The Enfield Poltergeist

A very smartly done documentary, with actors lip-syncing to the recordings of the owners, neighbors, and those affected by the going's on in that house. Eerie seeing and not seeing what was going on, knowing the reactions are real from the sound - the actors did a very good job of keeping everything in context.

High praises to the filmmakers for keeping us in mind that this is ours to evaluate - from the occasional peeks behind the sets to the real interviews with neighbors, reporters and photographers and ultimately the 2 girls at the center. Just when you think you've made up your mind, you get more information, and then you rethink, then more and a rethink..

Definitely worth seeking out and having a weekend watch party - the tone shifts in episodes 3, and again in 4, but the combined effect is something my wife and I talk about still.

Well made documentary by apple tv. I've seen other docs and shows about the Enfield haunting but this one is excellent and you get interviews from people who were there. The series uses Grosse's original audio tapes, and actors recreate scenes that were documented over a two-year period. Creator Jerry Rothwell supplements these with archival footage and interviews from journalists, paranormal experts and the family.

There is an inordinate amount of information to get through - as Grosse once proudly told the BBC: "This may be the best case of the century, and as far as documentation goes, it might be the best case of all time." Plus, there are dozens of agendas to wade through. The media wants a salacious story. The family want to help and to be seen as wholesome and honest. The paranormal investigators want to make a significant scientific breakthrough in their field.

I've always been fascinated by this story, and when I finally got around to watch the show, I wasn't disappointed. It's not a 'modern' Hollywood horror movie, which in some sense felt like a little breath of fresh air. A great deal of spooky elements and great acting. If you're a fan of ghost stories, then you should watch this one. As a miniseries it can be a bit long for some, but then again, you'll enjoy it, if you're into the genre. I love 'The Entity' (82) and even though this mini series is not as intense, it still delivers in its own 'British' way. Could it have been better, maybe, but not really because of the budget or the talent. It would just have been different decisions made from the directors/producers side. A last note: I don't feel like it was intended to make a 'light' version of the story, which I appreciated very much.

Averagely well-made mini-series, but awfully slow, semi interesting and uninteresting at the same time, played good enough by the actors or who you deem potent, possible and feasible as actors, events that are not seen, events that don't make sense, absolutely no thrill, no sense of urgency at all, with just generic, depressed faces all along.

It is phlegmatic in the most British way. Won't watch another Poltergeist production on the subject for a while.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5.5
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 6
• Entertainment: 2
• Acting: 7.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
• VFX: 7.5
• Music/score/sound: 6.5
• Depth: 5
• Logic: 1
• Flow: 3.5
• Documentary/horror: 3.5
• Ending: 3.

The story will be well enough known to people of a certain age, so I won't go over it again.

This.....for the first time ever, is a telling of the tale that rips itself free of the awful Conjuring sticky fingers, the hugely entertaining (but fanciful) Timothy Spall interpretation of 2015, and all of the other "point and laugh" contemporary ridicule pieces of the late 70s and early 80s.

The meticulous set builds for the interior of the home, the superb decision to lip sync to Maurice Grosse's original tapes, and the non sensationalist, non judgemental space and breadth given to this who were there to tell their stories added up to a fresh (and refreshing) take on a story that had become perilously close to being lost forever.

For once, the terms "for information" or "for enlightenment" can stand on slightly higher ground than the lazy default "for entertainment only" that has allowed content makers to throw whatever they like into the telling of any given story.

A heartfelt "thank you" to everyone in the making of this docudrama. It's heartening to know that there's still film makers out there willing to resist the addition of sensationalist fiction to gild an already fully formed lily.