Ghostwatch

For me, the most surprising horror discovery of the year. Here it is almost unknown, but when the BBC aired it for the first time in Britain it caused a lot of fuss; and no wonder. The plot of Ghostwatch would fit perfectly in today’s trend of found-footage and mockumentary, it plays at being a serious TV documentary and was aired as such – in 1992, several years before The Blair Witch Project! It is really beyond my comprehension how this forerunner of all current fake horror documentaries could push the format so far. When you see it, you’ll be surprised, too. By the way, Oren Peli must have taken some inspiration here for his Paranormal Activity, en particular for the third part with the girls and Toby. What’s not so good are the very weak actors (actual BBC reporters), but the idea and the atmosphere (the second half is truly scary) pull it forward and I recommend it to all horror fans. Nowadays, we are used to this format, so part of the effect may be missing, but if I had seen it live back in 1992 I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. (10/09/2013)

So this is really a unique and very distinctive project of the British television BBC. It was broadcasted on Halloween in 1992 and caused a huge commotion. To this day, it is recognized as a masterpiece and at the same time also the ancestor of all modern horror mockumentary films and found footage. Without Ghostwatch, it is hard to say whether The Blair Witch Project would exist, whose creators admitted that they saw Ghostwatch before they even started to develop their film. Ghostwatch did not earn its reputation only by the controversy it caused, but also by its truly impressive processing that can still scare you today. I must admit that I also had quite a scare at certain moments, which I really did not expect from a British television mockumentary from 1992. At that time, it must have been like a bolt from the blue and I am not surprised that so many people were fooled into believing that what they were watching was really happening. Being a teenager at that time and tuning into Ghostwatch without any warning, I think even I would have been wary and would not be surprised if I had nightmares for a long time. Well played, BBC... well played! (16/05/2018)

Even though I generally don't like mockumentaries because they're often handled by amateurs, I am very satisfied with Ghostwatch. This is a film that entertained me, one that is maximally refined in its style to truly represent something that could be perceived as real. Additionally, good actors were chosen, and fans of Red Dwarf might be pleased by the presence of Craig Charles. (01/07/2015)