Inside the iconic London cinema that is ‘haunted' by spooky actors

Metro

22-05-2025

Casper, Moaning Mytrle, Slimer and Sam Wheat might be some of the most famous ghosts ever to appear on a big screen, but would you ever expect to see one of them sitting next to you at the cinema?
Well, if you go along to one of the oldest independent cinemas in London you might end up with a spooky plus one.
The Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square has long been rumoured to have scary goings on since it opened in 1962, but now fresh building work seems to have stirred up ghouls of the past.
Staff have always feared that the building, which has now been listed as an asset of community value (ACV) in a bid to help save it, had otherworldly goings on.
It has been fighting for the last year to stop it from closing after its current lease is due to expire in September, and the building's owner wants to raise the rent.
But in the last six months, it isn't protestors or campaigners that have been having their say.
Ben Freedman, the cinema's managing director, told Metro that there have been two unexplained floods, lights, and the water supply randomly turning off and on, as well as mysterious leaks.
To finally put it all to rest, the cinema called in a professional ghostbuster (after all, who you gonna call) to get to the bottom of what has been happening.
Ben called in Barri Ghai – who hosts the TV show 'Help! My House Is Haunted' to undertake an overnight investigation.
Ghai told Metro 'It is highly plausible the cinema is teeming with spiritual activity' and took the newspaper to show him exactly what he might find.
The ghoul expert thinks London is one of the most haunted cities in the world, and the Prince Charles might not even be the most haunted venue in the capital.
Just around the corner is the Drury Lane theatre, which is widely considered one of the most haunted in the world.
Among its otherworldly denizens are thought to be the spirits of the Regency-era comedian Joseph Grimaldi and a fearsome figure known as the Man in Grey, who patrols the upper circle in a riding cloak and tricorne hat before dematerialising into the wall.
But it isn't just the cinemas and theatres that are haunted in London too, with some of the capital's most haunted pubs just around the corner from the Prince Charles.
And while Metro didn't catch a glimpse of the Man in Grey, Casper or even so much as a tiny bit of slime on one of the sofa's the night helped to get to the bottom of whether there are ghosts there or not.
The presenter used state-of-the-art technology, which revealed several floating energies on screen illuminated by a series of moving white lines and dots.
Audio scanning devices also picked up the sounds of a childlike voice when the expert introduced himself in a seemingly empty maintenance storage room.
Ghai told Metro: 'Due in part to its rich and diverse history, London is one of the most haunted cities in the world.
1. Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
2. Oldham Coliseum
3. Theatre Royal, York
4. Adelphi Theatre, London
5. Theatre Royal, Margate
6. Lyceum Theatre, Crewe
7. Theatre Royal, Bristol
Source: Sky History
'There are many locations across the capital that may look unassuming and are seemingly benign, but they house dark, gruesome, and sometimes rather terrifying pasts.' More Trending
He added: 'I am also a bit of a magnet for spirits and find that my higher connections allow me to gather amazing evidence time and time again.'
'Our investigation has confirmed that there are active spirits in the cinema building.'
Has it helped solve the age-old question of whether ghosts are real? Maybe it is step in the right direction, and Mr Freedman thinks there can't be any other explanation.
He said: 'None of these costly and damaging mishaps makes any sense…and if not ghosts, then who?'
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