User Reviews

As boring as lockdown was for all of us, this was pretty bad even by the standards of nothing to do for months on end. Pretty sure it was written, directed, and acted during lockdown to be silly, but meh.

I'd just write "zzzz" and you'd know everything you need to know about this movie. But IMDB wants more words.

Tony Todd does a small cameo, wow, I guess his die-hard followers had to rate this higher than it's worth because of that fact. Still doesn't make it any better than a "zzzz" flick.

Staring at the wall is better and less boring than this.

I wasn't going to bother with a review of such a terribly inane move, but there were so many high rated reviews that I felt people needed to know they were being lied to.

This movie was made obviously for low information horror fans who are the only ones who could possibly buy this premise.

Filled with bad acting and stupid scenarios, it's an absolute insult to our intelligence.

They used that guy from Candy Man to give it credence I guess, but don't waste you time on this one. Even he can't save it.

It's not scary - it's just plain stupid and full of nonsense.

The odd thing is that there are a dozen 8 to 10 reviews for this but the average is below 4, telling us that most people just didn't bother to tell us how bad it really was. And it's likely that the high reviews are from people involved in the production, because anyone who really gave it an honest review would not give it more than a 4.

I gave it lower because it was exploitative to an ignorant number of viewers.

Sure, I sat down to watch the 2021 movie "The Lockdown Hauntings" because the movie had Tony Todd in it. Of course I did, after all he is an iconic horror actor after all. And yeah, I found the movie's title to be a bit dubious, but still I opted to sit down and watch "The Lockdown Hauntings".

But wow, this movie was bad. Terribly bad. The movie was fully and wholeheartedly devoid of anything even remotely resembling a proper storyline. And just what exactly went through the mind of the writer here, I cannot even begin to fathom. But wow, this movie was just rubbish.

So essentially this was about a serial killer returned from death to continue killing amidst the Covid-19 outbreak. Yeah, doesn't get any more corny than that.

The movie was nothing but repetitive scenes over and over. Sure, it was different women being terrorized by an unseen phantom assailant, but every singly scene was the same, and it was all just so pointless and bland to watch. That made for a very poor movie experience.

The characters in the movie were one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs milling about, trying to deliver some dubiously written dialogue and trying to bring repetitive scenes to life on the screen. It was fun for the first scene, then it just grew tiresome and annoying.

Director Howard J. Ford didn't really manage to deliver an entertaining movie here with "The Lockdown Hauntings". And for a horror movie, then I must say that this 2021 was a massive swing and a miss.

I can't recommend you waste your time, money or effort on a movie such as "The Lockdown Hauntings". It just simply isn't worth it. And some of us suffered through this ordeal so you don't have to. Trust me.

My rating of "The Lockdown Hauntings" lands on a two out of ten stars.

Watching the paint dry for hour and 40 minutes would've been a time better spent. No exaggeration.

Horrible plot, horrendous acting, super boring movie with no payoff.

I've legit seen better (or rather less bad) kill scenes in super amateur movies.

If I had to say one good thing about this one.. it was conditioning my patience. How did I stomach through not quitting I don't even know.. Avoid at all costs.

I'm easily entertained when it comes to horror movies. This movie has incredibly bad acting, a story that means nothing, and characters that have little to no backstory. Why would I care if these people die if I don't know anything about them?

Scenes where paranormal activity is shown are bland and insanely generic.

Clearly, this movie has a severely low budget and was thrown together to make some cash with the help of actor Tony Todd. Even Tony Todd's lines seem forced and amateurish. A waste of such a beautiful voice.

As a person who can laugh at a bad horror movie and find something to enjoy in most movies, this movie had nothing to offer me at all.

It's hilariously bad. I think the idea of the ghosts feeding on our shared anxiety and fear is a really cool one, but it wasn't a good film.

Most of the effects are things being thrown about, or doors opening etc. But the atmosphere isn't really creepy. So the low budget effects don't really have any effect.

One actor literally cries over spilled milk though, and when a couple of people get stabbed it just looks comedic because there's not enough tension for it not to look silly.

This really is proof that sometimes concept and craft can carry you so much further than millions and millions of dollars. Really effective world building and lots of franchise potential- you would struggle to notice that this shoot was restricted by pandemic limitations. I'm not usually a horror guy, but this is really in the Jordan Peele family of stories that continue to mess with your head after it's over. Highly recommend!!

Compared to some of the Hollywood rubbish, this movie although low budget was actually not bad mostly all women cast and British made but I've seen a lot worse.

The scares where convincing as well as the acting.

It's not a blockbuster but considering the low budget for this movie.

It's a good attempt at horror.

I'm not into horror films much but this one has been advertised and was highly pre-ordered. So, I decided to give it a go. To my surprise, the film is more than your average gory indie horror. In fact, it's hardly gory at all.

The film uses the premise of the first UK Lockdown to explore what if. What if there were malicious spirits (energies) out there that feed on our fears?

What if they were to seize an opportunity and roam the empty streets in search for lonely scared victims? They would surely be up to no good.

It follows an investigator George Parker (Angela Dixon) on her quest to solve series of murders of young women - while in self-isolation. All cases are seemingly connected. Yes, a serial killer. A ghost of a serial killer to be precise. The film features mainly female cast which is great to see. I would have loved to see more of Tony Todd though but the rest of actors did a great job. Believable performance by Heather Pierce, Sarah Jane Potts, Jon Campling.

Unusual editing - following several victims's stories at the same time allowed Ford to control the tension dial. I was missing face-to-face dialogues and interactions on the screen but I guess it's the reality of the 'new normal'. Must have been a pain for a 'filming crew' that, apparently, consisted of one (!) person. The cinematography is very good by the way, the film looks polished and the special effects do the job.

The plot skilfully capitalises on anxiety and fear of 'invisible killer' that is the virus. This realism blurs the lines. What's worse - to be haunted by an evil spirit that is trying to kill you or to franticly knock on doors of your neighbours and be denied help because they suspect you might pass on the virus? You gotta fend for yourself because everyone is scared and isolated in their own homes-silos. It's sad but unfortunately, that's exactly what UK came to in 2020.

I think the film has captured the overall spirit of the age and plays with the mind of a viewer on a deeper level. I was pleasantly surprised by this paranormal film.

I really enjoyed this film. I'm a big fan of jump scares and this has bucket loads which I loved. I can't believe this film was filmed with no crew - just one man and his camera. What a genius and an incredible talent the director Howard Ford is.

I really enjoyed this movie. It had the feeling of a classic Hammer film, tension, lots of twists and just great fun. My teenage daughters loved it too.

I take my hat off to the filmmaker here, he saw an opportunity and got some great talent to follow his vision. Great work can't wait to see what he does next!

Highly recommended.

Check out this fabulous British horror thriller from director Howard J. Ford ( Never Let Go, The Dead and Adventure Boyz) Shot entirely during lockdown with a one man crew and featuring an array of established and new acting talent.

The film also features the brilliant Tony Todd (Candyman, The Crow and Platoon) Some genuine scary moments throughout this very well made British horror with a fabulous cliffhanger ending. Bring on the sequel.

I have never written a review on here before so just going to tell it as I saw it! For someone who is a MASSIVE Horror fan of any type (honestly cannot express that enough) and someone who NEVER jumps or gets their heart pounding in a horror film... I jumped within the first 20 minutes! What a way to get you gripped... it is not your typical story line and has you guessing through out!

Based not only on the fact that this film was filmed in the extreme pandemic lockdown... the 1st lockdown it was all done by One... that's right ONE man! The dedication that himself and all the actors/actresses (and dogs) put in to making this film in the hard times everyone was going through not only deserves recognition but an award! Not to mention how well this film was put together, it's not your boring run of the mill man with a camcorder type film.. it is nothing other than extraordinary. Only wish I could have experienced this at the cinema. Well done to everyone involved you should be proud of such an amazing achievement.

I was sat on the edge of my seat in quiet turmoil watching this, on the one hand gripped by the dramatic and authentic performances of the cast, whilst on the other hand trying to suppress the hair raising chills the horror and suspense induced. The movie takes you back to the very real and tangible fear that some people experienced during lockdown and relived the sense of isolation and loneliness many felt as a result. It's more than just a horror movie, for the paranormal slant brings depth and perspective to the narrative. A perspective that the end of the movie hints is not entirely resolved, art definitely imitating life 🤔

Considering this film was put together in lockdown by one man , the talented director HOWARD FORD , with each actor being filmed in isolation or on zoom , it is a splendid achievement . I was suitably terrified , often hiding behind a cushion ! I would class it as a psychological thriller with frightening supernatural effects with a clever twist to the story . I was particularly impressed by the wonderful performance of ANGELA DIXON ( who was also the co writer ) who plays the troubled crime investigator George Parker and her tormented boss Alex Briggs played by JUSTIN HAYWARD . I also very much liked the performances of JON CAMPLING as the psychic Doctor Clarke who added a welcome injection of humour to this piece . There were a refreshing number of talented older actresses in the cast . My criticism would be there were perhaps too many beautiful blonde actresses making it difficult to care about all of them. Altogether an enthralling ,gripping and entertaining , well crated piece of cinema.

I watched this from a writers point of view. I thought that considering the constraints of lockdown this was a great film. Howard Ford's script took me on a journey. Certainly unexpected ending.

Also Tony Todd was definitely out shone by some brilliant performances by Angela Dixon and Tiffany Hannam Daniels who really stole the show.

I noted there were nods to other horror films too. (The Entity, Halloween, The Omen, The Exorcist, Poltergeist) whether they were intentional or not they were there.

Also the parallel between the invisible killer and Covid was ingenious. Definitely worth a watch.

The only downside is I'd have loved to have seen this in a cinema.

This film seems to have a bit of Marmite effect. Clearly divides opinions. Like some reviews online say, it's not bloody enough for die-hard horror fans. Yet, it has quite high body count.

The plot is simple - a ghost of serial killer is out of control, going about killing people in their homes while they are shielding, self isolating and dealing with sabotaged plans and travel arrangements.

There is plenty of scare jumps and special effects - some old school, some CGI. The sound is actually quite good, so turn that dial up. Overall, it's a decent indie horror film with good cinematography - spooky shots of empty London, drone shots, dollies and the rest. You'd have to watch it to find out whether it's a yay or a nay for you.

I give it 7 because it's hard to imagine such film being shot by one man and with no crew.

Slick camera work, effective lighting, creative setups.

Awesome to see the legend Tony Todd, strong performances on the whole.

Multiple social commentaries running throughout, woven together well.

A supernatural universe is setup here, in the midst of the very natural and mundane we are living.

Perhaps too many jump scares and maybe to repetitive as well.

All in all, the idea is good, set during the first Covid19 lockdown.

Lots of others have explained the idea about ghosts having more space or time to roam around.

Cool idea, some well executed jump scares, some killings and a nice, surprising little movie to enjoy if you like horror/thiller movies.

This was on the edge of your seat horror movie. Excellent and so scary. I have not idea what the complaints are about but if you like flying by the seat of your pants.....watch this movie! Terrifying at times and hair on your arms rising up!

I was watching with earphones and my dogs barked at the exact same time and scared the crap out of me.....obviously they could not hear anything i was watching...... full on creepy!

ENJOY! I WANT MORE!

Thank you Justin for making this awesome but very real scary movie!

Holly Actual.

DISCLOSURE: I'm a friend of a cast member, so I must recuse myself from giving a rating and instead, I'll submit a brief interpretation.

"Fear is something horrible, an atrocious sensation, a sort of decomposition of the soul," (Guy de Maupassant, 'Le Peur' 1882).

A bustling, vibrant metropolis, eerily, unnervingly quiet; these are the opening images that lead us into the surreal paranoid world of London and the UK under Lockdown. We are introduced to the characters who fear for loved ones, for their lives, for their uncertain futures. All they know is that they have no control or power over unseen and unforeseeable events.

Against this background, a serial killer has emerged, elusive in the extreme; not only are they no signs of break-ins, there are no forensic clues at all. To compound the mystery, the detective assigned to the case is herself under quarantine, waiting for test results to see if she is infected.

The unknown unseen killer could represent COVID and how easily it can be transmitted. We sense the alienation and impotence of the characters, lacking the support of friends, family and institutions. Everyone is alone and vulnerable and the deaths are the personification of extreme paranoia in extreme circumstances. We are not scared of what we know, but of what we don't know.

'The Lockdown Hauntings' is a valuable source for how people lived and felt in the early 2020s as even at time of writing, we don't know if the vaccines work (solve the case) or if new mutant variants will arise ...