Sharp illusions and a twisting storyline come together for an unsettling evening of theatre in this spin-off from the Paranormal Activity film series.
Based on the movies but with a new story written by Levi Holloway, the action opens with a young, married couple, freshly moved to London from Chicago.
But – as you’d expect – things aren’t quite what they seem, and beneath the surface there are dark forces at play, with their pasts (and, most chillingly, a mother in law) chasing them across the Atlantic.
James Bye and Hannah Sinclair Robinson take on the central roles, making a decent fist of US accents and convincingly portraying a loved up couple that gradually fall part. Cameos from Jo Castleton as a podcasting exorcist and Caroline Faber as the mother in law complete the visible cast.
But it is the tricks and illusions that take centre stage here. Without giving anything away, there are the sudden noises and flashing lights that you expect from a scary staging, but there are also subtler effects that help ramp up the tension. There are tangible ripples around the audience as some of these are spotted, and plenty of nervous laughter and partner hand-squeezing as they explore into full force.
It also updates some of the horror tropes for the modern age, with mobile phones and Alexa getting in on the action.
The sound design relies a little too heavily on low bass rumble to mark out the terror when silence might actually be more effective, but the visible action more than makes up for that.
Fly Davis’ two-storey set helps us move around the haunted house with ease, misdirecting our guise to help Chris Fisher’s illusions do their thing. It’s all keep tight and terrifying by Felix Barrett’s direction.
The story has sufficient twists and turns to keep it interesting and keep you guessing, and there’s a sort of twisted justice to the conclusion, so you’ll sleep easy-ish after watching. But I’d still recommend taking a hand to squeeze, just in case.
- Paranormal Activity continues at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 14 November 2026, tickets £19.08-£60.95, then touring including Cambridge Arts Theatre, 23-27 March 2027