This is How Movies Should Be Made

Absolutely amazing

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Ostensibly a night in a "real" haunted house filmed live on Halloween night that tricked many people who were unaware it was fiction while they were watching it (even though it had writing and acting credits).There's a lot of fun to be had here. It feels real enough, though if you know to look for it it can feel a bit staged. Some of the best bits involve the studio which has a real "paranormal expert" on hand to explain the goings-ons. The scares are very Paranormal Activity lite, but considering the time and the fact that it was a TV movie one can see how it would have an impact.As a piece of history this spooky flick is indelible and worth celebrating, as a piece of art it's merely good enough.

With all the adverts about The Enfield Poltergeist recently, it brought back memories of Ghostwatch. I'd have been around 17 then, had already seen my fair share of horrors, and was pretty desensitised. Until I saw Ghost Watch. Apart from a bit of hammy acting from one or two cast members, everyone did a brilliant job, and I seriously thought this was or could've been real. ***Spoilers below***Throughout the show, the viewer is treated to little teasers here and there, "Was that Pipes by the curtain, or just my imagination?", and things of this nature. When the crew member faints after seeing the ghost behind the door, and you see a glimpse of it yourself, I swear I almost filled my trunks. But the scariest parts for me were when the girl started talking in that weird voice, and when Parkie was wandering around the studio supposedly possessed. It was at that point when I realised it couldn't be real, but this show messed with my head so much, to this day, I don't know if I could watch it again without being terrified. I watched a couple of documentaries the other day about the Enfield case, and after watching Janet doing that creepy voice, it brought those images flooding back and my skin went cold and prickly. I'm not sure today's generation would appreciate Ghost Watch, but back then, there were a lot of frightened viewers and quite a number of complaints about the content.

As a skeptic of all things faked or imagined, I found 'Ghostwatch (1992)' to be fantastically interesting. The programme's earnestness would have irked me, had the whole thing not been a complete put-on. 'Ghostwatch,' hosted by Michael Parkinson, aired on Halloween 1992, and purported to be a live 90-minute broadcast from a supposedly haunted suburban house. Things start off ordinarily enough, with the presenters seeming to enjoy themselves, but within 90 minutes all hell has broken loose. I suppose I might have been unnerved had I watched the programme back in 1992, especially considering the well-known and respected personalities involved, but in this case I just sat back and enjoyed the theatrics: the equipment malfunctions; the grisly anecdotes of molestation, suicide, and animal decapitation; the fleeting glimpses of a bloodied male figure. Apparently, not everybody was amused. The BBC received a multitude of complaints, and 'Ghostwatch' has even been cited as causing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in several children who were still watching after the 9pm watershed. Also probably, while we're at it, a huge influence on films like 'The Blair Witch Project (1999)' and 'Paranormal Activity (2007).'

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