Borley Rectory

If you love ghost stories, if you love the aesthetic of old, faded photographs of seances, of planchettes and ghost writing, Victoriana, decaying grandeur and hauntology, I recommend this exceptional little labour of love. Every frame is a work of art, every flicker of dust mote or misty tendril might be a phantom or face at the window.

This is a documentary of the Borley Rectory. Its advertised as a film so that people will watch it. Just know that going in.

A documentary about what has become known as the most haunted house in England. This is articulated through a number of acted vignettes covering those who lived there and those who investigated the appearances. Uniquely, the story and the spooky atmosphere that pervades the house is cleverly communicated by animated black and white mists, spirits, opening doors etc which really give this strange affair its bite.

It is slow and detailed in its explanation of the history of the house and enjoyably narrated by Julian Sands. The result is fascinating to watch, slow but occasionally quite unnerving.

Very different.

I have been fascinated by Borley rectory since I was a kid. I grew up hearing about the ghost stories and hauntings that happened there. Naturally I was thrilled when I heard that this documentary was being made. I was even more excited when I heard that Reece Sheersmith was going to be involved. I didn't really know what to expect from the film but I was not disappointed. Borley Rectory takes an at times tongue in cheek look at the goings on at Borley rectory, beautifully narrated by Julian Sands. It explores the history and events that happened to the various occupants over the years before the rectory's final demise in the 40s.

The film itself is a really interesting mix of animation, and live action combined to make for a really creepy atmosphere, that is unlike most any other film of this type. This is not Friday the 13th or a "horror movie" in that sense so you should not watch it expecting anything like that, rather a genuinely fascinating and original look at the history of one of the alleged most haunted places in Britain. Ghost fans will enjoy this.

This is a strange production - by all accounts, a labour of love from director/writer Ashley Thorpe. Truly, the atmosphere and sensitivities of a 1920/1930 horror film are recreated here, albeit with layers of modern (mainly computer generated) techniques. As such, nothing is ever quite real, no location is completely convincing - which results in a very odd (and unique) overall 'look'.

To go deeper than that, the project has attracted some names among its cast - Jonathan Rigby, Reece Shearsmith and Julian Sands - who all enter into the spirit of the production with gusto.

The documentary style sadly robs the story of many of its dramatic possibilities. Allegedly, the most haunted house in England should be host to some terrifying moments or recollections, but there's nothing that really makes it through the veneer of ubiquitous CGI enhancements. What we end up with ultimately is a curio - good to look at and effective for a while, but not much to sustain it for its 73 minutes. My score is 5 out of 10.