Producer Jason Blum had said the Paranormal Activity franchise went dormant for a while after the release of 2015’s Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension because he felt the series had gotten tired – and it wasn’t his idea to make Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, a failed attempt at a revival (that he described as “terrible”), back in 2021. He has been open about the fact that he feels there has been “enough already” when it comes to Paranormal Activity movies. But that doesn’t mean the franchise can’t continue in other ways. A couple of years ago, it was announced that a Paranormal Activity stage play was in early development, and now Variety has revealed that the play, which is called Paranormal Activity: A New Story Live on Stage, is set to run at the Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End for twelve weeks, starting on December 5th.
As the name indicates, the play is not a direct adaptation of any of the Paranormal Activity films. Directed by Felix Barrett (the immersive hit Sleep No More, which ran at the Manhattan’s McKittrick Hotel for 14 years) and written by Levi Holloway (the Broadway thriller Grey House), this story follows a couple, James and Lou, who move from Chicago to London and discover a haunting presence in their home. So they use a camera to document the unsettling shadow in their midst. The show is said to be a reimagining of the modern ghost story with an “unsettling intimacy only theater can provide.”
Barrett provided the following statement: “I’m so thrilled that Paranormal will have a chance to ensnare and unnerve audiences in London later this year. From seeing the advertising campaign of the film 20 years ago, where you watched cinema audiences leap out of their chairs in horror, I have long wondered how you could recreate that visceral reaction in a theater setting. How do you bring one of the most frightening films to life? How do you break the inherent safety that a plush West End theater offers? It’s been an incredible challenge, and we cannot wait to see how London audiences respond.” Holloway added, “Collaborating with Felix Barrett to create an actual nightmare has been nothing short of a dream. Relishing in a shared language of dread, we’ve conspired to create something impossible, mixing the familiar with the uncanny, heart with horror. London audiences have a nose for honesty on stage and little patience for anything else. They’ll find it here, right alongside all the mischief we’ve made to trouble their sleep.”
Paranormal Activity: A New Story Live on Stage is being produced by Simon Friend, who said, “It’s been a privilege working with Felix, Levi, the world-class creative team and Paramount to bring this new story to life on stage. It’s bold, terrifying, and after seeing it, you might need to sleep with the lights on…“
If you’re in North America and can’t make it to London’s West End, you might still have the chance to see Paranormal Activity: A New Story Live on Stage. Before it reaches London, the show is going on a North American tour, with stops at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Center Theatre Group and Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington DC, and American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.
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