Horrorfest 2018 Presents: Ghostwatch (1992, Lesley Manning)

Imagine a movie like Ghostwatch in today’s world of social media. Not only would the secret be ruined, even more people would argue that it was real. After watching the BBC’s mock style documentary horror film, I don’t blame them: Ghostwatch looks and feels quite real. What helps is that it was shown on Halloween night, and features actual famous UK personalities such as Craig Charles, Michael Parkinson, and Sarah Greene. Oh and it is framed in a startingly realistic manner, as found footage movies that are well made are good at doing.

Also Pipes, the ghost, is pure nightmare fuel. Basing him off of the infamous Enfield Poltergeist was an excellent choice, and adds to the movie’s creepy factor. While the finale goes a bit off the rails, the majority of Ghostwatch is fantastic, and is one of the best haunted house movies I have seen in a while. I liked the back and forth arguments about the existence of ghosts, and what I discovered is that being in a studio does not prevent one from showing up. They also have a bad habit of arriving uninvited, as the BBC crew find out all too well.