Landmark drama finally released by the BFI (Ghostwatch)

Member Name: Chris Birkett

Product:	Ghostwatch
Date:	16/03/04 (604 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very deceptive, Familiar faces encourgage believability, Takes its viewers seriously

Disadvantages: some acting is a bit suspect, either loved or hated in equal measure, climax possibly goes too far

31st October 1992. I was 12 and insisted sitting down with my Mum around 9pm to watch "Ghostwatch". We didn't get Radio Times, we didn't see the introduction so, as far as I was concerned, I was watching a "live" programme. I never actually saw the very end, having ran off to bed after 85 minutes and didn't sleep properly for the following week. Then I found out it wasn't real, it was a screen one drama designed to mock the way television can jump into a situation without much research and make matters worse. It still didn't help my sleep though.

This was a wonderfully scripted event, for want of a better word. Using familiar faces (Michael Parkinson is the anchor, Mike Smith the co-presenter, Sarah Greene and Craig Charles the roving reporters) only adds to the belief that this is really happening, even though a cast list had been already published and credits flashed on screen (albeit briefly due to time constraints) before it all started.

But what is happening? Well, we're introduced to Pamela Early (Brid Brennan), and her two children Kim and Suzanne. Residents of Foxhill Drive in Northolt they have, over the past year, been the subjects of poltergeist activity. Lamps move, watches stop, the sound of cats wailing fills the air. The mother has had a particularly nasty experience in the store room under the stairs (nicknamed the Glory Hole and subsequently boarded up). Occasionally the ghost makes an appearance, usually in the curtains of the young girls bedroom. Loud metallic banging noises can be heard (which causes the residents to nickname the spirit "pipes") and even physical contact is made. The older girl starts speaking in a voice not of her own (which we get to hear via tape in a very disturbing way) and suffers from scratches (cat like?) on her face.

Originally they contacted the council (as it is a council house they live in) but they didn't want to know. Then the press
became involved and, as the press are wont to do turned it into a freak story. Having even appeared on a talk show they were clutching at straws and then became involved with a parapsycholigist, Dr Lin Pascoe (Gillian Bevan, recently of Teachers fame). Through her investigations it was confirmed that indeed a spirit inhabited the household. The BBC have subsequently become involved with the idea of making the show into a Halloween "special". It's a typical Crimewatch set up. A well known face holding things together, a phone in line, a satellite link up to the house within which Sarah Greene is getting ready to spend the night with the residents. Funnyman Craig Charles is also in the area, interviewing the local community and keeping everything cheerful and chummy.

So the scene is set. The story is laboriously slow in the first 45 minutes. Whilst this may seem a waste, it only serves to make the final 30 minutes even more intense. Lots of background is given, interviews with all the family members indicate their own experiences over the past few months. "Expert" Lin gives her take on what has been going on, the obligatory sceptic (American "scientist" Emilio Silvestri - Colin Stanton) gives his own view of the proceedings and calls from the general public are interspersed between. Their "real" experiences are related to the studio, along with a number of people who are picking up images in footage from the house that, for whatever reason, the presenters cannot see themselves.

Then the first "incident" occurs. Not much, just a patch of wet in the front room that has materialised from nowhere. Could this be the start of something? Well apparently not, we just can't explain it. After some vox pops where members of the public relate their experiences we cut back quickly to the house. Sarah can hear cat scratching the in the front bedroom which she follows downstairs. Whilst in the kitchen (afte
r a tantalising glimpse of "Pipes" in the patio window) the most horrific banging begins from upstairs. Rushing up Sarah is stopped by the studio presenters. One of the girls has mysteriously disappeared from her bed. Manipulating the camera fixed on the landing ceiling, we find out that it is Suzanne banging the pipes, in an effort to "produce the goods" for the TV crew. The whole thing quickly is presented as a hoax (despite Dr Lin's protestations) and we quickly go back to our American "sceptic" to damn the whole exersice as a load of rubbish.

This is when things start to get interesting. Having "proved" a skeptical audiences' belief that this is nothing but a prank, we then steadily unleash a whole host of events, ranging from unnerving to downright scream-out-loud scary. We talk to the family, who insist that something is going on, then calls start to come in from the public. A ladies' glass table mysteriously explodes. Her clocks have stopped. Her children will not move from the televsion. "Why are you doing this?!" she cries distraughtly over the phone before ringing off. Despite Michael Parkinson's attempts to assuage our panic, we know that something is going on. We attempt to watch more video interviews, the tape goes wrong. People are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cut back to the house, we can hear cats scratching. Kim appears saying that something's wrong with Suzanne, we follow her up and we find that her face is covered in scratches. Sarah goes to get some water, she's distinctly aware of a presence in the bathroom. Returing to the bedroom things have calmed down, but there's a distinctly eerie feeling about the place.

We cut back to the studio, a lady born and bred in Northolt rings tells of a story her mother used to use to get them to go to bed at night. "If you don't sleep, Mother Seddons will come to get you" she was told, and in l
ater years she'd found out that the lady did exist. A Baby farmer who killed children, she lived on land built over by the Foxhill estate, possibly where that house is sitting now. Getting chilly yet? We move back to the house, they've decided to get the children out to calm them down. However, they don't want to go. Forced to leave the room, we get another tantalising glimpse of "pipes" as the camera wheels around. There he is by the curtain, the camera immediately snaps back to the curtains but he's not there any more. Transmission starts breaking up. Dwonstairs in the front room, Sarah attempts to report back to the studio. But excruciating whines and bangs emanate from the walls and ceiling. A picture flies off the wall, and Suzanne, huddled defensively in a corner, starts to speak in the voice heard on tape earlier in the show. Kim has disappeared and Sarah runs round the house wildly, eventually finding her hiding behind the fridge in the kitchen. Then the cat scratching starts again, it's coming from the glory hole. The sound assistant unboards the door and, as it opens another split second of "pipes" is seen before the sound man collapses to the ground. Everything is going haywire. Sarsh starts to look for Suzanne and it becomes apparent that she has got into the glory hole too. The last moments before transmission dies are filled with Suzanne's cries and screams. Then nothing.

Suddenly we're back outside with Craig Charles. They've been watching the house all evening and have nothing to report. They're unable to speak to the studio, he starts to conduct an interview before cutting it short, realising they're not on air.

Then back to the studio. Apparently order has been restored in the house. Although there's no sound, the children can be seen happily playing a board game with the tv crew. There's time for one more call, revealing yet another series of horrific events cen
tred on the house. A social worker rings up telling about a previously unrecorded lodger, Raymond Tunstall. He had various child abuse convictions and was considered a very dangerous man. Somehow he came to live in the house for a while, and developed paranoid fantasies. A woman was trying to take over his body, he'd say. Made him wear dresses, forced him to do things he didn't want to do. To escape, he commited suicide, hanging himself in the store room under the stairs. He wasn't found for 12 days, and during that time the many cats that he had got hungry, so guess what they did.....

We're left watching the face of the parapsycologist in horror, as she turns to the screen showing the house, and realises something's wrong. The picture that fell off the wall some time ago is still there (and the audience also realise that the sound engineer is in fine fettle too, although the studio don't know what's happened to him). She turns to Michael - "we've created a nationwide seance. It's in the machine" (for so many people were watching, wanting something to happen that their wish has been granted!) The screen changes, with gruesome sounds, and suddenly we're back outside the house. It's nothing like it was before though. The sound assistant is being wheeled, unconcious, into an ambulance and police are arriving on the scene. Kim and Pam come running out of the house and are safely deposited in the back of the police car. Hang on though, where's the others? Cut to the house, the cameraman is using the infra red mode (cunningly shown to us at the beginning of the night) and makes contact with Sarah. They find a torch and start to look, again for Suzanne. Then her cries start again, from the glory hole of course. Sarah forces the door open and walks in. The cameraman attempts to stop her, but she's gone. The door shuts violently behind her and a split-second vision of pipes hits the screen as the camera s
ignal breaks up. We return to the studio. People are running everywhere, Mike Smith wants to know what happened to his wife, Miachael Parkinson is head of the sinking ship. Cameras move uncontrollably about the studio, and finally the power goes putting us into darkness. The emergency lights come on and we see Michael wandering around trying to find other people. He stops and looks at a camera (we only see his chest) and chuckles as he realises the autocue is still working. But hang on, what's it saying? "Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear. Mother Seddons will come to get you......." The sound of cats fills the air, and Michael is possessed by the ghost. And that, my friends, is the end!

This film caused a lot of controversy. Even though cast lists appeared beforehand, and the screen one ident was placed in front of the show, it appears that if people want to believe something's real, then nothing's going to change their mind. It was a superb piece of dramatisation, forerunning all those reality shows and no doubt influencing films like "The Blair Witch Project" too. It's a pity people cannot see that. The BBC got cold feet after all this criticism, and have never shown the film since. That has not stopped it being ranked 3rd in a recent magazines listing of "the scariest programmes ever". It's obviously still fresh in peoples minds.

As a consequence, this release is brought to you by the British Film Institute. The BBC are obviously still to scared to acknowledge it's greatness. Indeed, in todays pc, don't offend anyone climate, it's hard to imagine another piece of drama like this making it onto the screen. Although dated, inevitably from it's 12 years in a dark room, it still compares well to most modern programs, though with the many reality shows now filling the screens it perhaps seems a little forced. The casting is spot on, all the familiar faces willing to embrace
the project and, at time make light hearted fun of their own tv appearances. The casting of Sarah Greene and Mike Smith (who were husband and wife at the time) is particularly inspired, briging extra gravitas and a personal aspect to the whole situation. Craig Charles, as the comic relief who doesn't really care what he says, is also the right choice, and Michael Parkinson has made being a TV anchor an art form. The other actors are possibly less notable. Faces then unknown are now immediately recognized, and the affected family in particular are less than convincing at times. However, they are only acting, this is a drama!!!!!

DVD extras are a little thin, though the commentary from writer Stephen Volk, director Lesley Manning and producer Ruth Baumgarten is worth the money alone. It's very informative and runs non-stop for the whole 90 minutes (not like those ones where hardly anything is said). Gives a detailed background to the project, the endless problems and trials of its productions and the public reaction afterwards. They are all surprised to this day that people believed the show and defend their production strongly. Quite right too. There's a short piece about the making of the film and when viewing through your PC you can access various scripts and other works Stephen has written. No other extras, but this programme has been behind closed doors for over a decade so there isn't likely to be really. The main menu runs for over 3 minutes. Make sure you watch it and I defy you not to be creeped at the end. Also included are some very interesting liner notes from an article on the BFI website.

I can't recommend this film enough. It's a landmark production and a triumph to all involved. Whether it fools you or not, you will still enjoy it immensely, and with the three main people behind it being interested in both the paranormal and horror films it's very well researched indeed. The people's experiences told d
uring the film are all real - and most disturbingly of all (for me), that tape with the voice on is from real documentary evidence given to the production team by a parapsycologist.

Buy this, you won't regret it

Chris Birkett

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