Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity at the Ambassadors Theatre is a polished and technically impressive piece of phycological horror that succeeds in creating suspenseful and at times gripping moments of impressive theatre. However, the strength of it’s narrative undermines this.

The real powerhouse of the show is in the craft of bringing the story to the stage. Beginning with taught direction from Punchdrunk’s Felix Barrett. He knows how to build the tension through wonderfully slow build-ups. Together with Anna Watson’s stark lighting and carefully controlled shadows, the audience are kept on the edge of their seats during the thrill moments. Darkness is treated as an active presence rather than an absence. The stage often feeling only partially revealed, as though something could materialise at any moment. This feeds the paranoia and unease that raises the quality of this production.

Equally effective is Gareth Fry’s sound design, which does much of the emotional heavy lifting. Low frequency rumbles, distant knocks and sudden, precisely timed jolts create a visceral sense of threat, and produce many of the plays best scares.

Chris Fisher’s illusions are extremely cleaver and often defy understanding, making the unease complete, and are an impressive feature of this play. However, while the production excels in creating the fear it struggles to sustain interest beyond its technical bravura.

It undoubtedly has strong performances from Patrick Heusinger as James and Melissa James as Lou but they still feel underdeveloped as the script by Levi Holloway lacks the depth required to take the haunted couple beyond vehicles for the shocks. As a result, the emotional stakes never quite land, and once the central premise is established, the plot becomes all too predictable. Until a final twist that throws into question much of what had been previously established.

That said, audience reactions suggest the show knows exactly who it is for. Gasps, laughter and audible flinches ripple through the auditorium, and for horror and ghost fans that communal experience is part of the appeal. Paranormal Activity may not linger long in the memory but as a tightly engineered, technically accomplished fright night, it delivers.


Photo credit: Johan Persson