14. Ghostwatch (1992)
Oh my god, they killed Sarah Greene! For anyone who watched
Going Live in the early 1990's this was the most frightening, draw dropping experience of their lives. Viewers watched in horror as the beloved children's TV presenter was dragged to her death by a vengeful poltergeist live on TV as the Halloween 'reality show'took a tragic turn. This was a controversial show to be sure but it sure frightened the hell out of the nation. What was so brilliant, was the 'cast' involved. Legendary TV interviewer Michael Parkinson, the aforementioned Sarah Greene, husband and fellow TV presenter Mike Smith and
Red Dwarf actor Craig Charles...all playing themselves. This wasn't presented as some hokey Halloween drama, this was played for real, a serious investigation into an apparent haunted house in North London. And it plays it so well. For the first half we have Sarah Greene and Craig Charles in the house talking to the family and liaising with Michael Parkinson back in the studio. It's all rather straightforward. Presenters discussed the back history to the poltergesit 'Pipes, a child-killer from the 19th Century. We have a 'specialist' Doctor Pascoe and even a number for viwers to call in and recount their own supernatural experiences.To make it even more realistic, that number was 081 811 8181, the phone number used on
Going Live. (Anyone child of the early 1990s will probably still be able to recount that phone number off by heart. It sits in the brain just between your hour phone and your mum's) And it creates the supernatural 'occurrences' so subtly. Little things that shake up Sarah and Craig, but which they then laugh off. But then...it goes full
The Exorcist meets
Blair Witch (though of course the film came later). The children end up with mysterious scratches on their face, Pipes possesses one of the girls, lights explode, pictures fall of walls, we hear cats wailing, pounding on the walls and then we end up staring flabagastered as Sarah is killed. Of course it does get a bit silly when the spirit attacks the TV studio itself, but by then the traumatic damage was done. So many people were unsure if the show was real or not that the BBC was flooded with complaints and it was never broadcast in the UK again. Though thankfully we have it on DVD now. Watch it in the dark and its one hell of a ride!