Paranormal Activity: Live Stage Haunts London

London's Ambassadors theatre is embracing the supernatural with "Paranormal Activity," a new stage production. Playwright Levi Holloway and director Felix Barrett, founder of immersive theatre specialists Punchdrunk, are striving to create a truly terrifying theatrical experience, noting that genuine fear in theatre is rare. They aim to elevate the genre beyond mere jump scares.

Barrett and Holloway emphasize that horror theatre excels at uniting audiences, offering a shared emotional release and a sense of community. "It's a bit of a sanity check with your neighbour," Holloway remarked, highlighting the genre's power to connect people through mutual apprehension and catharsis.

The play centers on a newlywed couple who move to London for a fresh start, only to confront hidden truths within their marriage and an encroaching supernatural force. Barrett aims to make audiences "physically recoil," drawing inspiration from the visceral reactions seen in film trailers.