The Haunting of Margam Castle (2020)
A very low budget film with a surprisingly starry cast (Derren Nesbitt, Jane Merrow, Caroline Munro, Garrick Hagon, Judy Matheson) as well as some paranormal investigators - all young actors probably friends of the producer with minimal acting ability but at least they try hard. Speaking of acting ability of the 'stars' only Nesbitt seems comfortable in front of a camera and he gives an enjoyably natural performance. Merrow speaks like she hasn't acted in years and Munro yet again proves she only got acting gigs back in the seventies because she looked good in a bikini holding a bottle of rum.
The film itself is deeply flawed and factually incorrect (For example Merrow tells a tale of the Pendle witches being burnt alive on Pendle Hill by Matthew Hopkins - Complete nonsense on every level, plus can you believe a group of ghost hunters had never heard of the Necronomicon?). It's also not in the least bit horrifying (although there were one or two really cool ghostly shots). However there's also a lot i really enjoyed.
Margam Castle (A genuine Victorian mansion in South Wales) is a stunning location - Seriously, every old dark house movie should have been filmed there - and the cinematography complements it beautifully with some amazing shots. The score is also excellent. A mixture of known public domain classics beautifully arranged and new music which as an accompaniment to the photography brings a soothing calmness to the ham fistedness of other parts of the film.
Yet despite all the negative things i've written i know it's a film i'll return to in the future. It actually had enough about it technically to make it an enjoyable watch and i was never bored.
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