This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we’re stepping back in time and into your television screen to explore the scariest subgenre of horror: the fake live broadcast! We're comparing two films that blur the lines between reality and terror: the American analog horror cult classic WNUF Halloween Special (2013) and the infamous, nation-terrifying British pseudo-documentary Ghostwatch (1992). WNUF Halloween Special (2013) Directed by Chris LaMartina, this film is presented as a salvaged VHS recording of a local TV station's 1987 Halloween night special. A cynical reporter, Frank Stewart, takes a camera crew and a pair of paranormal investigators (a clear nod to Ed and Lorraine Warren) into the notoriously haunted Webber House for a live, televised séance. The film's genius lies in its meticulously accurate recreation of late-80s local TV, complete with delightfully cheesy commercials and news breaks that build a deeply nostalgic and unsettling atmosphere before the ritual goes catastrophically wrong. Ghostwatch (1992) Written by Stephen Volk and broadcast "live" on BBC on Halloween night, 1992, Ghostwatch caused a national panic in the UK. Presented as a genuine BBC investigation into a haunted London council house, the film utilized popular, trusted presenters (like Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene, playing themselves) and real-time camerawork to convince millions of viewers they were watching a true, terrifying paranormal event unfold. It is a masterpiece of deception, using the power of the medium itself to bring the demonic entity, "Pipes," right into the viewers' living rooms. Join us as we look at the art of the fake live broadcast. We'll explore how Ghostwatch weaponized the audience's trust in mainstream media and how WNUF achieved its scares through lo-fi nostalgia and world-building. If you enjoy horror that makes you question what you're seeing on your screen, this is the episode for you! Spoilers start around 5:06