Amityville, the Black Hills of Maryland, Eden Lake… Enfield? Okay, the sleepy north London suburb isn’t as synonymous with horror as those other locales, but residents might beg to differ. The Enfield Haunting, a Sky Living drama capturing the spooky goings-on that took place in the Hodgson household in 1977, will, judging by these first-look stills, be both clammily scary and full of outlandish ‘70s fashions. Any malign presence undeterred by Timothy Spall’s demonic shirt/jacket/tie combo immediately has our fear and respect.
Spall stars as Maurice Grosse, a newcomer to the world of paranormal research and a man recovering from recent tragedy. He finds himself drawn in by the strange events of Green Street, EN3. Before you can say “Don’t go there!”, Britain’s answer to Peter Venkman begins investigating the poltergeisty phenomonon, as his wife, Betty (Juliet Stevenson), finds out to her increasing dismay.
The third factor here is Matthew Macfadyen’s Guy Lyon Playfair. He’s the more sceptical mind of the two, trying to keep Maurice’s theories to more “plausible” areas. Considering the show is based on Lyon Playfair’s book This House Is Haunted, maybe he came round to Maurice’s way of thinking after all.
Also co-starring are Rosie Cavaliero, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Fern Deacon and Elliot Kerley, with The Killing's Kristoffer Nyholm behind the camera. Catch The Enfield Haunting across three 60-minute episodes in the spring.