| Author | Message | ||
     Lincoln Brown (Lincoln_brown) Username: Lincoln_brown Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 203.51.163.246 |
I'm sure most of you have seen this - must have been amazing to watch 'live'? I watched it today, for the first time, and was blown away. Excellent. Now I can read the sequel, in 'Dark Corners', by Volk. | ||
| Barbara Roden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 216.232.189.45 |
Didn't catch Ghostwatch when it originally aired, but we caught up with it a few weeks ago; like you say, Lincoln, it must have been amazing to watch it live, but it was plenty creepy watching it ten years after the fact. Tim loved it; he knew Steve's name, because we've published some of his stories, and thought Ghostwatch was brilliant. When we were at World Fantasy in Calgary two weeks ago he worked as a con runner for the weekend, and for part of the time was on the registration desk. On the Thursday evening he came running up to us and exclaimed breathlessly 'I just registered Steven Volk!!' Made his weekend; the only downer is that it would mean nothing at all to anyone at his school. I fear we've condemned Tim to a life of semi-geekdom. Ah well, as long as he can meet and talk to people like Steve, and Rob Shearman, and Paul Cornell, and Kim Newman, he doesn't seem to mind too much. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
Stephen Volk is a gent. Given his occupation and the folk he's worked with, he's the one of most down-to-earth guys I've ever met. He'd rather share a silly joke than talk about TV/film and its luminaries. Smart chap. | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.157.25.29 |
I saw it live. Never to be forgotten. I was fooled most of the way. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Yeah, Steve is an absolutely top man. One of the nicest people I've met since becoming involved in genre writing. He also has a wonderful infectious giggle.  | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
And, yes, Ghostwatch still works, even after all these years. I have a theory that the makers of The Blair Witch Project are big fans of Volk's seminal show... | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
So does Volk. But he can't prove it... | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 83.98.9.4 |
I saw it live with an elderly realtive who needed subtitles. We guessed it wasn't real because the subs all worked properly and came up before the characters said anything, which they wouldn't do if it was live. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.252.185 |
I'm not sure about that. The same thing happens on Newsnight, but full of spelling mistakes and homophones. Is there an speech-to-text converter? Even a 10 second delay would be enough to type "live" subtitles. I was taken in by Ghostwarch on the night it aired. It was glorious to feel such fear, to feel the world falling apart in front of your eyes. It wouldn't have surprised me to look out the window that night and see all the street lights out and feeble torch beams quivering in the darkness. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.252.185 |
"Now I can read the sequel, in 'Dark Corners', by Volk." This isn't really a sequel to Ghostwatch, is it? | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
Sure is. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 83.98.9.4 |
The subtitles for ghostwatch for were good subtitles, properly done, no spelling errors and appeared before the characters spoke. it was clear (to those watching it that way) that it was fake. It was a shame. I think I would have been taken in otherwise. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.252.185 |
It sounds like a collection of short stories from the blurb on the website. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.252.185 |
It's very hard to scare the deaf. Actually, maybe iit's very easy. I don't know, I keep going back and forth on the issue. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 83.98.9.4 |
Well it doesn't work when you run up behind them and shout BOO! | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.252.185 |
Yes, but imagine the shock of a cardboard cutout of a wolfman silently intruding on your field of view with no warning. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Proto - one of the short stoires in the collection Dark Corners is a direct sequel to Ghostwatch. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.252.185 |
Thanks. Which one? "It's a bit Parky in here"? | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.3 |
Proto, I think it's called 31/10. I watched Ghostwatch live, back in (what - 1992?) and it was great at first. I began to suspect things were not real when I saw Sarah Green's reaction to certain events. And it lost me when they switched back to the studio and the lights started flickering, etc. It was great in its day - and groundbreaking and brave for the time - but it could've been done in a more realistic manner with presenters who could act. However, the presenters they did use gave the programme added creedence, I suppose. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Context!!!!  back when Ghostwatch was made, nothing like it had ever been done before. I only guessed when I recognised the actress who played the mother from a few TV adverts. It still holds up, I reckon. | ||
| Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.43.119.113 |
I agree, it scared the pants off me in 1992 -I had NO IDEA it was fake. Even when it became obvious at the end, I was still shook up. Surely that's the true thrill us horror lovers all crave, yet so rarely find, yeah? gcw | ||
| Simon Strantzas (Nomis) Username: Nomis Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 99.225.111.224 |
I remember hearing about it from my English roommate that year. Even his description terrified me! I finally saw it a couple of years ago and I didn't find it as scary as he described it. I found it scarier! | ||
| Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.43.119.113 |
I remember it so clearly Simon, I didn't watch much tv at the time, me and my then girlfriend had been out and just happened to to put the TV on when it started. We didn't sleep much that night! gcw | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.3 |
I'm not sure I agree. I've only seen it twice - once when it was broadcast 'live' originally, and then again about five or six years ago. I remember being amazed at the time that they had attempted to pull off something so audacious, but slightly disappointed by the fact that I hadn't been totally convinced by the acting. The last time I watched it I felt affection for the programme, and I realised that times had changed, and it was no longer possible to recreate it, what with the emergence of reality tv and mockumentaries. But don't get me wrong - I really enjoyed it. I just didn't think it was that scary (and I was 21 in 1992). Come to think of it, I can't think of a good example of when a 'non-actor' has appeared in an acting role and convinced me. It must be incredibly difficult to make it real. Except perhaps Davina as a zombie... | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.215.211 |
Pipes standing behind the curtains. Pipes with his ravaged face standing in full view and unnoticed in a crowd gathered around the house. There are multiple scenes of him standing there, peppered throughout. Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum. I'm getting genuinely a bit scared just typing this. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Brrr...stop it Proto. I'l not sleep tonight!  | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.3 |
The article on Wikipedia about it is good. Very comprehensive. Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh - the description sounds terrifying. Perhaps I need to rewatch again soon? | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.3 |
Apparently it was the first tv show to induce post-traumatic stress disorder in children. Now there's an achievement. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.215.211 |
From Wiki: He makes seven fleeting, almost subliminal appearances in the following places. * Behind Dr Pascoe as the "possessed voice" tape is played in the studio. This appearance is more easily visible if the brightness of the screen is increased. * During the outdoor segment in which Craig interviews various local people. As Craig approaches Arthur Lacey, the ghost can be seen standing among the crowd of onlookers, totally unnoticed by any of them. * Reflected in the glass of the kitchen door, moments after Sarah discovers the children's drawings on the floor and is startled by the cat outside. Look carefully, and you can see the ghost standing behind the film crew. * In front of the curtains in the girls' bedroom as everybody tries to exit the house. The ghost is briefly visible as the cameraman turns to leave and whips the camera around, but is gone again when he turns back in alarm. * Standing inside the cupboard under the stairs, half a second before the mirror leaps off the wall and knocks the sound man unconscious. * In a burst of static as the last camera in the house cuts out, just as the cupboard door slams after Sarah enters. This appearance only lasts for three frames, but gives you a close-up look at the ghost's mauled face. * On a gantry in the TV studio as the lights begin to explode. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.215.211 |
I remember people really angry afterwards and hated them for it. They felt like the yahoos with the shotguns in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. But then, people were genuinely upset. Perhaps some of them had a point... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUyhN-gq8xk&feature=related | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.215.211 |
Hey, this looks good! http://www.youtube.com/GhostwatchBtC | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.3 |
You know, I'm not sure I remember a lot of the subliminal images (would I though, if they were subliminal?) Maybe my brain is so slow it's immune to such intricacies. Now I might have to buy the DVD to be sure. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.215.211 |
I think they're responsible for the growing sense of menace, even when nothing's happening. | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.209.220.3 |
Yes. Things add to that feeling of 'otherness', don't they? You've convinced me to relook at Ghostwatch. I couldn't remember the background of Pipes (ie, the child killer aspect). For some reason I now found that scary (maybe it's because I've since become a father) | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.152.215.211 |
Even the names are inexplicably frightening. Mother Seddons. Why is that so? I think Volk may have unconsciously actually tapped into a vein of something... bad... while writing it. Good luck with it. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.129.21.168 |
Yes - the names. Ghostwatch is certainly unnerving, despite the little glitches here and there. Authentic fear (and yes, a kid with special needs DID kill himself after watching it, claiming he thought th world was ending.). | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.141.80 |
Even the names are inexplicably frightening. Mother Seddons. Why is that so? P'raps it's the "Mother" bit that reminds us of witches names centuries back. Mrs. Seddons wouldn't work the same way at all. | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 160.6.1.47 |
Mrs. Seddons is still scary! | ||
| Lincoln Brown (Lincoln_brown) Username: Lincoln_brown Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 58.165.54.252 |
A couple of my favourite moments - After the girl is caught 'hoaxing', Mrs Early is talking to/shouting at Sarah Greene in the kitchen. Over Greene's shoulder you can see a row of tea cups hanging under an overhead cabinet - they're all smashed, like the ones Parky and the Dr. examine in the studio. The recorded interview with a member of the public, that gets cut short - she'e talking about 'shadows' she saw in her bedroom, when living in an old house when she was a kid. Her parents installed a night light for her, but it only made things worse, because... (recording stops) | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 147.252.230.154 |
That last one is scary, all right... a complete short story in one paragraph. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 79.187.206.46 |
I keep thinking I must be mistaken, but not to be a party pooper, I realise that the Ghost Watch you refer to is that Ghost Watch and to be quite honest, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I remember thinking at the time how contrived and unrealistic it seemed. Wasn't there a Blue Peter presenter involved. Maybe I'm just a miserable bastard! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
No, you're just wrong.  | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 79.187.206.46 |
Maybe after such a powerful battle of wits, Zed, me ole northern comrade, I'd better give it another look. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Let that be a lesson to you: never attend a battle of wits unarmed.  | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 79.187.206.46 |
Or with your pants round your ankles  |