Few horror movies can legitimately claim to be in contention for the title of “scariest movie ever made.” Oren Peli’s 2007 found-footage classic Paranormal Activity is one of them, and it’s one of the strongest candidates in a very short list of them.
When news came out of the UK that the franchised would be getting a new original entry in the form of a theater play, the first question that sprung to mind was, how will it live up to the quality of fear set by the original film? After attending a preview showing of its New York City debut at the August Wilson Theater a few days before its official August 25th premiere, I can confidently say that Broadway is set for a very loud exploration of what horror can do onstage.
The play, written by Levi Holloway, follows a couple, Lou (Cher Álvarez) and James (Travis A. Knight), who’ve just recently moved to London after a particularly turbulent mental crisis made them leave their Chicago home behind for a fresh start. Lou apparently went through a psychotic break that, based on how the characters describe it, wasn’t entirely in the realm of normal. Hints of the supernatural color her experience, which is never revealed in full.
Lou and James navigate the strains of relocation, echoes of the unresolved issues that were hastily left behind in the States, and the return of symptoms that signal the return of a more aggressive haunting. No more hiding behind the plausible deniability of mental health. The entity at the center of the story is here to make itself known and to remind audiences that it’s never just houses that are haunted. It’s people.
The mark of success for the Paranormal Activity movies (the ones that work) lies in the chemistry showcased by the couples driving their stories. It’s important we care about the people being oppressed by the entities. Our screams, our terror will be felt through them. This is precisely what the play gets right. Álvarez and Knight draw you in from the very beginning with an infectious energy that makes you instantly root for them.
A lot of this is owed to James’ reluctance to believe in the paranormal. Lou, a Latina woman, carries with her a history of superstitions and spiritual beliefs that have deep cultural roots. This becomes a point of contention that can spark a fight at one moment only to bring them together the next.
Álvarez and Knight use this to build on their strengths and weaknesses as a couple. Their kind of love offers as much protection as it does pain. They can hurt each other bad. Watching them play around with those expressions of love is a true highlight and it helps to make their disagreements feel more consequential.
Things get further complicated with the presence of James’ mother, played by Shannon Cochran. Her role is largely kept to video calls displayed on a screen in the kitchen, a wink to the found-footage origins of the franchise. She’s a very religious person that loves giving opinions that ultimately revolve around using prayer to solve problems. Cochran does an excellent job of injecting further conflict into an already difficult situation by revealing more about James’ attitudes towards the supernatural. Belief becomes a central theme here, coloring the arguments that James and Lou have throughout the play.
The other marker of success for the franchise is its ability to scare. Veteran Paranormal Activity fans know that jump scares are the order of the day here. This means having a strong grasp on sound, volume, and timing. Fans also know that jump scares are what make or break these movies.
Fortunately, this aspect of the show is also shooting on all cylinders. I won’t spoil them here, but suffice it to say that Paranormal Activity is one of the loudest shows on Broadway when it comes to those moments. They’re well-orchestrated sensory attacks. They come in fast, but some of them really nail that sense of dreadful anticipation that makes them effective.
That said, these instances of fright won’t rattle seasoned horror fans. Some of them are very easy to see coming. But the lead-up to them remain interesting and fun, like being on a roller coaster. You know the drop’s coming, but slowly inching towards it still manages to be nerve-racking in the best way.
Gareth Fry’s sound design and Anna Watson’s lighting design really bring the most striking parts of the franchise’s own brand of terror onto the stage. Together with the SFX, they produce a disquieting jolt that amps up the tension and keeps audiences in anticipation for the next one, which could come at any moment. The necessary slams and the expected creepy shadow movements are here and they shine throughout.
Fly Davis’s scenic design bears special mention as it results in an impressively large two-story indoor setting that captures James and Lou’s entire home. It looks and feels lived-in, a place that can be as welcoming as it can be dangerous. It’s living room/kitchen area is spacious enough for a lot of action, and they take full advantage of it.
There’s so much space, in fact, that I wished the play would’ve used it more to mess around with the audience’s minds. It’s easy to let the eye wander in search of shadows and moving objects in the periphery, but there’s not a lot of it. Davis’ design is so magnificent that it really demanded it be experimented with more.
Paranormal Activity is a play that’s meant to be experienced in a packed theater. You can feel just how good it is at scaring people when everyone’s screaming at the same thing at the same time. It’s pure fun. It has the same sense of pacing and anxious anticipation as is found in the best movies of the franchise, meaning it very much earns its place among them. You will leave the play feeling haunted, and you’ll be glad you did.
