PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Reviews

It's the second.

RUkiddingme said: "It's the second."

CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY had been seen on Broadway once before, in 2018.

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Variety is positive: "more thrills, chills and screams than Broadway has seen in years"

EDSOSLO858 said: "RUkiddingme said: "It's the second."

CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY had been seen on Broadway once before, in 2018.

"

I got it now - Celebrity Auto was the first OLD show of the season. Paranormal is the first NEW show.

So when School Girls opens will that be called the first new mounting of an old show this season?

DID THEY LIKE IT score: 12 positive (including the New York Times), 3 mixed, 0 negative

My current season theory is that Paranormal Activity will not be forgotten on Tony nominations morning. I currently see the show getting nominated for at least 3 awards.

The fall run for this show is great. I do not see this being remembered come Tony time. Maybe for sound or lighting design if anything.

Having seen this prior to Broadway, I was VERY disappointed in the new leads. Patrick Heusinger & his co-star made this work (as much as they could with this uneven script) - in a way the new cast does not come close to. The NYC cast come off as serviceable. The supporting are similar. Heusinger had other options on his plate and took them but it's a shame we got the average bin with the leads.

I do think they were smart to open this earlier while nothing else is happening in NYC theater. If it was sandwiched between other shows the reviews would not have been as luke warm.

Updated On: 8/26/26 at 12:09 AM

80 on Broadway Scorecard, recommended. Strong choice.

”Critics find this stage adaptation delivers effective scares and impressive technical effects, though some note the script lacks psychological depth. Most praise its fun, thrilling atmosphere even as a few dismiss it as thin.”

https://broadwayscorecard.com/show/paranormal-activity

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CoffeeBreak said: "The fall run for this show is great. I do not see this being remembered come Tony time. Maybe for sound or lighting design if anything.

Having seen this prior to Broadway, I was VERY disappointed in the new leads. Patrick Heusinger & his co-star made this work (as much as they could with this uneven script) - in a way the new cast does not come close to. The NYC castcome off as serviceable. The supporting are similar. Heusinger had other options on his plate and took them but it's a shame we got the average bin with the leads.

I do think they were smart to open this earlier while nothing else is happening in NYC theater. If it was sandwiched between other shows the reviews would not have been as luke warm."

I could not disagree with you more. After seeing it in Chicago, DC, and now - I think Travis Knight is a massive improvement over Heusinger. My feelings on it are a bit spoiler-y, so including a tag.

Regardless, congrats to the show on these wonderful reviews! Deserved.

Updated On: 8/26/26 at 05:24 PM

on the one hand, a weak script--both the writing and the story. on the other, the scenic design here is truly something. you are on edge of your seat waiting to jump from the get go, and yes that insane moment in Act 1 lives up to the hype (how did they do that?). but some of the scares were telegraphed early on, and i thought the ending was so abrupt and unsatisfying/incomplete, it was a bit of a letdown.

i needed more "how did they do that" i guess, but the few truly scary moments really pop off. i give the actors credit because the audience is responsive and giggly in a nervous/distracting way, and they need to stay locked into their terror, which they do really nicely.

a mostly fun time, lots to admire re the production. we chose rear orchestra over mid mezzanine, and i think that was a mistake- Row S is a mile from the stage. Dont see how the first rows of orchestra could possibly get some of the scenic effects from that angle.

I just had the worst 20 minutes of my theatre going lifetime at this show.

Happened to look at their ticketing site. They had an aisle seat in the mezz, up in the rafters, for $78.00. I figured since it’s a two level set, it would be okay. Arrived at my seat, and two giants are sitting directly in front of me. They were also apparently boyfriends, and they kept scrunching their heads together, rendering most of the stage invisible. The three seats directly next to me remained empty and I figured I would just move over if no one else arrived. No one did arrive, until 5 minutes after the listed start time of 7PM, and three obviously drunken morons arrived. Each one of them was holding two drinks with ice. The woman who plopped down next to me had long black hair and as soon as she sat down, she swished it all over the place until half of it was over into my seat area. I swished it back at her and got a dirty look. All three of them were loud and slurring (the show hadn’t started yet). They all had lit phones on. Finally the lights go down and the show starts. The phones do not get put away for a good five minutes and even after they do, the long haired woman next to me was wearing an Apple Watch that she continued to check every five minutes. Not an usher in sight. Finally, after fifteen minutes of this idiot checking her watch, I said “can you put that thing away? You’re not supposed to have electronics on during the show?!?” Her response was: “It’s a waaaaatch-aaaaaa”. Pronounced exactly like that. In the meantime, the three idiots were busy clinking their drinks and rattling their ice and there were also drinks from one glass getting poured into another. No idea why. And nonstop talking. Guess it didn’t matter because I couldn’t see a thing anyway and once I realized this entire thing was a bust, I just got up and left. I’ll never buy a cheap seat again. Too risky that the neighbors will be assholes. Had a similar situation when I grabbed a cheap back of mezz seat for Titanique halfway through the run. Filled with talkers and texters who didn’t care at all about the show. Lesson learned. Never again.

(responding to Fight The Dragons)

I was there tonight as well, and I certainly wasn't having what you were having. What a disappointment.

Aside from a couple (and I mean a couple) of jump scares, this slog of a money grab dragged on for what seemed like three hours. And yet it was only 1 hour and 45 minutes—chock-full of inane dialogue and an interminable couple. So. Much. Talking.

The only positive? It was on TKTS.

Updated On: 9/22/26 at 10:43 PM