Lewes Screens Ghostwatch

A classic horror film that fooled the nation is coming to Lewes, with a live Q&A with the director. On Wednesday, 28 October 2026, Depot in Lewes will screen Ghostwatch, a supernatural horror pseudo-documentary that first aired on BBC1 on Halloween night in 1992.

Dir: Lesley Manning

Cast: Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Craig Charles, Mike Smith, Gillian Bevan, Brid Brennan, Michelle Wesson, Cherise Wesson

91 mins · 1992 · United Kingdom · Cert 12 · English

IMDb 7.3/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 100% · TMDB 7/10 · Trakt 72%

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Ghostwatch took place 28 Oct 2026 at Depot (Lewes).

The premise of Ghostwatch is simple yet effective: a live television investigation into the supernatural, hosted by the familiar face of Michael Parkinson, attempts to uncover the truth behind the most haunted house in Britain. However, as the camera crew delves deeper into the mystery, the experiment does not go as planned. Directed by Lesley Manning and written by Stephen Volk, this 91-minute film features a cast that includes Sarah Greene, Mike Smith, and Craig Charles.

Ghostwatch is a British horror film, classified as a TV movie, with a certificate of 12A. The film's genre is a blend of horror and mystery, which contributed to its initial success and notoriety. With a runtime of 91 minutes, the film is relatively short, but its impact has been long-lasting. The scores from various platforms are impressive, with an IMDb rating of 7.3/10, a Rotten Tomatoes critics' score of 100%, and a TMDB rating of 7/10 from 198 users.

The film's reception was marked by controversy, with the BBC receiving around 30,000 calls from distressed and angry viewers. Ghostwatch has never been repeated on UK television, but it has been made available on various streaming platforms and has undergone several home video releases. The film's lasting impact is a testament to its innovative approach to storytelling, which blurred the lines between fiction and reality. Viewers who watched the film when it first aired were often unsure what was real and what was not, and this uncertainty contributed to the widespread panic and controversy.

The screening at Depot in Lewes will be followed by a live post-film Q&A with director Lesley Manning, providing a unique opportunity for audiences to learn more about the making of the film and its enduring legacy. Tickets or details for the screening are available with the button beside this article. With its blend of horror and mystery, Ghostwatch is a film that continues to captivate audiences, and its screening in Lewes is an event not to be missed.

Stills

What viewers say

WalkingKev · 9/10
I can't imagine how scary this must have been when it aired in 1992 and people couldn't look up online or discuss what they were watching. I read online that if people called the phone number, it would say that it was fiction but since there were 1 million calls, a lot of people never heard that. According to Wikipedia, one person took his own life after watching this, believing he also heard a ghost. I can imagine the controversy but watching…
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Whitsbrain · 8/10
This Horror "mock-umentary" fooled many a Brit, a la Orson Welles's "War of the Worlds", during its one and only airing on Halloween night, 1992. "Ghostwatch" featured BBC reporters performing an on-air investigation of a haunted house. The viewers of the program were fooled into thinking a ghost named "Pipes" was haunting the family living there. To make things even more ominous, "Pipes" could be spotted by observant viewers throughout the…
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ziggymacarthur · 6/10
it's really hard to rate this, because I recommend others watch it, but I also think it could have been more exciting. The director created a time capsule of a very niche and specific frame in existence and nails it to the point where I don't think of this as a movie but as a special kind of documentary. I think about this film quite a bit, but I also struggle to want to watch it again. But there were a lot of parts that dragged. I liked all the…
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serialwatcher05 · 5/10
It has not aged well, because with deepfakes and AI we are better at discerning fake footage (Like a fixed wall camera at the start suddenly panning, or the kid turning on the light because the camera would struggle in low light), and we have experienced enough horror through that medium ie Paranormal Activity and the likes. It's hard to judge because unless you have experienced it live in 92 and rewatching it brings back feelings and memories,…
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EvilPixel112 · 10/10
Wow, thoroughly enjoyed this film! I can imagine being scared stiff back when it aired, has been such a long time since i have seen a good horror movie and this just was such a good watch, not even once did i leave my couch for a drink or a snack and just had to keep watching. Totally recommend this movie for other Horror and paranormal fans
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threespoons · 1/10
Ghostwatch is one of those formative horror experiences that has stayed with me for over 30 years. Watching it as a 10-year-old in 1992, I genuinely had no idea whether what I was seeing was real. And I certainly wasn't alone. What makes Ghostwatch so remarkable is just how perfectly it captured a particular moment in British television. Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith and Craig Charles weren't just actors pretending to be…
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Dado7 · 5/10
I guess I never buy into those live shows even when they are real, let alone when I know they are fake.
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jekyl6669 · 8/10
Ghostwatch was truly unique and ahead of its time. By utilizing real-life presenters and a believable "live broadcast" format, it blurred the lines between fiction and reality so seamlessly that it caused nationwide panic. The slow-burn escalation of the "Pipes" entity is so effective that I wish I had seen this when it first aired; I would’ve been convinced it was real. Decades before the found-footage genre became a staple, this film perfected…
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