Ghostwatch (1992)

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Absolutely amazing

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Before Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project and even the criminally underrated The Last Broadcast was Ghostwatch. While it didn't really define found footage like the aforementioned movies did (technically, 1980's Cannibal Holocaust was the first to do it), it was one of the first films to have the characters film a majority of their scenes. Ghostwatch is a mockumentary about four respected presenters and their camera crew who attempt to discover the truth behind the most haunted house in the UK, which first aired in 1992. Ghostwatch is complete with testimonials, calls to the set from viewers, and live footage shot by the camera crew, making the viewer feel like they're watching a legitimate documentary. This does start out rather slowly, making the most of the documentary-style filmmaking, but after that gimmick starts to wear off, the film switches to more of a horror film. The last half of the plot takes twists and turns that you'll never predict while still scaring you senseless. If you're a fan of mockumentaries or ghost movies in general, you don't want to pass up Ghostwatch.

Halloween 1992 and the BBC aired Ghostwatch as part of its Screen 1 Drama series. It was all told a horror mockumentary based around the Enfield Poltergeist investigation of 1977/8. Famed for family friendly fodder programming, the reaction to Ghostwatch shook the BBC to its core and the TV institution banned it for 10 years and has never shown it again on one of its channels. Problems arose because many viewers were unaware that the show was actually fake, this in spite of the many clues given both in written credits and the hiring of actors in critical roles!Watching it now some 20 years after the fact, it's hard to believe so many were taken in by the unfolding events of the show. Certainly it's understandable that youngsters watching would be scared by the second half of the show, that is if they wasn't bored stiff by the first half which plods along at an almost lethargic pace? But grown adults besieging the switchboards with worries about the realism of the show? And a weight of complaints not seen since The Sex Pistols swore on TV in 76? Apparently so it seems.Ghostwatch's legacy is tainted by over reaction on one hand, and sadness in the other. The show was cited as the cause for an 18 year old man hanging himself. Martin Denham had learning difficulties and after becoming obsessed with the show, committed suicide five days after the show was broadcast. There were other cases where children as young as 10 were said to have suffered post-traumatic stress because of the show. Sad for sure are these events, but they lend the film an aura of terror that it doesn't deserve. But on an influential front it deserves the utmost praise. It can be seen as a prototype of the reality TV shows that have dominated TV in the last decade, while you have to think that the makers of The Blair Witch Project saw it and took notes.Ghostwatch does have genuine moments of creepiness, the number of sneaky visual placements of Pipes the ghost are very effective. As is his back story. The sound work is suitably chilling, where over emphasised knocking and the sound of wailing cats really hit the desired mark. The cast, too, are stoic and performing well with the material to hand. Michael Parkinson is the head link man hosting the show, a splendid bit of casting because we all trust Parky. Mike Smith plays it suitably tongue close to cheek, his wife, the beautiful Sarah Greene, is the most believable as she spends the night in the house with the Early family, while Craig Charles outside the house larks about and never once plays it seriously. But the others, including the two child actors, struggle to convince. But was they meant to anyway? Because ultimately it's a pastiche production. 6/10

Having seen two different ghosts on separate occasions in my life, then my answer is, most definitely, yes. And no, I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't allowed to see this show back when it originally aired back in 1992, my mother and aunt were busy keeping the living room for their own drunken yacking. But I did sneak in a couple of times and saw a couple of definitive bits such as the ghost of Pipes appearing behind the curtains. I never knew it was a sham at the time but was intrigued nonetheless. Afterwards, BBC 2 screened Halloween 2 and I was more freaked out by that. But then came Sunday and the whole of Britain was buzzing about it.That particular Saturday night was probably the most iconic Halloween in a long time. The BBC even kept the show hidden away for many years afterwards because of all the controversy it stirred up. So anyone who has memories of being scared back then have not been able to see the show up until recently since the British Film Institute released a DVD. Fifteen years on, in the middle of a reality TV craze and with inattentive audiences, Ghostwatch would certainly not work in 2007. People now are just too cynical and no one really watches TV on a Saturday night now. There are many other distractions. It was the fact that so many people at Halloween parties, kids and adults alike, were fooled by this that made it so notorious. And there was hardly any advertising for Ghostwatch either and the only way people would know what was on is by checking the TV guides. Now we have the internet and almost every element of a production is scrutinized before anyone sees it.You could say that it was part of Ghostwatch's power that despite hardly any advertising and being bookended with 'this is not real' that was taken so seriously. But that would an absurd statement. It's a pretty 50/50 affair. The acting and direction is often stale and clumsy but the subliminal shots of Pipes going unnoticed by the crew make it so brilliant to watch.Set up like a Crimewatch show we have Parkinson in the studio with a Parapsychologist discussing the Pipes phenomena and other ghost stories while Sarah Greene and Craig 'No Talent Whatsoever' Charles are on location in a council estate where Pipes the ghost is making life a misery for the Early family. As you can imagine, there's a lot of hand-held camera action and quick glimpses of the ghost. I've spotted about seven but there may be more.It's rather dated and badly acted but it's still got enough in it to be interesting in these cynical times. Just try to blank out Craig Charles, why he was chosen to be in this I'll never know. I just wish that the BBC went further and push Ghostwatch to the max instead of mainly just playing it safe.

I was 16 years old (maybe i should have lied about my age when it was on) and in hospital when i watched this. Yes i thought it was real. Yes i was rummaging for change for the hospital payphone to ring in. and yes i felt a pratt when it wasn't real - i blame the anasetic and medication i was on.Whoever thought this programme up, did a fantastic job. Its a one off, never can be repeated as it would be recognised instantly as a hoax. The whole story and play along is and was so convincing, the acting from even the children was brilliant and well done as it was believable im sure it had a lot of people fooled. Also, another of these couldn't be made as the supernatural TV world is flooded with the likes of Most Haunted (not knocking it, love M.H) so it couldn't be carried off as well as this was back in 92