Paranormal Activity – the scariest thing I have seen since I threw my DVD of The Exorcism of Emily Rose out of my living room window in fear of it coming alive.
Psychological thrillers on stage are the latest craze. From The Woman In Black to The Exorcist and more recently the 2:22 – A Ghost Story franchise, we are spoilt for choice if we want to see a play that raises our heart rate.
The latest scare to open in London’s West End, is an adaption of the 2009 film Paranormal Activity and it is the scariest thing I have seen since I threw my DVD of The Exorcism of Emily Rose out of my living room window in fear of it coming alive.
What’s it about?
Written by Levi Holloway and directed by Felix Barrett (Punchdrunk), Paranormal Activity is based on the film by Oren Peli.
James and Lou, a young, recently married couple, flee America for a new life in England in an attempt to put their past troubles behind them. But there are strange things happening in their new home and it appears their problems may have followed them overseas.
The cast
Patrick Heusinger and Melissa James reprise their Leeds Playhouse roles as ‘James’ and ‘Lou’ and do a great job of cleverly navigating the story whilst optical illusions are executed so well, I think I may have seen real life magic.
Also in the cast are Pippa Winslow as James’ mother ‘Carolanne’ and Jackie Morrison as medium ‘Etheline Cotgrave’. Sadly, both of these actors have very small parts and could have been played by the same person but when they were briefly on stage, they helped to break up to two-hander.
Our job (the audience) was to be utterly terrified (and we were). Screams were followed by nervous laughter and anyone who wasn’t drinking during act one, certainly was in act two – just to steady the nerves.
The creative team
The film, released in 2009, told the story through the lens of CCTV cameras. For the stage, this element has been completely removed and works brilliantly.
Levi Holloway’s script isn’t particularly exciting but as a psychological horror, words are few and far between and it is the eerie silences that build tension and tells most of the story.
Felix Barrett, as the Director probably has the biggest job in this play and executes the horror perfectly.
The set design by Fly Davis is beautiful. An opened dolls house gives us a full view of the inside of the home, allowing the audience to see everything that is (and sometimes isn’t) happening.
Anna Watsons‘ Lighting Design keeps shadows lurking throughout, constantly tricking the mind into thinking something, somewhere, is moving the the darkness.
Gareth Frys’ Sound Design is heart-stoppingly scary and the illusions by Chris Fisher are top notch and rival anything seen in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on stage.
Paranormal Activity is an experience to be had and I highly recommend anyone who likes psychological horror to check it out.
★★★★
West End Wilma
Paranormal Activity is playing at the Ambassadors Theatre until 28 March, 2026.
Age recommendation: 15 +
Running time: 2 hours (including interval)
More about the cast
Patrick Heusinger is ‘James’. Theatre roles include originating the role of James in Paranormal Activity (Leeds Playhouse). He joins the West End company after the recent North American Premiere (Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Ahmanson Theater/Center Theater Group in Los Angeles). Broadway: Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts, dir. Sheryl Kaller, Fiddler on the Roof, dir. David Leveaux. Off Broadway: Next Fall (Naked Angels). Los Angeles: Max in Moises Kaufman’s production of Bent by Martin Sherman (Mark Taper Forum/Center Theater Group).
Melissa James plays ‘Lou’. Melissa’s theatrical roles includes: ‘Lou’ in Paranormal Activity: A New Story, Live on Stage (Leeds Playhouse); ‘Helena’ in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Royal Exchange); ‘Satine’ in Moulin Rouge (Piccadilly Theatre); The Magician’s Elephant (RSC); ‘Louise’ in Gypsy (Royal Exchange Theatre); Wise Children (Old Vic/UK tour); One Love: The Bob Marley Musical (Birmingham Rep); ‘Nikki Maron’ in The Bodyguard, ‘Bombularina’ in Cats (UK tour); Guys and Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre); ‘Anita’ in West Side Story (RSC/Sage, Gateshead).
Pippa Winslow performs as ‘Carolanne.’ Theatrical credits include: Bonnie & Clyde (Garrick and Arts Theatres); Eureka Day, Other Desert Cities (Old Vic); Strangers on a Train (Gielgud Theatre); Buried Child (Trafalgar Studios); Paranormal Activity: A New Story, Live on Stage (Leeds Playhouse); Follies (Grand Opera House, Belfast); Flowers for Mrs Harris (Riverside Studios); Mame, Perfectly Ordinary, The Exonerated (Hope Mill Theatre); Oklahoma!, Hairspray, Sister Act, Cougar the Musical, 9 to 5 the Musical, Phantom, The Sound of Music (UK and Ireland tour).
Jackie Morrison is ‘Etheline Cotgrave’. Theatre Credits include: An Inspector Calls (UK Tour); Love and Other Stories (Arran International Festival); Paranormal Activity: A New Story, Live on Stage (Leeds Playhouse); Local Hero (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Last Ship (US Tour and Canada); Dirty Dancing (Dominion Theatre & UK Tour).
