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[title]The Great White Way has never been scarier thanks to Paranormal Activity, the Broadway production inspired by the smash scary movie series. While Hollywood projects have been brought to the stage ad nauseum before, taking inspiration from a horror movie is rare, fresh, fertile and frightening territory for a night at the theater. And what better fodder than the cult classic which has been sending a chill up the necks of audiences for the past two decades and spawned an entire freaky franchise?
As the show begins haunting New York City’s August Wilson Theatre for a limited run, here are five frightening reasons why Paranormal Activity gives the likes of Annie, Elphaba and Alexander Hamilton a run for their money. Let’s just say, in this one, though, the sun won’t come out tomorrow.
There’s nothing like a good scare.
When the original Paranormal Activity was released in theaters in 2007, the underdog indie became a surprise hit that grossed nearly 200 million bucks at the Box Office and kicked off a spine-chilling series that has lasted to present day. The stage version has already proven it can stand on its own, earning an Olivier Award nomination in the West End and selling out runs in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Boston well before it ever reached New York. Of course, while the nostalgia for the horror series is a main propellant for its lure, what keeps audiences flocking to all things Paranormal is the fact that a feeling of dread is the perfect thing to make you feel most alive.
A bone-chilling new story.
Don’t get it twisted: this isn’t simply a retread of the original movie that gave birth to the popular franchise. The stage production, inspired by the films, tells an entirely new, yet just as scary tale that stays true to the roots of the series while eliciting a whole new host of thrills. From the mind of writer Levi Holloway (Grey House), the production spins the story of James and Lou, an American couple who pack up and move to London from their native Chicago. But as they slowly settle into their new abode, they discover that the house isn’t all that they bargained for, and I’m not referring to normal fixer-upper issues. Instead, the hapless lovebirds are privy to a series of unnerving events that are totally out of the hands of a regular handyman, let alone Task Rabbit. The audience serves as a voyeuristic guest; delicious witnesses to the unraveling madness.
Special effects to die for.
For a house to be haunted, there has to be some things that go bump in the night. And unfortunately for James and Lou, those bumps aren’t only in their respective imaginations. Fans of the franchise know that the supernatural entities that haunt our protagonists are known for spreading the heebie-jeebies through a cascading series of events meant to proclaim their ghostly presence. Cue illusion designer Chris Fisher, a Special Tony Award winner for his work on Broadway's dazzling Stranger Things: The First Shadow and also credited on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, to bring the demonic ghouls and their pesky activities to life. Bringing it all together is director Felix Barrett, artistic director of the UK’s Punchdrunk International theater company who is perhaps best known as the mind behind New York’s iconic Sleep No More. Between a Tony-winning illusionist and the mind behind Sleep No More, don't expect cheap jump scares, expect a full theatrical haunting.
An exciting new cast.
As for our hapless married protagonists, they’re played deftly by Cher Álvarez and Travis A. Knight, who both make their Broadway debuts. A veteran of Chicago’s acclaimed Steppenwolf Theater Company, Álvarez’s Lou serves as a living embodiment of an innocent wife whose past catches up with her. Meanwhile, Knight’s James brings a hunky subtleness to the affair while remaining skeptical of what’s unfolding around him.
A unique Broadway experience.
While the rest of Broadway sticks to what audiences already know—another jukebox musical, another movie adaptation, another beloved revival—Paranormal Activity is a breath of fresh, freaky air, giving theater crowds a brand new reason to hit the theater. Don't say we didn't warn you, though.