We don't really do scary in the UK, except for the price of petrol. Even when we have the North American 'holiday' of Halloween forced upon us, we embrace it with the same enthusiasm as contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

This British film, however, can give the big budgeted, US Paranormal Activity types a good run for their money.

It's 1974 and it's a big day for the Maynards as they move into their new home in West Yorkshire. It may only be a council house, but it's bigger than the three of them are used to, so they're more than grateful.

Straight from the off however, Len (Steve Waddington), Jenny (Kate Ashfield) and their teenage daughter Sally (Natasha Connor) soon discover that their new semi-detached is a little on the odd side; it's almost as if it has a life of its own. They just put it down to it being quirky as well as creaky.

It becomes more than that for Sally though, as she feels a violent presence within the house. Her parents put it down to her merely playing up, but it's not long before they change their minds when more than just bumps in the night are occurring and they all forced to face a terrifying evil.

God help me, this is the ugliest thick pile I've ever fallen onto.

Allegedly based on real events that took place in the late sixties in Pontefract, this film does remarkably well with its haunted house theme on such a low budget.

Director and writer Pat Holden should be congratulated for squeezing in an impressive amount of scares without resorting to buckets of blood and gore. On top of that, he's also managed to produce the kind of horror film that has a Ken Loach kind of mentality. The film almost plays out like a regular Northern kitchen sink drama but with added jumpy bits. Although many of the effects are old school, with light fixtures swinging of their own accord and water gushing from taps, Holden still manages to create a tangible sense of the unnerving.

The most frightening thing about this film isn't the story though, it's the decor. The costumes and sets capture the real horror of that particular decade with hair-tingling accuracy. US war vets may well have their Vietnam flashbacks to contend with, but for those who can remember the seventies, well, they have their own demons to wrestle.

It's a shame that the film is a 15 certificate, as it would have been interesting to see if Holden and his crew could have pushed the haunted boat out on this one for maximum scares. As it stands though, they've had a genuine stab at making a truly spooky story on home soil. It may be more Rentaghost than The Amityville Horror, but considering the obvious budgetary restraints it's a spirited attempt at breathing new life into British horror, a genre that appeared to die a lacklustre death some time ago.