Theatre: The Most Frightening Arena?

The recent revival of the smash hit play Ghost Stories has been terrorising West End audiences since February. After making its debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2010 before transferring to the West End, its back and has been such a sell out that its run has been extended to August.

I’ll have to admit, I have not seen the play, though I would kill for a ticket. As a massive fan of its writers Jeremy Dyson (League of Gentlemen) and Andy Nyman, I can imagine it is something unique and special. Sadly, I have no choice but to watch trailers on YouTube and listen to the spooky music that plays on the official website. 

The build up to the play has intrigued theatregoers, with warnings outside the theatre informing how it ‘contains moments of extreme shock and tension’ and that anyone under the age of 15 should not attend. Even nurses are supposedly on standby in case anyone faints! Audiences have reportedly left the show feeling genuinely traumatised and some have even left in the middle of a performance! This kind of hysteria is usually built during the release of a horror movie.

Again, having not seen the show I cannot comment on its true effect; however if it does work, it shows that even the magic of theatre can achieve the main aim of the horror genre which is to scare and shock. For many years we have read the dark passages of writers such as Bram Stoker, MR James and Stephen King. We hide behind our popcorn when the stereotypically dumb girl enters a room where the killer clearly hides and is slain; the same effect is seen on TV with us scurrying behind the sofa watching X Files, The Walking Dead and even Doctor Who. Sadly, we’ve become hardened by horror stories, mainly as a result of seeing genuine horrors everyday on the news. Therefore, have we lost our ability to be scared?

Well, the effect Ghost Stories has suggests not. Perhaps the theatre might be the next medium where horror can 'bring back the fright.’ And I am not just suggesting by adapting novels such as Dracula, Frankenstein or any Stephen King; but by creating innovative and original stories. What Ghost Stories has shown is that with good writing, direction and acting, it is possible to scare a theatre going audience without the gimmicks of CGI or bouts of gore. And you do not even need a massive budget.

What I can tell from the trailers is that most of the scares come from the build-up of tension, with sounds of loud bangs and strobes of light in the darkened auditorium. This effect is used in some of the best horror films like The Exorcist.

You never know, in the next few years we may see a surge of plays that level with the greatest horror stories seen on screen and in novels. That after many years of the cinema becoming a more unnerving place to attend, the same can be done for theatre, only the action takes place right in front of the audiences eyes. I personally couldn’t imagine anything more terrifying!