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Things are set to go bump in the night on stage with news that Paranormal Activity is returning to a different kind of theater. According to Variety, a new play inspired by the franchise that began in 2009 is set to scare audiences in a whole new way via a fresh chapter crammed with creaky floorboards and doors slowly closing shut.
Set to arrive in the London West End this winter, Paranormal Activity: A New Story Live on Stage will follow James and Lou, a couple who move from Chicago to London and discover that their new pad has some unwanted tenants residing in it. Naturally, they take the standard approach that the franchise was founded on and set up a handheld camera to pick up whatever it is that's going bump in the night.
Felix Barrett is directing the production, whose previous work includes the critically acclaimed Sleep No More, an immersive experience where the audience wears masks and is allowed to follow the cast of the production. Levi Holloway has penned the play, whose work includes the hair-raising stage play, Grey House. The new show will run at the Ambassadors Theatre for 12 weeks, creepily kicking things off on December 5.
Following the announcement, Barrett gave a statement saying, “From seeing the advertising campaign of the film 20 years ago, where you watched cinema audiences leap out of their chairs in horror, I have long wondered how you could recreate that visceral reaction in a theater setting. How do you bring one of the most frightening films to life? How do you break the inherent safety that a plush West End theater offers? It’s been an incredible challenge, and we cannot wait to see how London audiences respond.”
It'll be interesting to see just how the tension can be ramped up on stage, given that the show is inspired by a franchise that depends on only minor alterations in scenes before the ghostly presence makes itself more aggressively known. For now, if you want your bones chilled this weekend, why not take a peek at our ranking of found footage horror films here.
