I used to be so in love with Elliot Spears, Marc, when I was younger! Where the Heck is he anyway.....I hate when cute actors disappear like him!! Paperhouse was on all the freakin time last year around this time. I forget what channel, but I swear it was on like every other day at 5am or 6am, I remember because I was sick with strep throat for like a week and I'd always be awake to see paperhouse....I taped like 80% of it...I'd always miss the first 20 minutes!
sharehehe... was a weird movie, I liked it, it made me cry :(
shareI had a crush on him too! I wish there was more information on him online but there isn't.
shareCount me in as another Marc/Elliot fan based on the strength of that one movie, lol.
I loved his gentle voice, his nonchalance, his fear, his insecurity, his tenderness with Anna, his handsome features and above all the enchanting way he would sit at the high open window looking so melancholy.
What a dear little boy.
-- Leet.
~ Gíñä ®ïl€ÿ ¡§  GødÐes§! ~
I'm sorry to tell you this but I think he killed himself a few years ago.
My cousin played Anna in the film and I remember her telling me about it, it was really very sad as he was a talented actor and I'm sure could have gone on to great things. RIP.
Really? I really hope that isn't true. He had such talent and I don't doubt that he grew up to be a very handsome man. This is very sad, indeed. :( If he was anything like his character in the film, he would have been a marvelous person.
By the way, your cousin was brilliant in the film. It is one of those films that speaks to the child in all of us.
I'm sure you're very tired of hearing this question but what is your cousin Charlotte up to now? And, of course, the inevitable question, what led her to abandon the life of a film actor? Having worked on some independent (aka low budget) productions, it can be an exhausting and grueling experience.
shareI was also wondering what has Charlotte done after the movie. She is SO talented! She played the slightly spoiled, lonely (missing her dad) girl perfectly, in my humble opinion. I'm a fan :)
shareThis was on last night and assuming that Elliot Spiers really did commit suicide, it made the film even more melancholy and surreal. Honestly, I only wish that I could have visited him in dreams and convinced him not to. It makes me sad to think about this. It has been on my mind a lot. I hope it was just false information...He is so somber in the film (of course, he was meant to be) but it is sad to think that maybe he really wasn't just acting. If he ever did decide to visit my dreams, I would tell him that he was beautiful and he robbed the world of a talented actor. :(
share[deleted]
Well you can't rely on that for accuracy as there's lots of ommissions on other movies and the information does need updating.
I've sent a couple of updates in myself, but i've heard the updates are seldomly actioned?
"You're Only Supposed To Blow The Bloody Doors Off!"
Elliot did commit suicide. Please see my post here - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818642/board/thread/49438062?d=69069690#69069690
shareI watched 'Paperhouse' for the first time last night, and the film has really touched me so I came online to search for information as to what had become of Elliott Spiers, whom I thought did a truly marvelous job portraying Marc.
Discovering he'd passed away, from suicide and at such a young age, has made me incredibly sad. Before yesterday I hadn't even known of Elliott, and now here tonight I'm experiencing a genuine feeling of loss and heartache for him. I wish the report of his death weren't true, and I am so sorry for whatever caused him to feel such pain that his life ended in the way it did. :(
It's funny how greatly one performance in a film can affect another person, but I guess that's a testament to Elliott's talent.
Without being too graphic and carefully trying to be respectful to Elliot's memory, what I will say is he wasn't in pain before he died. He wasn't depressed and wanting to die but rather he died when unfortunately taking action in response to a fixed delusion while at a low point in his illness, specifically schizophrenia. Most times when his illness was under control Elliot was his usual happy self, even within the confines of the psychiatric ward for short spells. Small consolation.
shareAdam,
How long did you know Elliott? You worked in the hospital -- hopefully he didn't have to stay there too often or long.
Doesn't the effect of the drug ever go away? Or once you take it you just keep having relapses? Like you never know when it will start up again?
There is only light, my light, my naked light, my gift to you all. Experience my bliss.
Oh wow!
I just watched the movie today, and as for an 18 year old guy, I kind of felt a little odd when I read about the actors and actresses. Ellite died of suicide is pretty hard to see, as this movie was kind of touching, and to hear of his death within the film, then after the film, kind of gives me this creepy haunt feeling.
Along with that, too bad the actress who did Anna only did one film. She was not that bad, and she was a cute little girl (who is older then me obviously).
I am from Canada, and let me tell you, English Movies + Actors/Actresses = Better then the rest.
I am from Canada, and let me tell you, English Movies + Actors/Actresses = Better then the rest.
Well, better than Canadian movies thats to be sure. We really suck at movies and t.v.
I thought by posting on IMDB from my base in Europe it would be International.
When Elliott made Paperhouse he was a perfectly happy and normal boy. He was also very aware and sensitive which made him a fine young actor. He had extraordinary observational abilities which he expressed mainly in painting and drawing.
He became ill in 1991 after taking anti malarial medication which sometimes causes severe psychosis in people. Elliott was a dear happy and considerate person, even able to understand how difficult was the job of the doctors and nurses looking after him. He could not bear to see how his illness caused suffering in all who loved him. he took his own life in January 1994.
please check out Elliottt's page on imdb
Thank you all for your appreciation of his work
Catherine
It's really sad to hear that Elliott got sick in series of misfortune.
Contracting Malaria while traveling outside of Europe is bad enough. Having side effect from Chloroquine is even worse. I knew not having folic acid can cause major CNS problem, but I never knew the result can be so devastating that it permanently damages human brain.
Yes it is very sad and RIP Elliott.
http://www.myspace.com/taffy1967
Did he get Chloroquine? I found this about it:
"Since, Burrel et al.(9) reported the
first case of chloroquine induced psy-
Chosis, many more cases have been added(
4,5,10,11). The psychosis has been reported
to appear after intake of 2.4 to 6
g of chloroquine between 4 and 40 days
but the cases in our series, developed
psychosis after receiving a total dose of
1.0 to 2.4 g between 2 to 7 days (period
of onset was minimum for organic psychosis
followed by schizophrenia, depression
and mania). The exact mechanism
of chloroquine induced psychosis
is not known but the role of different
neurotransmitter systems, i.e.,
polyamines (especially spermidine) excess(
12), dopamine excess(4), acetylckoline
imbalance(13) and prostlaglandin-E
antagonism(14) have been postulated.
The duration of behavioral changes
ranged from two days to eight
weeks(3,4) but in our series, all cases improved
within three weeks after cessation
of chloroquine. Many cases of attempted
suicide and suicide have been
reported both in children and adults(2)
and the fatal dosage reported in the literature
is as little as 1 g of chloroquine
phosphate in children and 6 g in
adults(2)."
There is only light, my light, my naked light, my gift to you all. Experience my bliss.
That really is awful. What an amazing performance he gave in this film, at such a young age. Schizophrenia is a terrible illness, very difficult to overcome. Elliot was an unfortunate victim, just like somebody who has died of any other kind of illness. All I can really say is what a tragedy... RIP Elliott.
Nobody ever suspects the butterfly
How terribly tragic.
ain't nobody's fault but yours and that boogie's
Oh man, this is sad. I first watched this film when I was a teenager (I'm 32 now) and have it taped on VHS. For some reason I remembered it today and looked it up here, read a review and discovered Elliot's death.
I liked him straight away in the film, he was such a natural, and his character (and I'm guessing the actor) was so kind. He was the kind of boy I would have had a crush on at school.
How tragic. How terribly sad life can be.
I agree. It is nice to know he was a happy person, though. I would assume not so much like Marc in Paperhouse who was quite melancholy with good reason. I like how he's different in each of the roles he played and how you get that sense of distinct characters. I wish I had known more of how he was in real life, too. I have not seen any interviews or anything with him. His artwork is really great though, very sweet and thoughtful and deep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I have no idea of you still read here or check in but I just re-watched the movie after years of not being able to find it. I was one of the little girls who was a big fan of the movie and a big fan of your son. I can't speak for all of us but I still remember the impact it had on me, your sons performance in particular. He may be gone but for a generation of us he will never be forgotten.
"Somebody oughta teach you some manners Vernon"
"Well it ain't gonna be you prag"
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