Fans of the Paranormal Activity films may arrive expecting to see the familiar franchise adapted from screen to stage. What they get instead is something far more exciting: a completely new story that feels firmly at home within the Paranormal Activity universe.
The story follows James and Lou, a couple who have crossed the Atlantic from America to start a new life in London. Hoping the move might allow them to leave their demons behind, they soon discover that not everything can be escaped quite so easily. To say much more would risk spoiling a story best experienced knowing as little as possible.
From the moment Ty Fanning walks onto the stage as James, he commands the audience’s attention. His performance is incredibly gripping, carrying the unfolding narrative with a naturalness that makes it easy to forget you’re watching an actor at all.
Alongside him, Ami Okumura Jones is exceptional as Lou, bringing brilliant wit and warmth to the character while navigating the production’s darker turns with equal conviction. Together, the pair have fantastic chemistry. Within the intimate setting of the Ambassadors Theatre, it genuinely feels as though we’ve become flies on the wall of a real couple’s home, watching their relationship unfold.
Kitty Bushell as Etheline and Pippa Winslow as Carolanne are equally convincing. The entire company feels remarkably assured, with timing, chemistry and pacing that feel completely natural.
Of course, anyone booking a horror show knows they’re in for a scare or two, but perhaps the greatest success of Paranormal Activity is that it never feels like an exercise in waiting for the next jump scare. Instead, it builds dread through genuinely gripping storytelling.
The scares emerge naturally and often when you least expect them. Lighting, sound, illusions and an ingenious set work together to play with the audience’s senses, leaving the auditorium seemingly holding its breath in unison. Revealing exactly how some of these moments are achieved would spoil the fun, but there are effects here that will leave you wondering quite how they managed to pull them off.
The staging is exceptional. The central home feels astonishingly real, with clever technical effects transforming something familiar and domestic into an increasingly unsettling environment. Most importantly, the theatrical wizardry never becomes more important than the story. The production can have an audience laughing one moment, completely silent the next and collectively gasping moments later.
There isn’t a dull moment. The tension continues to build throughout, with unexpected twists and turns keeping the story moving right until the very end.
With the production now playing on Broadway and a UK tour on the way, it’s easy to see why Paranormal Activity has become such a theatrical hit. It’s clever, gripping and properly spine-chilling.
Exceptional storytelling, ingenious staging and twists you won’t see coming make Paranormal Activity an electrifying piece of theatre. Horror fans are going to love it.
Paranormal Activity runs at The Ambassadors Theatre until Saturday 2 January 2027. Tickets are available here.
Review: Alistair Lowe Photos: Matt Crockett