It almost goes without saying that this horror production is not one for the faint-hearted. The auditorium even gave a few warnings with safety tape saying ‘Do not enter’. From the start, you are made to jump out of your seat, the ghostly screams enough to scare the living daylights out of you. The fact that the play went without the usual interval and a chance to have a relaxing drink only added to the suspense, knowing that once you are in you cannot leave.
The central character of the play is Professor Goodman, who narrates the play as a leading para-psychologist. He tells the stories of a few of the people he has interviewed, as well taking you through a brief history of ghost stories from biblical times through to the modern-day. Through each story, he brings you to question your own reasoning for wanting to hear these stories, as well as questioning the origin of the sightings by the so-called ‘percipients’. Are the spectres created by some supernatural force bringing life to inanimate objects, or do those who claim to have seen ghosts just create the illusions as a result of a combination of their fear, anger, and regret?
Related: Ghost Stories review
Different types of ghosts are illustrated, some with claimed photos of the apparitions to really give you the creeps. Suspense is raised as each story is told and in some cases, it creeps up slowly, but in most cases the play frightens in short sharp shocks, leaving you either laughing or feeling you sick to the stomach and almost unable to watch. It is light on gore but heavy on the spookiness and fright factor. The mood in the theatre was craftily engineered with simple lighting techniques and bold curdling screams. Sets were slickly twisted around to constantly leave you guessing where the next ghost was going to come from.
Without giving away any spoilers, the play has an excellent twist in the plot which builds to a fantastic crescendo. This is a successful horror play, and the fact it has been made into a feature film is a testament to its strength in the genre.
Ghost Stories is running at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking until 1st February 2020
