Review: Paranormal Activity (Ambassadors Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As theatres up and down the country fill with festive cheer, the Ambassadors Theatre has opted for something different this Christmas, choosing instead to host the West End premiere of Paranormal Activity. If you're looking for a more sinister version of the line “He sees you when you're sleeping”, this may be the perfect show for you. But would it deliver genuine chills, or turn out to be a very different sort of horror show?

Based on the series of films with the same name, Paranormal Activity have been entertaining and terrifying audiences since the first one was released in 2007. The stage version made its world premiere in Leeds last year, and now travels to London for a limited run. Rather than repeat a story from the film franchise, Paranormal Activity opts to tell us a brand new story, though very much in keeping with the themes of that universe. Here, we have a married couple, James and Lou. Having moved from Chicago in an attempt to escape their past, they find themselves in London ready for a new start, though soon discover places aren’t haunted, people are.

If that sounds very vague, there really isn’t much more I can say without giving the game away. Audiences are asked to keep the secrets, and you can rely on this review to remain spoiler-free. What I will say is I went into Paranormal Activity with relatively low expectations. Though I am mostly a lover of the films, several in the series did leave me seriously underwhelmed, and I have always had reservations about horror on stage. Too often, changing the medium from screen to stage reduces the ability to retain the essence of horror, and many shows that have gone before have tried and failed to recreate that feeling you get when you watch a good horror in the cinema on stage. The most recent example of this was The Enfield Haunting, interestingly enough in the very same theatre as this one. In all my years of theatre-going, I have never seen horror done well enough on stage to bring justice to the genre… until now.

Levi Holloway has written an exceptional story that varies in tone and always leaves you guessing. Too often, horrors suffer the same problem of moments that are meant to be scary being funny instead - Holloway’s counter to this recurring issue is to fill Paranormal Activity with a smattering of humorous moments, only to pull the rug out from under you with a complete tonal change. The pacing of the story is pretty perfect, beautifully building up the suspense and tension to the extent that you find yourself holding your breath in anticipation for the next shocking thing to happen - and shocking is the perfect word for Paranormal Activity, as it is full of surprises - even if you manage to guess an element or two of the story ahead of the reveals, it doesn’t stop the execution of each moment being every bit as impactful in the best use of horror writing I have ever witnessed on stage. 

Felix Barrett’s direction more than matches the standard of Holloway’s writing, finding the best ways to reveal the scares as the story unfolds, with great touches both verbally and physically. Fly David’s set design stunningly recreates James and Lou’s house in elaborate detail. You’ll want to make sure you can see both levels of this house, particularly as most activity happens upstairs, so my recommendation is to get a seat in the circle if you plan on visiting. Barrett uses this design to his advantage, making it hard to know where to look at any given moment, with a brilliant use of misdirection, meaning you never see any of the surprising effects coming.

Lighting plays a pivotal part in this misdirection, with Anna Watson designing some of the greatest uses of lighting I have seen in a theatre this year. With uncomfortable and prolonged blackouts prominent throughout, tricks with the lights themselves play an important role, but there is an added genius touch of the way the house lights up as a car passes in design that has been meticulously thought out. Gareth Fry’s sound design is similarly crucial in transferring the atmospheric nature of the play and ensuring the audience responds in the way Holloway and Barrett intend. The result is an eerie and ominous creation that fantastically captures the experience of watching a horror movie in the cinema, while using every extra element you can get in live theatre to its advantage.

The one aspect of Paranormal Activity that truly took my breath away is the use of illusions from Chris Fisher. I have so much I want to say about these… and can say absolutely nothing about them without giving the game away. What I will say is these are the greatest effects I have ever seen in any show, with a series of absolutely show-stoppers. One incredible moment in Act One saw my jaw fall so wide open, I almost expected a demon to climb out of it. Sensational work from all involved - every single creative here understood the challenge of bringing this world to life on stage and more than rose to the occasion.

Patrick Heusinger reprises the role of James from the Leeds production in a captivating performance that goes on a journey of ups and downs, giving Heusinger plenty of opportunities to showcase his versatility as an actor. Also returning to the Paranormal Activity world after debuting in Leeds, Melissa James is outstanding as Lou, bringing mystery, intrigue and vulnerability to the crucial character. In a cast of four. Jackie Morrison and Pippa Winslow also deliver memorable albeit brief moments, but to say much more would be seriously spoiling the show.

I have been lucky enough to see some incredible shows over the last couple of weeks, though I can’t say Paranormal Activity was one of the shows I had the highest hopes for. Having been burned by some underwhelming horrors in the past, my expectation was that this would be decent enough to turn the tide slightly, though I did not expect in my wildest dreams it to be this good. Paranormal Activity is, without a shadow of a doubt the best horror I have ever seen on stage, setting the gold standard for all others to follow. That is down to the winning combination of its stellar writing, direction, incredible effects and every creative element coming together to create something other-worldly.

Flawlessly executed, Paranormal Activity is a breath of fresh air in the current climate, giving audience members a refreshing alternative to enjoy in a climate dominated by Christmas shows (though there is a Christmas tree on stage here, but that’s where the festivities end). Not relying on cheap jump scares, every scare in Paranormal Activity is well-earned, and the result is a surprisingly strong play. Every bit as terrifying as it is terrifyingly good, perhaps the biggest paranormal activity here is in how good it is - like many of the twists and turns in the play, I really didn’t see that coming.

Paranormal Activity plays at Ambassador’s Theatre until 28th February. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/paranormal-activity-tickets

Photos by Johan Persson