Paranormal Activity Review! Ambassadors Theatre 2025

Good horror feels like it’s talking just to you, cutting like a knife through all the noise, whispering something you’ve always known.” These words by writer Levi Holloway suggest a subtle approach to horror, in keeping with the mundanely chilling 2007 hit of the same name. 

Written and directed by Orin Peli, Paranormal Activity kicked off its franchise with a horror more interested in the domesticity of its setting and central relationships, interspersed with scares based on the uncanny rather than full-blown supernatural spectacle. Sadly, subtlety is not something present in the technically impressive yet trivial stage adaptation.

Having recently moved to London following a series of disturbing events, Chicago-born couple James and Lou discover that “places are not haunted, people are.” For the sake of not wishing to give away spoilers, I will not outline the plot; however, it is safe to say the drama follows all the beats one would expect: things that go bump in the night, a visit from a paranormal investigator, and dramatic backstory revelations.

Under the helmsmanship of Punchdrunk’s artistic director, Felix Barrett, Paranormal Activity is hugely accomplished from a technical point of view. The set design by Fly Davis is effectively realized, with a two -storey design of the couples home, each room being intricately designed and detailed . It has the quality of a dollhouse and gives the feeling that we are watching an artificial world, or one in which the characters are being manipulated.

Equally impressive are the illusions by Chris Fisher, best known for his work on Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The effects, in general, are well executed, albeit slightly telegraphed by Barrett’s direction, with the exception of one particular illusion which is superb: born out of the mundane, unexpected, and truly chilling. More of this was needed. Instead, most of the scares resort to jump scares which, while guaranteed to get a reaction from the Friday night crowd, simply don’t have the horror promised in the show’s set-up.

From a performance point of view, the show rests on its central couple. Patrick Heusinger does his best with the slightly two-dimensional role of James, a sceptic who does not believe in the supernatural but slowly comes to realise his wife’s claims may be born of fact. Heusinger sells this with a good sense of naturalism despite the shortcomings of his character arc.

Melissa James is a standout as Lou, who is arguably given more to work with as the most developed character. She delivers a mesmerising performance with a strong sense of physicality and belief in the supernatural. Her two monologues, one in each act, are unsettling, engaging, and believable. There is clearly much more to come from this talented actor.