Watch Ghostwatch

In 1992, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a live television mockumentary called Ghostwatch, which was aired during the Halloween season. The program originally aired on BBC1 and was advertised as a serious investigation of paranormal activity in a suburban home in Northolt, London. In reality, the program was a scripted horror drama presented as a real-life event, which sparked widespread fear and panic amongst the British public.

The movie is based on a typical prime-time television show format that features presenters, Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, and Mike Smith, who investigate paranormal activity in an ordinary family's house. The family claims to be experiencing spooky events such as doors shutting by themselves, objects moving on their own, and ghost sightings.

The show used a clever blend of techniques to make the audience believe that the events were real. The program began with a fake news reporter introducing the show as a real-life investigation into the supernatural. The show also featured phone calls from viewers who claimed to be experiencing similar events, making the audience feel that this could happen to anyone, even themselves.

The presenters, accompanied by a team of paranormal experts, conduct interviews with neighbors, psychologists, and other experts, attempting to get to the bottom of the mysterious occurrences. The team decides to spend the night in the supposedly haunted house to see if they can document any paranormal activity.

As the night progresses, the events in the house become increasingly disturbing. Objects start to move on their own, eerie noises are heard, and the family's daughter is seen communicating with an imaginary friend who claims that her name is "Pipes." The terror becomes overwhelming, and the producers decide to cut the broadcast short, but it is too late.

The fictional documentary format blended with the live presentation and a realistic portrayal of the presenters made the audience believe that the events were real. Ghostwatch became a massive hit, attracting over 11 million viewers, but it also caused panic and controversy.

The program ended with many viewers feeling genuinely unsettled and horrified. Many viewers called the emergency services, and the BBC received over 30,000 complaints from angry parents who claimed that the show had traumatized their children.

Ghostwatch was the first of its kind, and it inspired many documentary-style horror movies and TV programs. Alternative productions such as The Last Broadcast in 1998, The Blair Witch Project in 1999, and Paranormal Activity in 2007 all followed a similar premise to Ghostwatch.

Overall, Ghostwatch was a groundbreaking and daring production that blurred the lines between fact and fiction. It was a huge success, but it also sparked an unprecedented level of controversy and forced the BBC to reconsider its commitment to producing original programming that pushed the boundaries of realism. It was so controversial that the film has not been aired on British television since its original broadcast. Nonetheless, it remains a cult classic, and its influence can still be felt in contemporary horror productions.

Ghostwatch is a 1992 tv movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 31 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.4.