Haunted Ulster Live lives deep in the shadows of Ghostwatch, and WNUF Halloween Special by proxy. When the best film in a subgenre is one of the first (commercial) films in said subgenre, it’s impossible to shake any connection to it. Whether writer/director Dominic O’Neill knew this before embarking on this project is unknown, but how does this film shape up to Stephen Volk and Lesley Manning’s one-in-a-lifetime film Ghostwatch? Does it find enough originality to stick a toe out from Ghostwatch’s shadow? Well, for the most part, no.
On a Halloween night in 1998, hosts Gerry (Mark Claney) and Michelle (Aimee Richardson) are presenting a live look into the lives of the McKillen family. The McKillens find themselves deep in the thralls of a paranormal entity. Gerry and Michelle hope to capture some proof of a ghost. With a few special guests lined up, and a hoard of neighbors/fans outside, Gerry and Michelle are about to start the scariest night of their lives.
Ghostwatch is one of my, and many other fans, favorite mockumentaries. Its unbridled authenticity shocked a nation and inspired a new generation of filmmakers. Dominic O’Neill’s Haunted Ulster Live wears its heart on its sleeve. With the addition of DJ Declan (Dan Leith), and something hilariously called the Ghost Tent, the majority of Haunted Ulster Live feels like nothing more than a Ghostwatch clone. It’s not until the final few minutes that Haunted Ulster Live gets bold enough to try something new. Ideas sprinkled throughout the film inevitably lead up to a grand finale. Unfortunately, the film focuses on telling jokes that are dryer than Ben Shapiro’s wife, instead of doing something interesting with those ideas.
O’Neill is nearly able to save the by-the-numbers film with a well-handled twist that’s expertly constructed, and perfectly ambiguous. This is one of the few examples where one specific moment towards the end of a film can make everything else worth it. It doesn’t explain much or retcon much of what you’ve seen, but it’s one hell of an example of a writer/director trusting their audience. Whether you accept what O’Neill does here or not, you cannot say he didn’t pull off an exceptional finale.
Combined with perfectly flat acting (a choice?) and a finale that rivals Horror in the High Desert, Haunted Ulster Live throws it all at the wall. If you’re a huge fan of Ghostwatch, this film will be hit or miss. If you’re a fan of films that take a chance, where directors just go for it in their directorial feature debut, then this film is for you. Even if most of the film doesn’t work for me, I can appreciate how patient O’Neill was throughout the runtime and then turning the dial to 11 at the last minute. Is there enough here to ditch its Ghostwatch comparison and exist on its own? I don’t think so…but does it really matter? O’Neill debuts a knowledge of craft and suspense, so whether or not the film works is kind of moot. It’s clear that O’Neill is just getting started.
