It surely goes without saying that shadow of the spectral or supernatural is no niche thing at Christmastime in jolly old London Town.

Dickens and the obvious cornucopia of Christmas Carols aside, the West End has often played host to things that go bump in the night over the season. 2023 notably saw the critically derided clunker that was The Enfield Haunting run at the very same theatre that now welcomes Levi Holloway’s Paranormal Activity for a crack at the festive fright whip.

Whilst the Catherine Tate and David Threfall-led Haunting was loosely based on titular ‘true’ events, Holloway’s ‘new story’ here shares only broad thematic brushstrokes and concepts with the smash Hollywood franchise with which it borrows a name. It is an original story penned and conceived of for the stage, shrewdly removed from the sprawling mass of sequelitis that quickly consumed Oren Peli’s 2007 indie hit.

Still, brand recognition will likely help get those bums in seats and itching for a good fright, but have Holloway and director Felix Barrett been able to summon up a meaningful, original and, crucially, scary outing in a climate of 2:22s and women in black?

“It isn’t difficult to envisage a world in which a rudimentary cash grab on name recognition alone gorged itself on jump scares and cheap gimmicks”

What’s perhaps most striking about Paranormal Activity – which debuted at Leeds Playhouse last Summer – is both how classy and confidently restrained it is. It isn’t difficult to envisage a world in which a rudimentary cash grab on name recognition alone gorged itself on jump scares and cheap gimmicks.

Instead, Holloway has penned a character-centric piece which, whilst never particularly groundbreaking, still has far more to say and ponder than you’d maybe suppose.

Loved up husband and wife duo, James (Patrick Heusigner) and Lou (Melissa James) have recently relocated to rain-soaked London from Chicago. They’re getting their heads around the local lingo (it’s a bin, not a trash can), battling with temperamental plumbing and electrics, and James’ opinionated, god-feathering mother is perhaps little more than one or two FaceTimes away from making herself a real nuisance. Oh, and there’s that small matter of medication for Lou’s constant existential dread and the sensing of something more sinister, but surely there’s nothing to worry about there…

“…Holloway and Barrett understand that implication and anticipation are far more gnawing than cheap jump scares ad nauseum…”

So far, so formula. But though its first act is relatively light on incident and frights, the dynamic between Huesinger and James is so authentic and earnest that it’s hard not to root for them. Here, Holloway and Barrett understand that implication and anticipation are far more gnawing than cheap jump scares ad nauseum, and the fact we like the duo so much only amplifies the dread as the screws begin to tighten. If anything, it makes the more exposition-heavy second act and finale in particular a little jarring, as everything beforehand touches upon ominous backstory and trauma so deftly and implicitly.

When it does decide to get its spook on, Paranormal Activity sits comfortably alongside the best of its peers in terms of polish and execution. From a deeply unsettling open through to a handful of deceptively ingenious and technically faultless scares, the measured way in which the show approaches its frights make them all the more impacting when they do come along. Kudos to illusions designer for Chris Fisher for pulling off one of the most simple yet deviously effective illusions this particular reviewer has seen in a show of this ilk.

So yes, it is frequently unsettling and ratchets up the tension to deliver some knock out moments of toe-curling creepiness. But it never loses sight of its characters either, even as some of the more bonkers set pieces and narrative deviations throw in the likes of podcasting mediums and unexpected home visits with a twist.

Heusinger and James are great anchors around which the scares pivot. James sensitively navigates a character and plot that offers up some neat things to say about the belittlement and misunderstanding of mental health issues, as well as, of course, that old genre staple, gaslighting. A rather hulking Heusinger imbues his James with just the right level of sincerity and relatability, alongside a soupcon of almost douchebag solipsism that stops the character from feeling too cookie cutter.

“…some of the audiovisual flourishes at pivotal moments are exceptional.”

The pair’s shifting, conflicting and complementary dynamic never stops feeling real, even when beset with late exposition dumps as mentioned. Jackie Morrison and Pippa Winslow bring some levity to things in supporting roles, with Winslow in particular something of a scene-stealer as the overbearing, coddling Midwestern matriarch.

It’s a handsome production, to boot. Fly Davis’ bisected household never feels stagey or composited, and even as Barret keeps things taut and punchy, it’s impossible not to feel yourself glancing about the household for ‘what ifs’. Anna Watson’s moody, evocative lighting and Gareth Fry’s mix of diegetic and auditorium-swamping sound keep even the quieter moments faintly unsettling or downright chilling. To disclose too much would be to spoil things, but some of the audiovisual flourishes at pivotal moments are exceptional.

Anyone going in expecting a pulsing, jump scare packed scream-a-minute might find Paranormal Activity a slower beast than anticipated. For everyone else, here is an impressively measured and lovingly crafted piece of thrilling theatre that takes its time, and pitches its frights with precision and polish. A far classier and more thoughtful presence than its title alone would perhaps suggest, and one that earns those eventual scares all the more for being so. And, when the gloves finally do come off and the titular supernatural hijinks go down, Paranormal Activity offers up some of the most effective and jaw-clenching frights the good old City of London has seen.