Marchlands [DVD]

I really enjoyed the series especially since I wasn't scared once watching it. It is an asset in my view because I much prefer being made slightly uncomfortable watching something rather than scared out of my wits! When this happens anyway I miss half the show as I have to shut my eyes half way to stop myself having a seizure, I just can't stand being frightened. So what a delight it was to be able to enjoy the show in full, to see every detail of the wonderful sets and costumes spanning three decades and losing nothing of the acting which I found to be top quality too. I enjoyed the story as well and the way it was constantly moving back and forward. This was done so seamlessly that the changing pieces of furniture would signal where you had gone. And yet it never was confusing for one minute, everything fell into place however often we changed periods. I particularly enjoyed the 1987 part , probably because this was the era when I was in my twenties and the full horror of clothes and home designs brought back fond memories of my parents'flat which wasn't furnished in the same way of course but with similar things. And Alex's dungarees were great. I was reminded of all my friends who were slim enough to wear them (one even had pale yellow ones, what fond memories!!)So, spooky yes, and spooky enough in my view, those wet handprints appearing here and there gave you the chills but no more!That blue white faced little girl in her green cardigan was just on the right side of scary! Of course it wasn't difficult guessing what had happened and what would once you were really into it, but this didn't spoil it for me at all. I still found it compelling even though I knew how it would end!

This drama features three families who live in the same house, Marchlands, divided by time. The first couple, Paul and Ruth Bowen, live in the house in the 1960s together with Paul's rather overbearing parents. They have tragically lost their only child, Alice who drowned some months earlier. Ruth Bowen is determined to find the truth of what really happened to her. Obviously this overshadows the Bowens' life and their relationship. However, Alice has not totally gone as the couple who live in the house in the 1980s, Helen and Eddie Maynard come to realise when their young daughter, Amy, is very aware of her presence. Initially they assume Alice is an imaginary friend. Things take a more sinister turn when Amy blames Alice for the death of her kitten and later goes to the lake apparently following Alice. The present day couple, Nisha and Mark, are expecting their first child who is subsequently born, also become overshadowed by Alice's influence. They have an interesting home help in the person of Ruth Bowen, the 1960s mum, who is still looking for the truth behind the loss of Alice.

The mystery is eventually resolved in the last episode. The conclusion is not a shocking revelation, but the three stories come to a reasonably logical end at that point. I did not really think that the climax lived up to the previous episodes, which was rather disappointing, but overall the series kept the interest engaged throughout.

The plot switches between the three couples effectively so that there are three developing stories with the common factor of Alice, whose supernatural presence in the house dominates. The switches between the three scenarios blend together well and there is no feeling that they are disjointed. The combination of a ghost story and a mystery make for compelling viewing, and this will work much better in a DVD set watching the episodes consecutively than in the TV series where we had to cope with a week between each episode. Highly recommended!

I am leaping to the defence of Marchlands after reading some very sniffy reviews is the 'quality' press.

Deliciously creepy (by this I mean you won't be too scared to the put the light out afterwards), it is a tale of a house and the three families who live there in three different decades, all troubled by the same event, the (accidental?) drowning in 1968 of a little girl called Alice who appears never to have left the house since, drawing attention to heself by means of water....

The action swings easily back and forth between '68, '87 and 2010, and as a bonus, showing us the fashions, hair styles, decor of each period.

Once you begin to watch, the story becomes compelling as you gradually pick up the pieces of the jigsaw and identify with the characters.

If like me (call me old-fashioned)you prefer a story with a beginning, a middle and an end, you will enjoy Marchlands.

(Beware... this Marchlands has NO CONNECTION WHATSOEVER with the novel of the same name.)