Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains

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In October 1992, shortly before its first and only UK television broadcast, the Radio Times ran a cover story on Ghostwatch . Curiously, rather than focus on the programme (perhaps by way of interviews with the cast/crew as one might expect with a cover story), the article, written by Sue Arnold, is more of a general overview of Hallowe'en itself, including some personal takes on witchcraft. Yet, an entire page alone is devoted to the iconic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' floating heads publicity still (a rare, alternate version of which can be seen below). Here is an excerpt: "Some of my best friends are witches. Unlike me, they won't be glued to their television sets this Hallowe'en watching the potent brew of ghouls, ghosts and ghasties being served up to us on the spookiest night of the year. In BBC1's Screen One special, Ghostwatch , Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith and Craig Charles will be examining the paranormal and investigating the most ha...

GH OSTWATCH ( 12) Directed by: Lesley Manning Written by: Stephen Volk Produced by: Ruth Baumgarten Released: 25/11/02   Distrib utor: BFI - Archive Television Running Time: 91 minutes Screen Format: PAL, 1.33:1, non-anamorphic Audio : Nicam stereo Subtitles: None Special Features: Audio Commentary, Featurette, DVD-Rom co ntent To mark the film's tenth anniversary in 2002, the British Film Institute released Ghostwatch on home video for the very first time. As the latter format had not entirely disappeared from the shop shelves, the film was also one of the last to be released on both DVD and VHS. The now sold out single-disc DVD edition (at present, a highly sought-after collector's item) featured a modest collection of extras and exclusive DVD-ROM content. The film itself was presented almost uncut - with two (technically) minor omissions being the Lambie-Nairn 'Spinning Globe' and Screen One 'boulder' idents, both of which imm...

If you own the BFI single-disc edition of Ghostwatch (a review of which is coming soon), and have listened to the audio commentary, you might have heard director, Lesley Manning mention 'Harrying in' certain characters from time to time. 'Harrying' is a nickname given to digital compositing by way of the Quantel effects rendering machine, " Harry ". Simply put, "Harry" was a broadcast-quality, digital recording system. The main difference between this and other 'analogue' editing machines was that Harry allowed video sequences to be stored, cut and mixed without degradation - a problem which often occurs when dropping generations on video tape. Using the system, separately photographed images of Pipes the poltergeist could then be superimposed onto other shots - most notably, the scene you voted as being the scariest glimpse of Pipes in our online poll, some months ago. In 1985, Quantel released the "Harry" effects composit...

It goes without saying, the differences between television as we know it today compared to what was on offer back when Ghostwatch first aired are significant to say the least. Back then, there were no digital channels, and even satellite and cable TV were both still in the process of being first introduced to the masses. As requested, here is the full schedule for the four available terrestrial channels back on Hallowe'en Night, 1992 - and it's an impressive one at that. Which favourite shows do you remember? Let us know in the comments section, below!

The new REVOX A77 MK lll is the best recorder that REVOX has ever made. A unique synthesis of reliable electronics and precision mechanics. It sets a new standard in tape recorder design and performance. While fully capable of meeting the most rigorous studio demands, its ease of operation also makes it the perfect choice for the serious enthusiast. If you've seen Ghostwatch , then the chances are you'll still be able to vividly recall the chilling voice recording scene in which the shredded voice of Pipes the ghost could first be heard. But something you might not be aware of is that the specific model reel-to-reel player used in the film is now a highly sought-after collector's item: the ReVox A77 Mk III .   Of Swiss design and construction , the A77 was at the higher end of the audio recording/playback range before the advent of digital sound, and is still held in high regard by audio engineers and enthusiasts alike. As stated in the audio commentary for Ghostwatc...

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