Oh Lord this is a waste of time. Absolutely NOTHING original in this film. The acting was bad, no emotion, like they were reading from a teleprompter. I'm not sure what the first minute of the movie was about, I guess a kid scared by "Disney's Halloween Treat" would have been scared by it, but it was like a psychotic dream of someone's. The ending? Who even cared? Nothing original there either. Go watch a wall of paint dry instead of watching this movie. The reason I gave it two stars was, the castle itself was nice.
Add a Review
-
jstlucas20 September 2020
-
ahjenssen-379012 September 2020This movie has the standard haunting story, nothing new here. I am fine with that. Being a big consumer of horror films, I am used to new films using old story lines.
HOWEVER, and that's a big however, the acting in this movie is deplorable. It is painful to watch the lead female actor "acting". For most of the dialogue she appears to be reading off a script, rather than acting. It all seems very forced. It is just impossible to immerse yourself in the story when the characters are so unbelievable. As the title of this review says, this is the perfect movie not to watch - I suggest doing laundry instead, as that is bound to be a better experience than watching this movie. -
aeongale1 September 2020Standard research crew in a haunted house shtick flick but with less screaming. Some of the make-up is good but there's no money for special effects, only a shaking camera and flashing coloured lights. Nesbitt is a good actor, and others have potential but it's marred by scenes where the dialogue is bad and feels like lines being read at each other. This would've been better suited as a TV movie 30 years ago.
-
Lee-Broad24 October 2020Please don't. You know you have those movies that are so bad, they're good? Well this isn't one of them.
I made the mistake of letting my wife have free reign over the tv remote tonight and this was the result. After 10 minutes she was asking to put Strictly back on. I told her I was going to make her watch this film until it finished. To add insult to injury, she then told me that she'd rented it (through my Sky account).
Just over half way through, my wife said she had to go and check on our daughter. I didn't see her again until after the film had finished. -
tonyandsilvia19943 September 2020There's a podcast I listen to where guests are asked the worst film they've ever seen. Well I've got my new answer. This is, without doubt, that movie.
I don't know where to start with this movie, but the acting is as good a place as any. It's woeful. The actors look like they're doing a read through, and do not believe a single thing they are saying. I've never heard of the 'leads', which is fine, as just because you haven't heard of them doesn't mean they can't act. But this lot can't. And as for the more established cast, they are equally as bad. Caroline Munro's turn as the cafe owner is cringeworthy. But not as cringeworthy as the 5 minute recipe for Welsh rarebit she provides us with. I'm deadly serious.
As bad as the acting is, the writing is worse. To say it is clunky is an understatement. There is exposition everywhere and I actually felt for the actors having to spew it. There's one point where the scientists, scientists remember, scream "I don't doubt you both saw apparitions" to people who've been spooked. They weren't there. They're scientists, they should question everything.
There is a lot of homage (sorry rip off) of other movies. 'Get out' written on a mirror - Amityville. The cafe scene - American Werewolf in London. (All we were missing was 'Don't stray from the path'). And the blatant "homage" to The Shining at the end (the "photograph"). Shame on you.
And how is it shot? Badly. The director has a preoccupation with long, lingering shots of the building. It's architecture p0rn. The trouble is, it's the same shot over and over again. An example being the stone staircase with the rope handrail. It is used around 6 times. The same shot. The nadir though is the scene in the main actress' home. (Forget about the UK plug sockets when we're supposed to be in New York). The director spends around 2 minutes on the actress at a microwave. Heaven knows why. And then there's the point later in the film where the earth shakes and the special effects are akin to 1970s Doctor Who where the actors had to throw themselves around the room. They literally have to act as if they're being thrown around the room.
Then there is the editing. At one point, someone bursts into a room. The main actor then has to act surprised. Unfortunately for him, the editor left around 5 seconds between the person bursting in and the actor showing surprise. It's just odd. We then go from one extreme to another. Someone gets snatched and dragged out of a room. The main actor stops someone going after them by shouting "Leave it they've gone" when the editing suggests the victim is literally the other side of the doorway.
To summarise - it's woeful. You can make an affecting horror with little money. The recent Zoom-Seance movie "Host' showed that. This director of The Haunting of Margam Castle needs to watch that and weep. -
Figaro143 September 2020Looking for some horror films to watch during the Pandemic, I stumbled across this hot mess. The film mixes together clunky script, extremely bad acting, and the unintentionally funny moments to make for one of the single worst horror films in recent memory. Let's take for example the scene in the pub where all the characters talk ad nauseum about what Welsh Rarebit is! My favorite moment is when the medium is "seized" by one of the ghosts, and the character's response is to say, "She's gone! We can't help her." That was a laugh out loud moment. The actors playing the ghosts seem more like children dressing up for Halloween than anything remotely scary. Unless you want to use this film for a Mystery Science Theatre party, I'd suggest you use 90 minutes for something else.
-
elainagray1 September 2020Good grief this is awful. Seriously dull monotone stilted dialogue, cringeworthy outdated cliches about the British (cue lots of comments about how we're all apparently obsessed with the weather, have terrible teeth and go misty eyed at the thought of going to America). Slow action, an entire scene focussed on a character putting her dinner in a microwave. Turned it off after half hour (the film not the microwave). Seriously don't waste your time. The first moment where it was meant to be scary we burst out laughing. We were rooting for the ghosts.
-
shaunephillips282 May 2021The best part about this movie is it's based on a real location with a real story behind it. So many horror movies are based on books or folklore, but it would be so easy for movie studios to pump out some decent low budget horror movies based on a real location. Every town has it's supposed haunted locations and ghost stories. All a studio has to do is take the basic fundamentals of a good horror movie and bobs your uncle. This movie however, did not do that.
There will be some spoilers, but I am going to keep it to the first bit before the haunting begins. To me the first part of a movie is usually a good indicator of what comes next. If the first bit is horrendous, well the rest will be horrendous.
The first 4:30 seconds of the movie is the opening credits. The credits drag on and on with it's annoying royalty free music. I think the credits were used to pad out the running time of this movie. The first scene of the movie conveys the point of how boring Annie, the main character is. It sets of up for the next scene where we find Annie and her colleague being told they are at risk of losing funding if they don't do something exciting to get financial backers interested in their field. It's a decent set up to the rest of the movie, but from here on out it only gets worse. Annie seems super frustrated with having to leave her boring research behind to travel to a different country and stay at a haunted castle. Most people would find this exciting, but not Annie. She would rather bore everyone to death than stay at a dank old castle in the middle of nowhere. Her words, not mine. Next we see Annie in here lovely apartment. Btw, it's too lovely for this character. I could see her living in a grey box with one picture on the wall that still has the stock picture in the frame. I guess the scene is supposed to convey how alone she is and from what I've seen so far it makes sense she's alone.
Our cast is off to sunny ol England where we find ourselves watching the standard traveling montage, but what's really funny about it is they hold this a conversation over a bunch of cuts in the traveling montage. It makes utterly no sense. It would be one thing if we were watching a minute long scene where they're talking, but there's several hours between cuts while they talk and what they say is some of the most American ignorant dialogue imaginable. The cast then makes their way into a pub/eatery for a bite to eat. The whole point of them being here is to set up a scene where one of the locals say, don't go there! You're gonna die a horrible death. The cast walks in and have the "we gotta eat here" look on their face. Annie really doesn't want to be here. She rather eat a microwaved meal for one at home, alone. So they walk up to the bar and talk with the bartender. For next few minutes they go on about Welsh Rabbit. You can have the Welsh rabbit with tomatoes and it's called a blushing bunny. At this point I assumed I was going to actually see what the dish looks like. I mean, they just gave us the run down on the darn thing and I don't even get to see what it looks like! The problem with that is this would have been a perfect time for more character development and some dialog about what their plan of action is, but instead we get nothing and that's the movie really. Here's a moment to use the basics of what makes a good horror movie. Build up a relationship with these characters and then build tension.
Instead, from here on out it just gets worse. I think they spent all of their budget on the location and winged it from here because it feels like a different movie once they get to the haunted castle. Bad acting, more royalty free music and the same sound effect used every time something remotely scary happens. Here they have this great location and they do nothing with it. I found myself pausing the movie near the end because I couldn't believe 80 plus minutes went by. I thought it was near the 45 minute mark. Well the movie ends and that's the best part. Overall the English actors do a pretty good job. The American actors range from decent to horrendous. At least in the credits they could have shown us what the heck Welsh rabbit is. -
ronniebarner5 September 2020Very mediocre acting as a team of ghost hunters explore the castle best thing the movie has going for it is the fact it's a real place that the movies based on. In my opinion it's a serious snoozefest as it takes forever for anything to happen and when it does happen theres no gore or anything associated with a good horror flick. So low budget that they couldnt even afford descent cgi for blood. Dont waste your time.
-
jjportia54 February 2021So let's start with paranormal psychologists that don't believe in ghosts!?? Then being sent to a castle with a reputation for being haunted and not seeming to have any interest!?? So, I wondered what kind of idiot would even write a story line like this. Then there's the acting....is the acting sub par, or is it the script. The story line would suggest the script, but then again maybe both. I kept waiting for the story to develop into something, but I was left wanting. No satisfaction came from this movie right up to the end. The scenery was the only thing that was somewhat satisfying.
-
arthurspudgun29 January 2024Lazy writing where everyone dies in the end. The mark of an unimaginative hack writer. I've seen far too many so called 'horror stories' that are unoriginal and a total, utter waste of time. I had hoped for a clever ending. Something to make me think. But, Oh, no! Everyone dies at the end.
That's just so amateurish and of lower grade that a 10 year old writing fan fiction.
When will writers wake up to the fact that everyone dying in the end is not 'horror' but a lazy cop out.
I think on films and series I've watched over the years and wonder where the writers get the idea that killing everyone off in the end is the ultimate horror?
They could have had a clever twist at the end. If I'm honest, I've forgotten what the film was about. Some people getting killed by the end, I suppose. No, sorry. I truly am let down by this hack script. -
I have been alive for 32 years, watched many a film but nothing as perfected, awe inspiring, and truly beautiful as this film. I swear this film touches on how acting should be portrayed as this was a masterclass in today's acting! None of the A list celebrities nowadays have nothing on this group of champions. I was completely terrified from start to finish, literally could not predict anything that was about to happen, I was on a rollercoaster of emotions and this film, by god, touched every single last one! From the shrieking fear to the sadness of characters coming and going. I must request a sequel to this beauty as there is now a hole in my life which this can only fill.
-
Weirdling_Wolf23 October 2021It doesn't feel altogether fair to focus solely on this low-budget supernatural horror film's obviously pecuniary failings, and while the admittedly derivative shocker most certainly has its myriad flaws, I would rather stress the production's more positive aspects. While 'The Haunting of Margam Castle' is fundamentally yet another rather predictably creaky haunted house yarn, replete with angsty parapsychologists, nosily Scooby Doo-ing around its ghoulishly storied, dank walled environs, the director eschews some of the more actively tedious found footage tropes in a stalwart attempt to, perhaps, harken back to the spookily cobwebbed likes of 'The Legend of Hell House', and the still greatly undervalued 'The Evil', while not entirely successful in its execution, weirdly lacking any grandstanding gore, and woefully lacking budget, I nonetheless quite enjoyed 'The Haunting of Margam Castle', especially pleasing was the welcome, and somewhat (Tea)cosy presence of UK genre icons Caroline Munro, Vernon Dobcheff, Derren Nesbitt, and the eternally wonderful Jane Merrow, again, I am usually far more forgiving than many other horror fans, but I strongly believe in supporting the more meritorious efforts of the B-Movie underdogs, but, to be entirely fair, some may find this spook-show to be a little tame, but the still delightful Caroline 'Maniac' Munro playfully discussing the culinary merits of Welsh rarebit was a suitably tasty titbit!
-
neilsoncox7 September 2020Never seen such bad acting. Script terrible, directing poor, editing awful.
I feel ashamed about giving it 1, but I had to so I could be published. -
markdenvero3 September 2020I just wasted 121mins of my life watching this low budget, lousy and STUPID movie! I was intrigued by the history of the castle thinking it'll be something worth watching only to turn out a total waste of time!
-
Milk_Tray_Guy7 January 2021Very low budget ghost story. Good to see Derren Nesbitt, Vernon Dobtcheff, and former Hammer Glam-queens Caroline Munro, Jane Merrow, and Judy Matheson back onscreen, but the younger cast members are poor - especially 'lead' actress, Amy Quick, who is just dreadful.
Some welcome old faces and a great location scrape this a 4/10 -
mjsreg7 September 2020Considering this was supposed to be set in South Wales I only heard ONE Welsh voice very briefly.
Apart from that, this film was very long and drawn-out viewing. At some points it seemed as though something interesting was about to get started only to fade away to more tedium.
Some of the acting was very wooden - the only saving grace being the brilliant Darren Nesbit whose acting seemed to carry parts of the film.
It is a shame. This could have been a very good film, but overall it fails to deliver and it is hard not falling asleep watching it. -
paul_haakonsen8 September 2020I must admit that I had hoped for just a tad more from this 2020 movie titled "The Haunting of Margam Castle" than what writer and director Andrew Jones managed to deliver.
Initially I was intrigued by the movie's cover/poster, and it did seem to be a movie that could be interesting. And with it being a horror movie dealing with a haunting, of course I was interested and had to watch the movie.
However, "The Haunting of Margam Castle" turned out to be a very slow paced and even less interesting movie. Nothing much of any worth or interest happened throughout the prolonged movie, running at such a slow pace that it almost felt like torture sitting through the ordeal.
The storyline was just downright pointless and uneventful, to be bluntly honest. And that was what sank the movie well below mediocrity, because its production level was actually adequate.
For a horror movie, the most scary part about "The Haunting of Margam Castle" was how devoid of anything even remotely scary that director managed to present to the audience. And the haunts that were in the movie didn't even feel like ghosts or apparitions in any way. So it was a very stale movie in terms of frights and scares.
The acting in "The Haunting of Margam Castle" was bland, taking into consideration that the actors and actresses literally had nothing to work with. I wasn't familiar with a single performer in this movie.
All in all, "The Haunting of Margam Castle" is not worth the effort. If you enjoy a good horror movie that gives you the chills or makes the hair at the back of your neck stand up, you should definitely watch something else, because "The Haunting of Margam Castle" is not going to do the trick.
The cover/poster brandish "the most haunted building in the United Kingdom. Well, if that was the level of haunting and ghost activity, then the UK is a pretty dead zone.
I am rating this 2020 movie a generous three out of ten stars, based mostly on its production level. -
samsangels-390771 October 2020I don't even know where to begin. The storyline was utter tripe and the acting were appalling. It's the type of movie that's so stupid you have to watch it to the end, just to see the idiocy even if its 81 mins of your life you'll never get back.
-
alyssa_starelli12 January 2021The only decent actors are the Brits. The Americans are really horrific especially the two main characters, stilted and painful. The costuming and props are wrong. But at least a few people got to visit Wales before Covid, there's that.
-
chrystalkay26 January 2021Which came first, the bad writing or the bad directing? For sure once it started, there was no denying the bad acting. And with the discordance of the sound track that did nothing for the mood except knock you out of whatever feel you were trying to get for the movie. I have heard of a triple threat but a quadruple one? Do yourself a favor and find something else to do with your time. Like listen to a plant wilt or watch mildew grow. Anything would be better than this mess.
-
mcnultymartin-077842 September 2020Hes got her HUW. Brilliant.. Ant and Dec should have been cast. But not a bad effort. Im from the area so. Know land marks etc. The game keeper is a true story. The rest im not sure. But on the whole. A good effort mr jones.
-
dvvmsxqf9 April 2023Everyone please ignore all of the awful reviews .. people do not know what they are talking about. What an amazing movie , brilliant acting by the wonderful cast, really believable scary story, top notch editing. Overall a truly gorgeous film to match the gorgeous scenery. I've just finished watching it but guess what? I'm Going to whack it straight back on it was really that good!
I love the fact that every thing all made sense! Nothing was too confusing or far fetched. The whole movie looked completely real. The lights that shone on the castle towards the end of the movie reminded me of a spooky ghost tour.
Ps. I'll 100% be making me some Welsh RAREbit xx. -
coreycunningham2 September 2020Nothing particularly original about the premise but the gothic architecture of the location which is well shot ensures the movie is dripping with atmosphere. The addition of several veteran actors gives it a bit of a Hammer/Amicus feeling but the real standout is the castle itself which feels like the most evil character in the story than the ghosts themselves. Some good old school scares.
-
Absolute cr*p. Please don't waste your time watching this. The actress Sarah I think her name is. Can't act. She needs to give up acting. Absolute dreadful.
No hope for most of the rest of the cast either, but she's the worst. Monotone voices, they're talking as if they are reading their lines out of a book. No emotion to what they are saying. The story line could of been good, but no, absolutely ruined by these cretins. The producer, director etc - did they even turn up? Please don't waste your time watching this, seriously. I only put it on whilst I was working. I've seen better adverts. When furniture adverts advertising a sale are getter and more exciting.