The Haunted Airman – 2006 | 60 mins | War, Drama | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Chris Durlacher’s vivid adaptation of Dennis Wheatley’s highly innovative psychological novel The Haunting of Toby Jugg. This film largely eschews obvious scare tactics and supernatural Hammer hokum, but relies on mood and creepy camerawork to suggest a sense of psychological disarray – which also means it’s almost too intelligently understated for its own good. Robert Pattinson produces a terrific performance as Toby Jugg, the traumatised bomber pilot, whilst Julian Sands provides creepy support as the oleaginous Dr Burns.

Wheelchair-bound WW2 bomber pilot Toby Jugg (Robert Pattinson) has a series of waking nightmares while recuperating in a remote Welsh mansion under the eye of sinister doctor Hal Burns (Julian Sands). Jugg begins to suffer hallucinations, during which shadowy figures and crawling insects plague his mind. Are these brought on by the guilt of his destructive bombing raids over Dresden, or the strange behaviour of Dr Burns which serves to increase his paranoia? The chain-smoking Jugg is further disturbed by the arrival of his aunt, Julia (Rachael Stirling), with whom he is infatuated but who is seemingly also involved with the manipulative Dr Burns.