The Hounds Gate Haunting

Directed by Richard Mansfield

2026

Mansfield Dark

Heavily inspired by the work of M R James, not least in the attempts to adapt A Warning to the Curious, with sprinkles of Ghostwatch dashed throughout, The Hounds Gate Haunting is an effective found-footage, comedy horror.

Shot in Nottingham’s Arts Theatre, repurposed to be The Hounds Gate Theatre, the film starts innocuously enough with Martin (Jonathan Cleaver), a director in dire need of a hit production, who is banking everything on his take on A Warning to the Curious.

To pull this off, he has pulled together a rag-tag cast; Colin (Matthew Hunt), who believes his occasional extras work on television gives him star status; Jessica (Rosanne Priest), who is talented enough, but more focused on her pyramid scheme healthcare products; Lee (Jake Turner), a newcomer to professional acting but with real talent, who doubles as the productions sound designer; and backstage hand Cassie (Lara Drew).

Also appearing is theatre manager, Alex (luke Willis), who provides much of the comedy in the opening half as he toys with the egocentric director.

It doesn’t take long for a few spooky shenanigans to be captured. Cassie’s discovery of a suitcase filled with notes and tape recorders under the stage sets up the story of Cyrill Cobb, or Stalls, a former theatre critic and director rumoured to haunt the theatre, whose blistering reviews make my take on Ice Cream Man seem quite reserved.

Richard Mansfield, who directed the film and co-wrote it with Daniel Mansfield, takes his time, allowing the cast’s natural chemistry to shine through. The pressures on semi-professional creatives are on full display here, as work and money worries, and a desire to keep what is a hobby to many of them fun all clash. The cast are all excellent, keeping a little of the ‘wink to the audience’ of theatre acting, but playing it straight enough to make the horror stand out.

The hauntings start subtlety. A theatre chair that bounces back and forth on its own. Knocks and whispers heard through the building. Occasionally, it’s a little too subtle, and it would have been nice to see the haunting figure appear in the background more often. Although perhaps, I’m underestimating Richard and the figure was there throughout and I missed it, just like I missed Pipes about five times in Ghostwatch.

When the haunting becomes more active, there are some excellent moments here. A couple of genuinely chilling moments, including one with a white sheet that I won’t spoil here. It all builds to a predictable, but very well put together finale, with a twist that plays on the relationship between the critic and the creative.

The Hounds Gate Haunting doesn’t break any new ground, but it isn’t really trying to. It’s a neat, low-budget horror that manages to pull laughs and more than a few frights out of the audience. If there are any complaints, they are nitpicky and easily fixed. Having ‘Not a true story’ on the title card breaks immersion instantly and feels unnecessary. This isn’t primetime television, it’s unlikely anyone is stumbling across this and believing it’s a true documentary.

A few moments later, when we meet Martin, he starts talking before being given a microphone. When he is given a microphone, the sound quality of his voice doesn’t change, and Alex, who is in the background for the scene, comes through just as clearly. Again, these are so minor as to be looking for problems but are also easily avoidable. Why did we need to see Martin be given a microphone, unless it was going to be used to capture something later?

I can only hope I’m a less intrusive presence when my time comes and I take a permanent residence in a cinema. Etiquette is everything after all.

★★★½

3.5 / 5

Matthew Tilt

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