Haunted Ulster Live Review (2024)

Synopsis

On Halloween night, TV veteran Gerry Burns teams up with children’s presenter Michelle Kelly to investigate poltergeist activity in a reputedly haunted house in Belfast.

My Thoughts

If you’re familiar with films such as Ghostwatch and Late Night With The Devil, you will feel very at home with Haunted Ulster Live.

We have the main presenters, Michelle, and Gerry and they are joined by the a DJ, because why not have a DJ? His name is Declan, along with Sarah who owns the house and her daughter Rose and son Stephen.

Oh and we also have a couple of ghost hunters called Sinead and Robert who are real believers.

Supposedly, the house is haunted by John Yuill, a ghost captured in one of the most “authentic” photos ever taken, and the production team wants to prove he’s real, but instead, they stir up something even worse called Black Foot Jack.

The best bits in Haunted Ulster Live are the behind the scenes moments, where the characters start the night playing their roles, keeping things light, but when the ghostly activity ramps up, the tension starts to kicks in.

No one knows how to handle it, and that’s when the film feels most real when the presenters and crew slowly realize they’re in over their heads.

That being said, it leans hard on classic horror tropes, and while some might find it scary, for me it really wasn’t too much, you see everything coming from a mile off.

But, as the film is paying homage to Ghostwatch and trying to be entertaining with it at the same time, it’s a parody more than anything.

It mixes scenes in the house with behind the scenes footage which includes some rivalry between the two hosts, and a producer who is all about the ratings, and it’s quite amusing at times.

And that’s the main issue with the film, I wouldn’t really say it is scary, and while amusing at times, I wouldn’t really it say it’s a comedy, in fact I don’t really know what to call it?

I definetly felt like I was watching an actual TV show though, and wasn’t bored and kept engaged.

I still had fun with it, and the performances were fine, and the humour generally landed, and for a small-budget film, it’s worth a watch.

Good Points

It’s Entertaining: The film has pretty decent humor elements that keeps you entertained while watching the film, especially the behind the scenes footage.

Siobhan Kelly’s Performance – She was completely believable as a frustrated mother, and was one of the most grounded performances in the film.

The Small Budget Was Used Well – You can tell they worked with what they had and made it count, and it never felt cheap, just resourceful.

Bad Points

Some parts felt like padding – The film takes a while to really get going, and there are a few moments where it feels like they’re just stretching things out.

Overuse of classic horror tropes: The film leans on these standard horror tricks without adding much of a fresh spin, which made some of the scares feel rather predictable.

Is It Worth Watching?

Haunted Ulster Live is fairly entertaining, and a film that doesn’t take itself seriously with some good moments, and considering its budget it’s a good effort and worth watching.

The film was released in festivals in 2023, but made available to the masses in 2024.

Haunted Ulster Live On IMDB
Haunted Ulster Live Trailer

Where To Watch

Apple TV

Director and Cast

Director – Dominic O’Neill

Main Cast – Mark Claney, Aimee Richardson, Siobhan Kelly, Dave Fleming, Antoinette Morelli, Owen James, Andrew Dickson, Dan Leith, Brendan Quinn, Tia Parker.