THE PARAPOD MOVIE: A VERY BRITISH GHOST HUNT (2020)

The ParaPod Movie (2020)
Directed by: Ian Boldsworth

Starring: Barry Dodds, Ian Boldsworth

THE PARAPOD MOVIE: A VERY BRITISH GHOST HUNT (2020)

Two friends who host the ParaPod podcast – Barry Dodds, a believer in the paranormal, and Ian Boldsworth, a sceptic – decide to take their podcast on the road and film their road trip in which they explore haunted hotspots around the UK with Barry seizing the opportunity to convince Ian that the paranormal exists. Join them on their journey and see if the haunted locations have what it takes to change Ian’s mind for good.

Comedic documentary THE PARAPOD MOVIE: A VERY BRITISH GHOST HUNT is a slice of quintessential British humour and boy is it an absolute treat! With Geordie Barry hoping the road trip will produce some ghostly goings-on to convince his friend and shut him up for good, it also serves as an opportunity for him to come face-to-face with the paranormal himself. Whatever they find will have to be pretty convincing because Cheshire lad Ian isn’t a gullible guy and has very strong arguments for every whisper, creak, bang and light flicker they may experience during their trip, and he isn’t afraid to voice his opinion!

When I sat down to watch this film, I knew nothing much other than this was a docu-comedy set in the UK about ghost-hunting. As someone who’s open to the idea that something exists and having experienced some spooky things myself, I couldn’t wait to see what THE PARAPOD MOVIE had in store. What I also didn’t know before I started watching is that both Ian and Barry are professional comedians which makes a whole lot of sense as to how good they are on screen together. This comedic duo are nothing short of hilarious as Ian rips chunks out of Barry and his belief in the supernatural as Barry tries to convince him otherwise. Barry comes out with some belting comments, particularly when he plans to take Ian to the catacombs in Edinburgh where witches were known to perform rituals around an ancient stone circle of evil. However, for everything Barry has to throw at him, Ian tends to be one step ahead but will paranormal activities win out?

Throughout the film, Ian does whatever he can to wind Barry up. As Barry uses his ghost hunting equipment, primarily his dubious EMF meter, Ian spies the opportunity to make his own noises and bumps in the night. Understandably, Barry becomes frustrated by his friend’s antics and lays down some ground rules for their final visit to a haunted location.

I found myself chuckling all the way through this movie as the two friends bicker and argue amidst the quest for proof of the paranormal. Starting with the hearse adored with ParaPod paint job, which Ian has conveniently not added Barry to the insurance, you can tell what sort of docu-comedy it’s going to be. I will be honest and expected a bit more paranormal activity or exploits on camera, but the results feel very honest. One of my particular favourites is when they visit 30 East Drive, home of the Black Monk of Pontefract, supposedly one of the most violent poltergeists in the world, and Ian comes to face-to-face with a medium and ‘Alan’.

I had tremendous fun spending 108 minutes with Barry and Ian that I didn’t want their exploits to end. I really wish they’d do some sort of ghost hunting TV series because I truly believe it’d be a hit. Like Most Haunted but actually good. In the meantime, I’ll be catching up on their ParaPod podcast.

With laughs aplenty and the paranormal approached in such an entertaining way, this has been one of my film highlights of the year. Don’t miss it!

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