The Grey Lady

A group of youngsters from the Dudley area have recently completed work on a film-documentary. The Gornal Young Film-Makers have produced a film entitled 'The Grey Lady' with the help of The Lighthouse film company, Wolverhampton.

The Supernatural film has a strong local significance: Ellowes Hall School, which the sixth formers attend, is widely thought to be haunted by the Grey Lady ghost herself. Of course, other sites claim that the Grey Lady belongs to the. An interview with Adrian Durkin (Dudley Castle) is included in the film. During this, he explains that the ghost of Dorothy Beaumont searches the grounds of the castle for her dead child with whom she was not buried due to complications. Staff and pupils remain adamant that the Grey Lady does live in their school. Indeed, there are few who dare to deny such an existence.

As part of research for the film, a team of ghost hunters were hired to search the school grounds for any evidence to support such claims. In the relatively short time that they were on site, their equipment failed to detect anything unusual. However, the story of the Grey Lady was certainly not dismissed.

Pupils and local people alike are the main contributors to the film which is made up of a wealth of reconstructions of actual sightings and experiences. Only a small fraction of the information received could be included, such was the response to posters and adverts erected in the local area.

The youngsters acted in and directed the film by themselves, with the help of the Lighthouse Company, Wolverhampton. The film lives up to one's expectations of a much more expensively produced film. Some of the special effects are spine-chillingly realistic and lighting is used to excellent effect in order to create the correct atmosphere. Being pupils at the school ourselves [editorial team] we found the film very interesting and even scary in places. Some of the camera-work and acting were of a professional standard. Lawrence Nicholas directed the film and we asked if he believed people who claim to have seen the Grey Lady. "Many of the sightings are probably misunderstandings," he says, "but some certainly can't be explained..."

Whilst the team worked hard on the six-month project, further alleged sightings were reported. The strange thing was that many of these were in locations used by the team whilst working on the film. Cleaning staff described feeling presences and even on occasions seeing figures in doorways. Who could deny that this was the work of the Grey Lady?

Whether you believe in the Grey Lady or not is, of course a matter of opinion. However, having seen the film you would be hard-pushed to dismiss it as pure fiction, there have definitely been too many sightings for them all to have been made up and many sceptics have changed their view, such was the influence of the film. Lawrence said, "I went into the film with an open mind. Now I'm not so sure."

N.B. The Grey Lady film was shown in London as part of The Co-op National Young People's Film Festival, where it picked up an award.