If you are a paranormal lover like me, I’m sure you’ve got The Enfield Haunting on your radar. This new original drama—set to make its debut on Sky Living on May 3rd —is a three part dramatisation of the terrifying and bizarre real events that took place at an ordinary house in Enfield during the autumn of 1977. Adapted from Guy Lyon Playfair’s book This House is Haunted, the show is a supernatural drama based upon real events surrounding the phenomena.
Paranormal event
London made newspaper headlines worldwide when it became the source of an unexplained supernatural phenomena. It would become the most documented paranormal event ever recorded in the UK with 30 eyewitnesses, all observing one truly terrifying story.
The cast looks promising: British actor Timothy Spall will play Maurice Grosse, a rookie paranormal researcher. After losing his daughter in a motorcycle accident, he is drawn to the house due to disturbing reports of a desperate family terrorised by malevolent unseen forces. BAFTA nominated actress Juliet Stevenson will star alongside Spall to play his wife Betty. Award-winning actor Matthew Macfadyen will play Guy Lyon Playfair, an experienced investigator who approaches the case with scepticism. Working together to get to the heart of the supernatural happenings, Maurice and Guy will both have to confront their own pasts. Can they save this family from the hauntings and make peace with their own ghosts?
In an interview for Radio Times, Spall said that he met Playfair in order to prepare for his role. According to Spall, the encounter calmed his terrors about taking on the job which he initially turned down because it “frightened the life out of me”.
“I asked him ‘didn’t you worry that when you came back there would be demons sitting on your bed or something?’ and he said ‘oh no, made a nice cup of tea, went to bed.'”
“So, I was heartened by that because I certainly didn’t want to wake up at night with the doors opening and shutting because, being an actor, I am someone who works off my imagination.”
I can understand Spall’s worries. As someone who gets scared easily and starts checking every window and door and am wary of every suspicious sound I hear when I’m in bed, maybe I shouldn’t be so looking forward to watching this. I can’t even begin to imagine the tricks his mind may have played while acting!
This Sky drama promises to be less like the Paranormal Activity franchise and more like a proper mini-series. Thankfully, we don’t have much longer to wait and see.
The Enfield Haunting begins on Sky Living on Sunday 3rd May at 9pm.
