Halloween is upon us, and what better way to celebrate spooky season than trotting into a red velour-clad theatre, taking a seat and being scared to your wit’s end amongst strangers? Luckily for us, a new stage adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s bestselling novel The Haunting of Hill House has made its world premiere with a UK tour, and we were lucky enough to catch one of the early Manchester dates at the iconic Palace Theatre.
Playing in Manchester until the big day (Saturday 31 October), this new take on a modern classic follows the critically acclaimed Netflix hit series by horror master Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, Carrie) that introduced a new generation to Jackson’s eerie masterpiece. Written by Olivier and BAFTA award-winner Stef Smith, The Haunting of Hill House conjures the moving, darkly comic and of course terrifying supernatural thriller on stage.
When a group of daring investigators take on the mystery of Hill House, curiosity quickly descends into fear. Experiments plunge into darkness. Strange disturbances ripple through twisting corridors. As the house tightens its grip, it will leave you on the edge of your seat… and questioning what is real long after the curtain falls.
Never has a stage show been so perfect for the eerie lead-up to Halloween, and with a cast so perfectly matched to each character, this tight-knit ensemble brings the beloved story to life so vividly. Clancy Ryan takes on the haunted, evocative Eleanor with a touch of sensitivity, but plenty of vigour, alongside Sophie Lenglinger‘s spritely Theo, creating the relationship that holds much of the play together.
Incredible set design and innovative projection technology transports audiences into the world of Hill House, becoming a character in itself, a feat difficult to master on stage. Accompanied by Sian Howard‘s ghostly Mrs Dudley, the atmosphere is set from the very beginning, preparing you for a fright, whilst never letting you in on the secret before it’s time.
A story so touching, yet inevitably a haunted house tale as old as time, could so easily fall into the realm of cliché and horror for horror’s sake, but this take on The Haunting of Hill House wraps a small tale inside something so familiar, and colossal, it feels to the audience as though they could get lost in it – indeed, a fate for some unlucky characters.
Silence is also an unsung hero in this adaptation, and knowing when to use it is absolutely to the director’s credit. The contrast between silence and gut-wrenching noise is so perfectly horrific that it grabs the entire audience, with an audible gasp all around when released.
So much about The Haunting of Hill House is dark and unsettling, but the feat it has pulled off on this UK tour is nothing short of spectacular, and it’s a must see on it’s too-short run – for lovers of horror, and those who swear they won’t be convinced…
Make sure you don your nerves of steel, and grab any remaining tickets for the Manchester dates here.
The Haunting of Hill House is still to visit Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse from 3-7 November, and the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh from 10-14 November.
