Haunters of the Deep

Being Cornish and brought up with the history of tin mining, this film is quite special to me. Filmed in and around various locations in Cornwall, it depicts the story of two your children who get trapped down a mine with a group of miners.

The 'Haunters' of the title refers to the 'Spriggins' - ghosts of child miners who reside in the mine and are said to bring evil to all that mine there. Events take place with an American wanting to invest in local tin mining, but when the young local kid Josh is plagued by sightings of the ghost of a young boy, he and his American 'girlfriend' set out to unravel the mystery behind his death, climaxing in the rescue of themselves and several miners from almost certain death when a new shaft is opened and the Spiggins save them.

Top film, albeit low budget and short, but worth a look if you're from Cornwall and/or into tin mining!

A late-stage Children's Film Foundation enterprise, with a couple of plucky kids aiding in a situation to retrieve some miners trapped below ground following a shaft collapse. Thankfully, they have a ghostly kid and old-time Hammer veteran Andrew Keir to help them! This one's quite a basic sort of production lacking the kind of lovable characters seen in the CFF heyday, and the Americans are a little annoying. But the gorgeous Cornish scenery goes a long way in making up for that.

From what little I remember this was a fairly atmospheric and unsettling little thriller set in an abandoned Cornish tin mine. A group of adults were trapped and were in (sometimes unwelcome) communication with a the spirit of a young collier who tried to help them.

I'd love to see it again after all these years (and the other titles).

The British Film Institute (BFI) channel is where I found Haunters of the Deep. They seem to have a few of these children television shows from the 1970's and1980's. Haunters of the Deeps is low budget yet with a great ghost story that is enhanced by the Corwall setting. If you have young children (that is under 12) they might find it a very scary. Even as an adult, there is definitely a spooky factor.

Haunters of the Deep is set in Cornwall in a coastal town that was formerly a center of tin mining. Josh a young local boy, while on the coastal headlands, see an apparition of a young boy in the mist. He then is forced in to a play date with Becky, the daughter of a mining executive in town to see about re-opening the mine. I won't give much more away other than that the film bring a number of plot lines together full of folklore, adventure and a reasonably gripping suspenseful ending - all in only 50 minutes. A movie worth seeing, especially with the family.

I remember watching this as a child as part of the Children;s Film Foundations Friday Film Specials on CBBC and have recently happened upon a copy.

In the twenty or so years since my last viewing this film has lost nothing.

It is an atmospheric tale which entices with Cornish folklore and adds elements of truly creepy imagery of the ghost of the young miner Billy.

Shot in the wonderfully scenic Port Loe area of Cornwall the film utilises the mixture of rugged coastline and abandoned tin mines to make the setting truly believable.

There is much packed into this CFF drama, something long since lost from Children's television today and well worth a look if you can track down a copy.