Popcorn Frights 2024: ‘Haunted Ulster Live’ is Irish ‘Ghostwatch’ with a twist

Ghostwatch changed the game in 1992. Purported as actual paranormal footage, the late-night TV mockumentary convinced TV watchers that what they witnessed was the real deal. Chilling supernatural goings-on sent shockwaves throughout the U.K. and beyond. The genre just wasn’t the same after that. So much has changed in the 32 years since that fateful broadcast. Internet sleuths dissect and analyze every single frame of a film, often deflating the mystery surrounding it. A film like Haunted Ulster Live might not possess the same crushing impact its most obvious predecessor did, but it carries with it a unique charm. More than anything, writer/director Dominic O’Neill’s debut feature reads as a heartfelt love letter to what came before – arriving as an Irish Ghostwatch… with a twist.

When esteemed TV personality Gerry (Mark Claney) and bubbly children’s presenter Michelle (Aimee Richardson) investigate a haunting of the McKillen Family in Belfast, the televised event marks a special night for the TV station. It’s Halloween, and everyone on the block has come out to support the occasion – or express their disdain for such a blasphemous exercise. Sarah (Siobhan Kelly) and her two children Stephen (Jay Lowey) and Rose (Libby McBride) find themselves tortured by various ghostly sightings around their home. From black footprints to scratching behind the plastered walls, there’s something unholy terrorizing them. And they want answers.

That’s where a highly-produced live show comes into the picture. Gerry and Michelle guide the broadcast, as the television crew installs various cameras and microphones around the property in the hope of catching tangible evidence. Known medium Sinead (Antoinette Morelli) and ley line expert Robert (Dave Fleming) arrive on the scene to assist in the inquest. Almost immediately, Sinead senses the presence of a tired and angry old man. Her company is most certainly unwanted but proves to be essential in uncovering the who, what, why, and how of the terrible apparition.

Haunted Ulster Live unravels as you might expect. Ghosts make their presence known through various playful tricks, like yanking out pots and pans from the cupboard and flickering the lights. But as the night devolves, the film shifts on its axis to reveal a wonderful twist on the well-trodden material. O’Neill knows exactly when to yank the rug, and it does so expertly.

The technical filmmaking is as impressive. Director of Photography Conor Losty injects the picture with striking electricity. While tip-toeing between found footage and mockumentary style, he brings a sort of genre intensity that glues the viewer to the TV screen. Along with a committed cast – Richardson and Claney are especially magnetic onscreen – O’Neill delivers delicious holiday candy.

Haunted Ulster Live doesn’t live up to the Ghostwatch spectacle – but it doesn’t need to. It contains an inescapable gravitational pull of its own. And that’s more than enough. What the film does achieve is a well-carved corner in the genre. The film, playing this year’s Popcorn Frights, delights in its craft and the tremendous heart that throbs behind each frame. Polished and colorfully vibrant, Haunted Ulster Live makes for the perfect Friday night popcorn movie. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the creepy little ride.

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