A.k.a. Lonely Water. This two-minute chiller is actually
public information cum safety warning broadcast on TV in Great Britain. (PIF in
British English, PSA in American English.) "It was commissioned by the
government's Central Office of Information (COI) in response to an increase in
child drowning accidents: written and produced by the COI official Christine
Harmon and directed by Jeff Grant, who blogged
about his experience. [The
Guardian]"
Lonely Waters "played on British television throughout
the 1970s and terrified an entire generation of kids who not only steered clear
of 'lonely water' but also stopped swimming. Some probably stopped bathing. [Coming
Soon]"
Within the 90 seconds of this masterful short, astute
viewers can find reverberations of films ranging from The Seventh Seal (1958 / trailer) to Don't Look
Now (1973 / trailer). The wonderfully chilling voiceover is supplied by everyone's cult fav, the
great Donald Pleasance (5 Oct 1919 – 2 Feb 1995) of way too many films to
bother mentioning any. His final line — "I'll be back...
back...back..." went on to become a lasting, instantly recognizably saying
amongst British kids long before Arnie made "I'll be back"
internationally popular with The Terminator (1984 / trailer).
Interesting tidbit: amongst the kiddies of the short is the
Afro-Brit Terence Anthony "Terry" Sue-Patt (19 September 1964 – circa
May 2015); he's got a rather entertaining look on his face during the first
accident. He went on to enjoy some success and renown on British TV.
Nevertheless, it has been suggested by news sources that "whilst his
body was found on May 22, 2015, it is possible that he had been dead for nearly
a month before discovery".
And how long do you think it'll take till your body is found? Fellow Brit Joyce
Carol Vincent [15 Oct 1965 – 21 Dec 2003] puts him to shame,
though: it is estimated she lay dead in her flat for two, possibly three, years
before discovery. See the docudrama Dreams of Life [2011 / trailer].
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