10 Horror Movies Where The Villain Is Never Seen
2. Ghostwatch
Few films illustrate the power of the imagination like this 1992 BBC TV movie. Ghostwatch not only tells a terrifying tale in a formally daring fashion, it prompted waves of completes, caused terrific controversy, and was even blamed for suicides in the UK.
The premise is true malevolent genius. Using real TV presenters of the day, writer Stephen Volk and director Lesley Manning put on an early fake reality supernatural show. Talk show icon Michael Parkinson manned the phones in the studio, while fellow presenters investigated a supposedly haunted house.
As calls come in from “viewers”’ experiences with the next world, we learn the tale of a spirit called Pipes, so called as he dwells in the property’s plumbing. The tone gradually turns from lighthearted to chilling, culminating in the reveal that the TV broadcast is acting as an electronic séance, with the spirit gaining strength.
While the programme was broadcast as part of a drama series, it was played so straight by all involved that it garnered 30,000 complaints and accusations of irresponsible misrepresentation as reality, all of which have massively inflated its reputation.