Paranormal Activity Review: hold your nerve for this psychologically investing stage thriller
15 September 2026 | 19:30 | Milton Keynes Theatre (UK Tour)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | PR - Invite
Written by Levi Holloway and directed by Punchdrunk's Felix Barrett, Paranormal Activity opens as a modern ghost story. The audience are plunged into darkness, and greeted by a podcast voice-over (Jo Castleton, who later plays Etheline) asking us to settle in. To breathe in and out, and imagine a place in the back of our minds where the line between the dead and the living is thin...
Many of us will know recognise the title from Oren Peli's franchise. And while we see a lot of plot similarities to the original 2007 film (a young couple moving into a new home, setting up a camera to validate their haunting), tonight's leads James and Lou are completely new to audiences, promising an entirely new narrative for the stage but with familiar cinematic tropes.
When the curtain first rises, we are greeted by a two-tier set - the upstairs and downstairs of a small house in London. Fly Davis' set design paired with the low, warm lighting of living room lamps (lighting design by Anna Watson) creates a cosy and quaint impression. However, this has the potential to shift in an instant, as these same lights begin to flicker and malfunction. The space is cluttered, though it never turns into your typical 'haunted house'. It is a regular house, just like mine or yours, which makes tonight's setting all the more uncanny.
Something the play excels in is its use of juxtaposition, combining jumpscares with clever comedic timing from James (James Bye). A highlight is found early in Act One, when the electricity goes out and the house alarm roars across the stage and auditorium. Suspense is high as he checks each door one by one, baseball bat in hand. Screams can be heard from the audience, followed by our collective nervous laughter. Moments of suspense never last too long, so we have time to relax before the next one!
The use of blackout is a theatre-makers worst enemy, though it is surprisingly effective here in transitioning between scenes. Castleton's calming voice from the opening is no more, instead replaced by white noise and radio frequency (sound design by Gareth Fry) getting louder as the play progresses, including us in James and Lou's impending fear. This obnoxious and raging sound transcends the fourth wall to make the auditorium itself feel unsafe, as if the ghosts could be here with us.
Every element in this stage production is strong, but Chris Fisher's illusions are the true star of the evening. Through body doubles and the 'unnamed actor', reminiscent of The Woman In Black, we see Lou (Hannah Sinclair Robinson) somehow disappear before our very eyes. Clearly visible, and in the next second, completely materialised under a dressing gown. Our worldly logic is suspended, as household items gain a mind of their own. Even technology is weaponised against the couple when James mum Carolanne (Caroline Faber) visits, and we see that no character can really be trusted.
Audiences will primarily book to see Paranormal Activity for the thrill, although it writing provides some incredibly impressive discussions on religious belief and confession. James and Lou consistently encourage one another to express their feelings, as their relationship feels grounded in trust and reality. The play begins with sensation, but it delves into something much more psychological where ghosts exist as manifestations of trauma.
In Paranormal Activity, it's all about the details: little homely trinkets on the shelves, intense lighting designs that obscure our vision, and the shadows of children stalking the walls of the house. Every scene has a purpose, and inspired by the current rise of ghostly content this autumn, you should not mistake this production with banality, as it generates more questions than it answers. You'll be talking about it for a long time after the curtain falls...
We're entering spooky season, book tickets to Paranormal Activity to question reality as you know it: https://paranormalonstage.com/uk-ireland-tour/
Playing at the Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 19th September:
