This Day in Horror History: DEAD AGAIN Was Released in 1991
Horror ruled the box office in the summer of 1991 when Dead Again was the #1 movie in America over Labor Day Weekend (Child’s Play 3 was the #2 film, by the way). Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, Dead Again was a beautiful and strange anomaly; a Hitchcockian thriller with a supernatural twist.
Dead Again also stars Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia, and Robin Williams.
If it’s been a while, or if you’ve never experienced Dead Again for yourself, check out the trailer and synopsis below.
Synopsis:
When a mute woman suffering from amnesia (Emma Thompson) arrives at the gates of an old orphanage, private investigator Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) is asked to find out who she is. With the help of a hypnotist (Derek Jacobi), the woman regains her voice and recalls vivid past memories of a couple from the 1940s torn apart by murder. Church begins to develop feelings for the woman, who he calls Grace, and then discovers he has a connection to the tragic couple from the 40s.
Trivia:
This movie was shot entirely in color, and was intended to be released that way. It was decided during editing, however, that the movement between past and present could be made clearer by printing the Roman and Margaret scenes in black-and-white. Director Sir Kenneth Branagh comments on the DVD that the costume and set designers were disappointed by this, because they would have used different colors for those scenes, which would photograph better in black-and-white, had they known this. (Source)
Being one of his few horror/thriller movies, Robin Williams didn’t want his name to appear in the opening credits, as it might have misled audiences into thinking that this movie was a comedy. He only has three scenes with director Sir Kenneth Branagh, and one with Dame Emma Thompson. This was due to Robin doing two other movies the same year, not from Paramount Pictures, but from TriStar Pictures (a subsidiary of Sony Pictures), which include Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King (1991) and Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991). (Source)
Are you a fan of Dead Again? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
Categorized:News
