'Terrifying' horror series with 80% rating is now streaming

A chilling British horror series based on one of the most infamous paranormal cases in UK history is now available to stream - and it's already sending shivers down viewers' spines all over again. The three-part drama originally aired in 2015, and is now streaming on multiple platforms.

The Enfield Haunting dramatises the real-life events of the so-called Enfield Poltergeist, a case that gripped the UK between 1977 and 1979 and became one of the most widely reported supernatural incidents in the country's history. Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm - known for his work on the acclaimed Danish series The Killing - The Enfield Haunting is based on the book This House is Haunted by Guy Lyon Playfair, one of the investigators involved in the original case. Set in a north London council house, the story follows the Hodgson family as they experience a series of disturbing and unexplained phenomena.

In 1977, single mother Peggy Hodgson contacted the police and later the Society for Psychical Research after two of her children, 11-year-old Janet and 13-year-old Margaret, began reporting strange disturbances in their council house in Enfield. Furniture reportedly moved on its own, loud knocking echoed through the rooms, and the girls claimed to have been thrown from their beds by an unseen force.

The case was heavily documented at the time and has been subject to widespread speculation ever since - including inspiration for part of The Conjuring 2.

In the series, Matthew Macfadyen plays Guy Lyon Playfair, the experienced but sceptical researcher, while Timothy Spall portrays amateur paranormal investigator Maurice Grosse and BAFTA-nominated Juliet Stevenson plays Grosse's wife, Betty.

The show avoids many of the overused horror clichés in favour of something more grounded and emotionally resonant. One reviewer on IMDb wrote: "This could have easily turned into something clichéd... Instead, the characters actually feel like real people and you feel for everyone in that situation... everyone was just great, even the kids surprisingly were really talented."

Another viewer praised the show for weaving deeper emotional themes into the horror elements: "The Enfield Haunting is based more within grief, and how grief affects those it chooses to haunt... it was an immense feeling of goosebumps and chills for the viewers."

While many ghost stories rely on cheap jump scares, The Enfield Haunting takes a more atmospheric approach. One fan said: "It's scary but it's not with the usual stupid scares - it's eerie. It makes you think about it after you've watched it... The Enfield Haunting is just great really: great actors, great representation, great everything!"

The show's original broadcast shattered viewing records for Sky Living. Its debut episode on 3 May 2015 drew over 1.87 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode in the channel's history at the time. Subsequent episodes remained among the network's top-performing broadcasts.

With BAFTA nominations, a 80% Rotten Tomatoes rating and strong praise for its storytelling, The Enfield Haunting is now available to stream on NOW and Apple TV.