The Secret of Crickley Hall

I purposely hadn't watched this series, based on the mainly negative reviews I'd read, but a dark miserable wet day and it went on, if I wasn't miserable enough before, I certainly was about fifteen minutes into this.

The story itself is dark and disturbing, but the way in which it was produced it was overly macabre and grim. It has a very good opening episode, a sound second, and a rather disappointing conclusion. It all fell apart a little at the end.

The best thing that can be said about this drama is the acting, some quality performances, Suranne Jones, Tom Ellis, David Warner, Sarah Smart etc all really good, Douglas Henshall is great as the creepy Augustus Cribben, but it's the wonderful Olivia Cooke that gave the most endearing performance as Nancy Linnet, she was great.

Worth a watch I guess, but if you've read it I fear you may be a little disappointed in it. 6/10.

I watched the entire thing in one night. This is really right up my alley with the horror and drama vibes. It was like an earlier version of Haunting of Hill House - just as gripping and enjoyable to watch. I would say it's more disturbing than scary but I appreciate the effort of not resorting to cheap scares. I see the effort that was put in the storyline. The acting was also on par and honestly, this was a good find.

Shows like this are hard to find. When we do find them they are too often cheesy and ridiculous. The Secret of Crickley Hall is anything but. This was a wonderful show about an old house in the north of England. It takes place both in modern times and in 1943.

After having their son go missing, a family moves to this old estate for a few months hoping to deal with their loss. Unfortunately, the house has a lot of secrets of its own...secrets that need to come out.

Shows like this should be made more often. This was atmospheric - especially the first episode - it was tragic and haunting, and it was emotional. Anytime you have ghostly goings-on in an large, old, creepy house in England, you know you're heading in the right direction.

This is an actual ghost story, but it's very well done. It's not cheesy, it's not hokey. It allows you to meld into the story, you feel their pain and frustration as well as their emotional rollercoaster dealing not only with their missing son but the tragedies of the past that they begin to uncover.

I wish there were more shows like this. Ignore the bad reviews, they probably come from people who read the book and think this isn't a perfect representation. Fortunately, I haven't yet read the book so my viewpoint isn't tainted.

Just found this on Amazon Prime. I'd never heard of it before.

For those sensitive to child abuse (and who isn't) there's a big chance for triggering, here.

But for the rest of the story, and the many mysteries that slowly unravel and unfold, it's just marvelous. Wonderfully cast, filmed, and acted. The pace isn't rapid but it's not tediously slow, either. It is definitely one to be binge-watched in a big 3 hour session, but it's only slightly longer than a full-length film so that shouldn't be too difficult.

Did I mention the wonderful cast?

It's not a high-brow think piece, but it is what it is, and for that it's definitely fun. I really enjoyed it. If you sit back and just decide to enjoy an old-style ghost story with romance and danger and sad, sorrowful events (and just a little bit of redemption and joy), you should have a good time.

The core of any good story is the story, and this little treasure packs a WALLOP. The Secret of Crickley Hall is, firstly, a drama for people who like to read. There are certainly ghosts, but the story is what will invest you in these characters, not its special effects, so be prepared to carve out a block of time to see the series complete and uninterrupted. Like any good book, I couldn't put it down.

There isn't just one story here, and so the multiple plot lines converge with devastating — and at times, shocking — effect as the story takes unexpected twists and turns you couldn't possibly have seen coming.

Based on James Herbert's best selling novel, The Secret of Crickley Hall is so well written, cast & produced, I've given it 8 stars _and_ a review (rare for me). Bravo.