IT'S JUST ANOTHER GHOST STORY - OR IS IT? 
Date : 15.04.05   

Ghostly apparitions, unexplained noises and doors that unlock themselves
- Plymouth's ABC Cinema is showing a lot more than just the latest
big-screen epics these days. The cinema has experienced a number of
spooky goings-on, which staff say get noticeably worse when the cinema
is showing a scary film.
Stories have been circulating for years that the cinema is haunted, with
one suggesting it could be the ghost of an actress who committed suicide
in one of the old dressing-rooms at the rear of the building, which used
to be a theatre. Manager Carole Nelson said there had been reports of
ghostly sightings of a woman in a long red skirt and jacket with black
braiding round the neck and arms. The apparition has become such a
regular feature at the cinema that staff have even given her a name -
Emma.

Staff have also noticed random cold spots in the cinema and seats which
do not spring back to the upright position when not in use, giving the
impression that someone is sitting in them.
All the sightings occur around the cinema's Screen Two, and when spooky
films are shown the complex often suffers problems with its sound
system.

Ms Nelson said many of the cinema's staff felt uncomfortable working in
Screen Two, one even giving up his job because he was so unsettled.
Customers had reported cold spots and the feeling of an unnatural
presence.
Ms Nelson said the number of incidents had risen during screenings of
Ring 2, a follow-up to the 2002 chiller about a cursed videotape. Since
the film opened, a padlocked door has managed to unlock itself and
cinemagoers have reported seeing a woman seated at the front of the
house watching a film - but when the lights go up at the end of the
film, she is not there. Other spooky films such as The Blair Witch
Project, The Exorcist, The Others and The Gift have also seen an upturn
in ghostly goings-on.
Ms Nelson said: "I don't even believe in ghosts, but these things just
don't have any clear explanations. We'll just have to ride out the storm
and hope there are no further reports, but I would like to reassure
customers. These reports are quite rare, but if you are prone to
believing in supernatural forces I can confirm no-one has been hurt or
threatened in any way."