Can theatre be scary?

DEFINTION: Scary. adj scarier, scariest Informal

1. causing fear or alarm: frightening

2. easily roused to fear: timid

This week we saw two of the scariest offerings in the West End: The Woman in Black and Ghost Stories. One is in its 22nd year, the other celebrating its 1 year anniversary since opening at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2010.

Ghost Stories

As you leave the theatre we were requested not to share the secrets of Ghost Stories so not to ruin the illusion and I won't. I will just say that Ghost Stories does what it says on the tin (or its website): its loud, brash, in-your-face and shock seeking. It sets a good scene, playing on people's irrational fears that although 2/3 of the audience believe in the supernatural only 5 people had experienced it first hand. It could have built on the sublties that send shivers down our spines when we catch something unexplainable out of the corner or our eyes; but instead it goes on a full throttled attack of jumps, bangs and crashes. It certainly makes you jump and at times (especially at the beginning) it builds tension through its rotating set but at others its clumsy. The twist is good but I wonder if this is a victim of its own hype. I'd expected it to be scary. I mean really scary and unfortunately it fell a little flat of that expectation (a little like the Blair Witch Project.) But then again maybe that's because I was comparing it unfairly.

The Woman in Black

At the other end of the spectrum is The Woman in Black. Celebrating 22 years in the West End this is a subtle piece of theatre which has the audience gripped (and gripping onto each other) as you are transported back in time to relive the horror of a man haunted for decades by an unexplicable place. The set is minimal, the cast even smaller but this is a masterpiece. The use of lighting and sound is both chilling and thrilling as you settle into the second half and hold your breath knowing there's more to come. And it doesn't disappoint. The inevitable school groups (it's an English GCSE text for many) add to the atmosphere as girls scream from the back as TWiB screams from the front. This will not fail to scare you though its the tension built by the two actors which is really extraordinary and will have you raving about this for weeks to come.

So back to the question: Can theatre be scary? I think so but the thing about fear is that its subjective so go see for yourself.

Find more information here: http://www.thewomaninblack.com/ and http://www.ghoststoriestheshow.co.uk/

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What's the scariest piece of theare you've seen?