‘Menacing’ BBC horror movie that was blamed for one viewer’s suicide is set to be screened again for the first time … – The Sun

Ghostwatch originally aired on BBC1 on Halloween night in 1992

A TERRIFYING TV special that drew tens of thousands of complaints when it aired and was later blamed for one viewers suicide is about tosee the light of day once more.

Ghostwatch originally aired on BBC1 on Halloween night in 1992.

BBC

The TV movie was a horror mockumentary, presented in the style of a live news report.

So convincing was this pretend investigation into poltergeist activity in a family home that it resulted in an estimated 30,000 calls to the BBC switchboard in one hour many from terrified viewers who thought what they were watching was real, or furious parents of children who had become hysterical watching the special.

The BBC had certainly ensured Ghostwatch seemed like a believable news report, enlisting well-known presenters including Michael Parkinson to show viewers the ghostly goings on inside the house.

Parkinson spoke with authority from the studio, showing viewers home video footage of a family being terrorised by ghostly beings in frightening and sometimes graphic footage.

In this respect, Ghostwatch was a precursor to the found footage horror phenomenon kickstarted by The Blair Witch Project seven years later.

And make no mistake, Ghostwatch was scary.

As the 90-minute special progressed, the spirit terrorising the home dubbed Pipes, as the mother of the family had repeatedly blamed the strange noises on old pipes gains power, as the BBC presenters look on in (mock) horror.

BBC

By programmes end, Pipes had jumped from the haunted house to the BBC studio, dragging one host to a presumably grisly end and then possessing Michael Parkinson himself to take control of the TV channel.

Scary stuff, but Ghostwatch did more than just frighten viewers - it was also blamed for several cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in children - and for one young mans tragic death.

Martin Denham, an eighteen-year-old factory worker with learning difficulties, committed suicide five days after Ghostwatch aired in 1992.

His mother and stepfather said Denham had been hypnotised and obsessed with the programme, and convinced there were ghosts within their own family home.

Tragically, the young man left a note that read:If there are ghosts I will be... with you always as a ghost.

Arguing that Ghostwatch had caused their sons death, Denhams family complained to the Broadcasting Standards Commission.

In their ruling, the BSC found that the BBC had a duty to do more than simply hint at the deception it was practising on the audience.

"In Ghostwatch there was a deliberate attempt to cultivate a sense of menace.

They found that Ghostwatch was excessively distressing and graphic, and stated that the presence in the programme of presenters familiar from childrens programs... took some parents off-guard in deciding whether their children could continue to view.

Indeed, a 1994 report in the British Medical Journal detailed several cases of children suffering from post-traumatic stress in the wake of the program.

BBC

None of us thought we were creating something that would be one of TVs most remembered programs, said Parkinson in an interview more than 20 years after Ghostwatch aired.

It was a simple ghost story based on a fairly ordinary premise that theres a show on television and things start to go wrong. It was only when I saw it back that I realised it had a certain kind of power.

The fallout from Ghostwatch was swift: The BBC apologised and has never aired it again on UK television, and it remained officially unreleased until an eventual DVD release in 2002.

Since then, its underground cult status has grown, with fans holding special Ghostwatch screenings each Halloween.

Now, a US horror, thriller and supernatural streaming service called Shudder has acquired the rights to Ghostwatch - meaning a whole new generation of horror fans will be able to see what the fuss is about for themselves.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123 or 020 7734 2800.

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'Menacing' BBC horror movie that was blamed for one viewer's suicide is set to be screened again for the first time ... - The Sun