The original Paranormal Activity film, a landmark in supernatural horror, has now been brought to chilling life on the London stage. Following successful runs in Leeds, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the production opened at the Ambassador's Theatre on Thursday 15 January 2026, promising a fresh wave of theatrical scares for West End audiences.
From Screen to Stage: A Familiar Formula
Directed by Felix Barrett, a renowned alumnus of the immersive theatre company Punchdrunk, and written by Levi Holloway, the play retains the core premise that made the 2009 film a global phenomenon. The story follows a young couple, James (Patrick Heusinger) and Lou (Melissa James), who relocate from Chicago to London seeking a new start after a trauma linked to Lou's mental health.
The ingenious set presents a cross-section of their new home, featuring an open-plan living area and kitchen connected to upstairs rooms by a shadowy staircase. The production masterfully uses this domestic, recognisable setting to build unease, with eerie shadows from passing cars outside the windows immediately putting the audience on edge.
Building Tension Through Sound and Suggestion
The play's power lies in its restrained, psychological approach to horror. Knowing a ghost story is unfolding, your attention is constantly pulled towards the dark, empty spaces off the main stage. The initial scares are subtle and deeply unsettling: unexplained knocks, distant thuds, and fleeting shadows.
Sound design is employed to brilliant effect, with crackling lights and bursts of static from a television ratcheting up the tension. The production wisely uses jump scares sparingly, making them feel earned rather than cheap. A standout set-piece, which blends horror with stage magic, proves to be a genuine showstopper, eliciting gasps of both fear and amazement.
Nods to the Original and a Missed Opportunity
The play pays homage to the film's "found footage" origins with screens flanking the stalls, displaying night-vision surveillance footage of the house. While this creates a creepy, voyeuristic layer—especially as cameras cut to follow the couple—this element feels underdeveloped and isn't meaningfully woven into the narrative.
In an era where integrating pre-recorded video into live performance is commonplace, this feels like a missed creative opportunity. The performances by Heusinger and James are competent, serving the story adequately, though the dialogue rarely challenges them beyond established archetypes.
Paranormal Activity arrives during a boom for horror on stage, following the success of productions like 2:22 A Ghost Story. It demonstrates that the intimate, immediate fear of the film can be effectively upscaled for the theatre. While not without its flaws, the production delivers a solid, atmospheric, and frequently chilling experience that will satisfy fans of the franchise and newcomers alike.
