By Jack Ransom - October 14, 2024
Set on Halloween night, Haunted Ulster Live sees Gerry Burns (Mark Claney) team up with popular children's presenter Michelle Kelly (Aimee Richardson) to investigate poltergeist activity in a haunted house in Belfast.
A self-aware, sarcastically laced riff on the familiar live broadcast formula/sub-genre. Whilst it may not reach the genuinely unnerving and frightening levels that the early 90’s BBC TV special Ghostwatch does, Haunted Ulster Live does offer up a handful of spine-tingling moments, a fun cooky cast of characters and a believable presentation. However, it undeniably copies entire sequences, dialogue beats from the aforementioned superior feature and despite an admirable ‘out there idea’ does come off a little confused and haphazard in its finale reveals.
Clocking in at just under 80 minutes the film certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome. It moves at a swift real time pace and quickly jumps into the homestead of the family who believe they are being haunted by a spirit called ‘Blackfoot Jack’. Where Ghostwatch spent substantial time back in the studio with Michael Parkinson and interacting with the public, Haunted Ulster Live strips this all back (most likely due to budgetary reasoning) and replaces these segments with DJ interludes and the occasional advert. It does feel a tad undercooked in some aspects, which is a shame as the reveals reach into mind-bending territory and with more exploration and build up could really have been on par with Ghostwatch.
Condensing the events to the house makes for a claustrophobic and tight knit affair. Like Ghostwatch (sorry for the continual comparisons) there is a presenter out in the ‘Ghost Tent’ with a couple of paranormal experts keeping track on the video feed, whilst the host interviews the family throughout the night. The characters are what help elevate the material.
Mark Claney’s dry-witted, embittered yet good spirited host Gerry and upbeat, quick witted presenter Michelle (played by Aimee Richardson) are likeable leads. Eccentric additions include a medium (Antoinette Morelli), a psychic ‘World Wide Web’ expert (Dave Fleming) and a constantly snacking DJ (Dan Leith). The self-awareness to the proceedings and tongue-in-cheek winks and nods provide a handful of genuine laughs and the cast are clearly all having a good time.
Haunted Ulster Live is a fun, spooky distraction that is worth a peek this Halloween. Its quirky, self-aware yet serious tone, watchable characters and moments of genuine chills standout. However, it is undeniably lacking in substance, the short runtime hinders some of the scares, intrigue and tension, and of course it would be far more effective if Ghostwatch hadn’t released prior and elevated the premise.
Haunted Ulster Live is out now on digital platforms
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