie great.

If you can find it, rent it
or buy it. A great addition to any dvd/movie collection and a must see
for all horror films. Oh, by the way, this movie was not a big budget
movie with thousands of bells and whistles and 90% eye-candy and a ten
minute credits roll. I don’t think it was an Indy film as it had too
many professional touches to it and the editing was hard to notice and
GOD, the soundtrack…is so perfect. This was a low budget, small company
movie and it rocked.

Hollywood should watch some of these
movies and take note. I haven’t experienced a great movie like this in
years, thought I was numbed to the tension a film was meant to deliver.
Guess not.

Once in awhile a gem, comes along and Long Time Dead is it.