Theatregoing crowds have long held a penchant for things that go bump in the Stalls.

2:22 – A Ghost Story has been a frequent mainstay on the touring circuit of late, and that creepy old Woman in Black doesn’t tend to leave it too long before conjuring herself up for another haunt.

Midlands audiences have had all their Halloweens come at once then, with Levi Holloway’s Paranormal Activity arriving at the Alexandra Theatre (aka ‘the most haunted place in Birmingham) just in time for spooky season.

The found footage-cum-Ring doorbell horrors of Holloway’s insanely popular films perhaps don’t immediately register as obvious candidates for the stage treatment. Much of the Paranormal Activity films work in their gradual unravelling and unsettling disturbance of domestic suburbia, before the breaks eventually come flying off and all hell breaks loose.

Whilst latter instalments became gradually more convoluted and schlocky, the early Paranormal outings remain genuinely unsettling pieces of observational horror, where the mundane is invaded by something increasingly malevolent. It’s in the unsettling of the normalcy, the invasion of the home and the changed behaviours of loved ones where Holloway’s wickedness is at its most unnerving.

Impressively, these are the same strands of DNA that Holloway and director Felix Barrett have woven into the core of Paranormal Activity on stage. Whilst the stage production features an all-new story, it still hums, ebbs – and occasionally screams – to that same recipe of what made the films such a hit (and scare) in the first place.

Lou (Hannah Sinclair Robinson) and James (James Bye) have recently made the Transatlantic plunge. Moving to London from Chicago, the opening scenes are crammed with quite eccentricities of how different everything is for the lovebirds (TK Maxx inexplicably being a whole letter estranged from its US counterpart… don’t get started on the power outlets). But whether quipping about dumpsters (correction – bins) or, of course, the dependably gloomy British weather, there’s something else creeping in at the edges of the duo’s relationship and lives.

Talks of an inescapable dread. Questions around medication. Nebulous mentions of past incidents, and of how things were back in Chicago. James’ opinionated, god-fearing mother is only ever a FaceTime and threat of a flight away.

For a show that could so easily have cashed in on brand recognition alone and stuffed itself full of cheap scares, Holloway’s book is an admirably restrained and classy affair. It does an impressively measured job of balancing conversations and issues of mental health, trauma, gaslighting and even faith with just enough heart and humour underpinning it all to make the opening sections of Paranormal a genuinely compelling character piece. It’s easy to become invested, and neither character is underserved.

“…when it decides to get its creepy on, Paranormal Activity enters legitimate hide-behind-your-hands territory.”

Inevitably though, the titular hijinks begin, and when it decides to get its creepy on, Paranormal Activity enters legitimate hide-behind-your-hands territory. Again, it’s measured and confident stuff; there are plenty of jump scares, to be sure, but it’s that same gradual, impending sense of foreboding and the anticipation of what may happen that is every bit as effective and terrifying as any of its customary bangs and sensory bombardments.

Illusion designer Chris Fisher deserves plaudits here – a handful of key moments and technically faultless frights rank amongst the most unsettling and effective you’ll find on stage. Fly Davis’ two-storey set, Anna Watson’s evocative lighting (keep an eye on those lights spilling in from passing cars and other place setters) and Gareth Fry’s ominous sound all get credit, too – the audiovisual elements regularly standing out here as MVPs.

But to dwell too greatly on the jumps and the shocks would be to ruin the experience. Rest assured – it is frequently scary, yet never at the cost of losing sight of its central characters.

Eastenders and now stage favourite James Bye is terrific and nuanced as the husband trying to empathise and understand his wife’s struggles. Bye imbues the character with just enough likability and earnestness to be relatable and ample moments of humour and lighgtness. Yet Holloway’s book is a wily, meandering beast and he navigates the character’s arc impressively. Hannah Sinclair Robinson is similarly great as the tormented Lou, convinced of the impending darkness and danger that gradually escalates to desperation. It’s a sensitive and authentic performance that wheels about some heady issues and topics.

Whilst the show is predominately a twofer, set around the pair’s experiences in their increasingly unpredictable home, Jo Castleton and Caroline Faber put in fun supporting turns and get some memorable moments as a Spiritualist podcast host and James’ coddling Midwestern Ma, respectively.

Much like the films with which it shares a name (and writer), Paranormal Activity is at its best when bathing the everyday in shadow and dread. A flickering light. An opening door. When the home feels unsafe, our worst fears begin to become realised. Holloway understands this well, and framed around a likeable, interesting pair of characters, has summoned a genuinely frightening and multi-faceted horror story to the stage with aplomb. That his vision is executed with such visual relish, as well as technical bombast by Barret and his design team only elevates the fright factor.

One of the most visually arresting, artistically impressive, frequently frightening – occasionally even terrifying – theatre shows out there, come for the legitimate frights and stay for a haunting yet absorbing story that is, ultimately, very human in the most unsettling ways possible.

It’s in the house. It’s in us.

Be afraid.

Be very afraid.