Theatre review: Paranormal Activity

It's technically not a seasonal show, but you could argue my last live theatre trip of 2025 is very much a traditional one, since ghost stories have long been associated with Christmas (and there is a Christmas tree on stage as the story is set in December.) Writer Levi Holloway and director Felix Barrett bring the Paranormal Activity horror movie franchise to the stage with an original story about a recently-married couple moving into a new home, but it soon becomes apparent this isn't going to be a story about a haunted house, but a haunting they've brought to it: Jimmy (Patrick Heusinger) has accepted a high-paying job in London, in part because it's a long way from Chicago, where his wife Lou (Melissa James) experienced blackouts, sleepwalking and depression, which she attributed to a "shadow" that's followed her since a traumatic childhood event.

Needless to say the fresh start doesn't stay fresh for long, and the feeling of dread Lou's complained about starts to infect her husband as well, especially once he starts seeing things that can't be explained - mostly involving his wife appearing and disappearing in places she couldn't possibly be.

The cast is rounded out by Pippa Winslow as Jimmy's bible-thumping mother Carolanne, while Jackie Morrison's Etheline Cotgrave is possibly the least reassuring psychic of all time ("argh, don't let anyone else enter this house, you're definitely going to die here, bye!") The other star is Chris Fisher's illusions, which provide the climax of the various moments when the tension needs to be released - but that tension has been well-built by Anna Watson's gloomy lighting on the nooks and crannies of Fly Davis' set, and Gareth Fry's sound design includes a particularly creepy creaking noise that starts to sound more and more like sinister laughter.

Is it scary though? I didn't find it particularly so, although the jump-scares feel more earned here than in 2:22 A Ghost Story, where they were essentially disconnected from the story itself. I did find it a lot of fun though, even if much of that comes from trying to second-guess where the next twist or magic trick is going to come from. And while being completely blindsided can be fun too, there is also a satisfaction in picking up on the little clues and themes that are being laid down, and correctly guessing where they'll take us. Most of all, while this may be tied in to a big franchise, it feels like a properly realised, thought-through show rather than a cheap cash-in, and is definitely one of the better attempts to bring some of the fun of horror to the stage in recent years.

Also Heusinger is preposterously buff, but in a "yikes mate, have you ever considered spending some time out of the gym?" way, so him getting his tits out caused what might be one of the most shocked gasps in a show that was generally trying to achieve them in a different way.

Paranormal Activity by Levi Holloway, based on the film series by Oren Peli, is booking until the 28th of March at the Ambassadors Theatre.

Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes including interval.

Photo credit: Johan Persson.