Photo by Johan Persson
Paranormal Activity is a divinely unique production, which may leave you wanting to sleep with the light on.
Throughout the West End and beyond, stage adaptions of American hit supernatural franchises have become increasingly popular. Following the London's 2023 West End adaption of Stranger Things (Stranger Things: The First Shadow), Paranormal Activity premiered at London’s Ambassadors Theatre last Winter, shortly followed by a Broadway debut this summer, coining it with ‘international phenomenon’ status.
Now the edge-of-your-seat drama inspired by the hit series embarks on its first UK and Ireland Tour in the lead up to Paranormal Activity’s 8th instalment arriving next October. It all began back in 2007, when Blumhouse and Solana films made a major acquisition deal with Paramount, catapulting Paranormal Activity into an original, massive indie sleeper hit series. Before the 2000s hit franchise took off and became a multi-million-grossing series, following its grassroots campaign led by Steven Spielberg and Paramount in 2009, Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity originally premiered at Hollywood’s 2007 Screamfest Horror Film Festival. A subsequent cult following soon emerged however, which derived from its candid feel, thanks to the actors’ use of retroscripting and the low-budget, minimalist set up inside Oren Peli’s San Diego home which helped devise the found footage style its audiences grew to know and love.
Levi Holloway’s adaption on the other hand, which achieved a sell-out extended West End run earlier this year, sees collaborative effort taken between its entire creative team to pull off every stunt behind this live spin on the iconic, thrilling series. Also, rather than rehash Katie and Micah’s haunting experience of San Diego, the adaption for stage follows two new, original characters, James (James Bye) and Lou (Hannah Sinclair Robinson), hoping to escape their past, before soon discovering that places aren’t haunted, people are.
It is established the characters have recently moved from Chicago to gloomy London, hoping to escape their past, before soon discovering that places aren’t haunted, people are. The recent tenants spend their time acclimatising to the city praying that Lou’s black outs are just a nightmarish thing of the past. However, these restless, depressive “spells” as James coins them don’t seem to be going anywhere, no matter how far the couple may stray away from their hometown.
James Bye, best known for playing Martin Fowler on Eastenders, dusted his portrayal of James with impeccable layers of insufferable condescension, anchored further through Holloway’s razor sharp, cutthroat dialogue.
A large part of the first act sets up tension between the characters through its use of proxemics and gorgeous split staging, lit underneath white LED’s that have a harsh steely blue hue before they eventually develop into a glowing cobalt. Each element of the show reflecting the cold isolation Lou’s character suffered.
Eventually James’ mother makes a visit to their gloomy yet beautifully decorated London home in order to give us a glimpse into the more buried parts of her son. While James begins to untangle the webs of lies he has spent his life hiding further in a monologue within the second act.
A lot of the story lies within the ending of this second act, which though may have often been heavily foreboded throughout earlier scenes, still managed to evoke a shocking twist through the show’s eventual unexpected turn. A large part of the play’s former half is tension building, relying on black out to draw out this suspense in a few instances. The team behind costume, set and illusions also collectively delivered a sense of shock factor to its audience members, mainly through their creative genius, which left the audience wondering how they managed to pull off each and every illusion.
As for instances after a stage black out, Bye’s spooked reactions may have appeared slightly overly theatrical, which appeared as comedic to audience members. But at least Paranormal Activity isn’t all dark for the horror is layered with elements of humour throughout. Overall, Paranormal Activity is a masterclass in horror, making its reception of international acclaim come as absolutely no surprise. It is a truly immersive tale of how the real demons we need to fight are not the ones that live amongst our homes, but the ones that live inside of us.
The immersive experience continues its run at Alexandra Theatre through to this Halloween and will conclude its UK and Ireland tour next summer.
★ ★ ★ ★
Written by Harriet for Theatre and Tonic, October 2026.
