The Daily Dig: Ghostwatch (1992)

A must-watch film at the forefront of the found footage phenomenon, the cast and crew of BBC’s “Ghostwatch” did it better than everyone.

It’s Halloween night and the BBC has sent a team to investigate an alleged poltergeist, “live”. Let’s dig into 1992’s GHOSTWATCH, directed by Lesley Manning.

As I See It

Set during Halloween and fashioned as a live production, Ghostwatch stirred the British public enough to evoke several phone calls and lawsuits. This clever approach reminds me of the radio broadcast of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” in 1938, narrated by Orson Welles, which had reached mythological panic levels in the listening audience.

I find it surprising that this film isn’t more widely known or talked about outside the UK, given the uproar over the broadcast. The premise is brilliant, and it makes me want to read more from writer Stephen Volk, who also wrote Ken Russell’s Gothic.

The cast and production crew expertly execute Volk’s writing. The line between scripted dialogue and a free-form live language is nearly invisible. Building the myth of “Pipes” is deflated as the camera crew reveals that one of the children in the “live” shot inside the house is behind the haunting noises. The build-up to real paranormal existence is where the brilliance truly lies.

Parkinson’s presence is the never-ending promise of credibility. It sells the whole experience. Coupled with Reporter Sarah Greene’s performance inside the house, reacting to the goings on with the children, there’s no wonder this was a success the first (and only) time around.

Famous Faces

Lending credibility to the fact that the broadcast was real, Sir Michael Parkinson was a well-established journalist and broadcaster. He passed away just last year at the age of 88.

Colin Stinton (Dr. Sylvestri) plays the skeptical American doctor here and has appeared in many mainstream films throughout his long career, including Tomorrow Never Dies, The Machinist, The Bourne Ultimatum, Captain America—The First Avenger, and Wonder Woman 1984. I must say, I think he could do a spot on Jeff Goldblum impression just based on his own natural voice in Ghostwatch.

Of Gratuitous Nature

The reaction of the British public seems like overkill to me, but I guess without it, there wouldn’t be the lore built around this film. I’m trying to put myself in a time machine and think about how I would have reacted to this program at the age I was in 1992, and I probably would have been terrified.

I remember watching Harry and the Hendersons on TV in the early nineties, which was a frequent watch for me, and after there was a late-night news commercial about a “devil in the attic.” The cameraman climbed the pull-down ladder and peaked the light and lens into the crawl space to see… nothing. It didn’t matter; I couldn’t sleep. My prepubescent brain filled in all the fear it could handle. So maybe I should give the Brits a bit of a break.

Heartthrob

Tarantino talks about going down director rabbit holes, getting all the films of a single director, and binge-watching them over a week. As a writer, I do the same with other pen pals. I’ve got a soft spot for ink flingers, and the whole production just made me want to seek out everything Stephen Volk has ever done.

Ripe for a Remake

Hell, yes. Today’s audience is not easily fooled. We’ve had Blair Witch. We know the marketing campaigns. It’s not going to be easy to rope people in. But imagine if you did. It’s worth taking the swing to try and end up with something extraordinary.

Spawns

A documentary was made and released in 2013 called Behind the Curtains, which shed light on a lot of the behind-the-scenes making of the original film. Volk wrote a short story sequel (“31/10”), which was successful in its own right. Though the film has never been aired on BBC again, a yearly “Séance” has taken place for the last decade-plus, where fans screen it themselves at a set time and live tweet about it. #Ghostwatch.

This is the kind of staying power you can only dream about when building a story.

Where to Watch

101 Films put out both a standard and limited edition Blu-Ray. The limited edition has since sold out, but the standard is still available, though I’m not sure if it’s region-locked. You can stream Ghostwatch on Shudder, AMC+, and Hoopla.