Melting Pot's stage adaptation of the Paranormal Activity horror films will tour the U.S. before haunting London's West End later this year.
Following a sold out run at Leeds Playhouse in the U.K. last summer, the stage play has set a North American tour for this fall, with stops planned at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles; Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.; and American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Those performances will precede a West End bow at the Ambassadors Theatre in London, set to begin a 12-week season December 5.
Inspired by the horror film franchise, the new play is directed by Punchdrunk Founder and Artistic Director Felix Barrett, and written by playwright Levi Holloway, whose theatrical thriller Grey House played Broadway in 2023. The original Paranormal Activity film, released in 2009, reimagined the found footage genre for a new generation, grossing nearly $200 million worldwide and kicking off a blockbuster franchise spanning six sequels. The play, aimed at audiences 15 and above, again reimagines the modern ghost story by reinterpreting the original domestic horror with theatrical illusion.
Said Barrett, "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 theatre 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 theatre offers? It’s been an incredible challenge, and we cannot wait to see how London audiences respond!"
The London production will include Fly Davis as set and costume designer, illusions by Chris Fisher, Anna Watson as lighting designer, Gareth Fry as sound designer, video design by Luke Halls, and casting by Stuart Burt and Ginny Schiller. Casting will be revealed at a later date.
Paranormal Activity is produced by Simon Friend & Hanna Osmolska for Melting Pot in association with Gavin Kalin, Ken Davenport, Patrick Gracey, Jonathan & Rae Corr, and Leeds Playhouse.
