Le mystère Enfield

"The Enfield Haunting" is based off a true paranormal case which took place in Brimstone, England in the 1970's. The truth of the story is an interesting one, where even the police were puzzled by the strange occurrences taking place. On terms of this adaption, it is a fairly decent one. It stays true to the original source for the most part, while changing around a few minor facts. However, If you're expecting slasher Hollywood horror then prepare to be disappointed. Its slow pace and eerie atmosphere is what builds the suspense in this show. The one thing that truly makes this show work is that both the pacing and the characters have a very realistic feel, while still managing to create an entertainment for its audience. This could have easily turned into something clichéd, with the brooding main character dealing inner demons of his past, the skeptic who's only there for his own benefit, and the bratty kid you hope dies but for some reason never does. Instead, the characters actually feel like real people and you feel for everyone in that situation. This is not only credit towards the writing, but the actors as well. Originally I only watched the show after learning that Matthew Macfayden and Timothy Spall were a part of it (two very talented actors who I'm in absolute love with), but everyone was just great, even the kids surprisingly were really talented. My one true con would probably be that it isn't as scary as I wish it could be. There are moments where I know it's trying to be realistic but it ends up being a little silly, particularly when the poltergeist starts to communicate through other people. That could have been a great horror moment, but instead it's pretty off putting and kind of awkward. All in all, it's an interesting attempting. If you're looking for something more realistic then the conjuring then I would recommend this. The horror is definitely more died down, but it still manages to be eerie and very creepy in its own way :)

This 3 part series has arrived on the TV channel Pick recently, not long after I went to watch The Conjuring 2, which is based on the Enfield poltergeist. However, it is important to point out that, if you enjoyed The Conjuring 2 or not, this series is played out very differently and made to entertain you more than terrify you. The characters are portrayed very differently to the film, so much so, you need to see the stories as completely separate. Timothy Spall is genius as can be expected and the story line is based more around him than the family. Very enjoyable short series and definitely worth a watch. I've recorded all three episodes and will definitely watch them again.

The Enfield Haunting was a three part show that I was definitely looking forward to watching. As a horror fan, I was excited to watch it, and very happily binged all three episodes in one sitting. I think that maybe expecting it to be more on the horror side was a mistake on my part, but it fell flat for me.

The Enfield Haunting is based more within grief, and how grief affects those it chooses to haunt. This was done very well within The Enfield Haunting. All actors and actresses really brought it to life, and it was an immense feeling of goosebumps and chills for the viewers.

However, the show seemed to lack as it went on. There was potential for a lot more, and it made me cringe a little to see how it just got more boring. The jump scares were mere cheap thrills, cheap tactics over used in horror films and not something that would really affect anyone that watches horror on a large scale. For a television show, more aimed at people who aren't huge horror fans, this was well done, but it bored me out of my skin.

The story line got more and more jumbled and things didn't feel like they were closed at the end, and I think more could have been done. Another episode might have done good in clearing everything up, and frankly, I feel like I wasted my time watching this.

The characters are good, but the plot is pretty sub par, and that for me, was a real killer. It was a shame, truly. I would have liked this to be a seven or eight star review, but six feels too generous as it is.

Not as exciting as James Wan's/New Line Cinema version of the same Enfield poltergeist, but very enjoyable and more believable.

The Enfield Poltergeist was, to many of us growing up in 1970s Britain, a terrifying story. Between 1977 and 1979, a council house in Enfield, England, was supposedly the home to a poltergeist, the definition of which is noisy ghost. The main focus of the poltergeist activity was towards young Janet Hodgson, giving some credence to the experts belief that poltergeists hone in on pre-pubescent teenagers. The events at the house caused a media storm, enticing specialists, believers and sceptics to visit and fuel a fire that still simmers away today.

Interestingly the title of this British production has it right, in that calling it a haunting at least doesn't lie to the viewers. As with Tobe Hooper's 1982 film, Poltergeist, the presence of a poltergeist spirit is pretty much a side-bar to another story, where Hooper's film went off to another dimension, Kristoffer Nyholm & Joshua St Johnston's film here dials into grief and absent parents, then choosing to grab demonic possession and mediums for its big shocks.

Many liberties have been taken with the facts, with added outside interests brought in to flesh a story out. Though the core essence of the story, the suspicions of truth etc, remain. The Enfield Haunting is a grand and unsettling production, undeniably scary for those that buy into the possibility of a haunting of this type being real. The performances are led by quality thespians, Timothy Spall and Juliet Stevenson, both of whom play grief and distress with a shattering conviction, and young Eleanor Worthington Cox as Janet is a bundle of exciting promise. Period detail is first class, though the house used here is some way away from the actual house of the events, while the opening credits are superb, even if they only tantalise as regards the alleged events in the girls' bedroom and disappointingly don't form part of this story.

If this pic has longevity of interest in its own land, or even being capable of garnering interest away from the shores of the UK? Is tricky to say at this point. Because ultimately it plays out with familiar horror conventions, like it's cashing in on the recent cravings for Conjuring and Insidious kinks. Ironically, the team behind The Conjuring have reconvened to make a sequel - about The Enfield Poltergeist. Now I wonder if that one will actually be about a poltergeist... 8/10