Posted: 10/22/25 at 9:54am
Saw this last Friday and thought this was pretty great.
The best thing about this show are the effects. They're all extremely tight and effective, and elicited multiple screams and even some applause from the audience. I'm someone who has a good understanding of the mechanics of stage illusions, and there's a reveal at the end where I cannot for the life of me figure out how they did it.
The writing is... good. I'm not sure if this is the best barometer, but I watched the first four Paranormal Activity movies (which you don't need to do, this is a completely original story that isn't related to the films at all), and it's significantly better written than any of them. It's a little cliched, and you can guess some plot points in advance, but the actors make it work.
The show is pretty much a two-hander, with a couple extra characters who show up in some scenes. The two lead actors did really well with the material and had great chemistry.
Hoping this has a life after its mini-tour (after Chicago Shakes, the production is going to LA, DC, and San Francisco). I wouldn't be shocked if they bring it to New York eventually. We don't get a lot of horror shows in theatre, and this is a great example of what it's capable of.
