From 26 to 29 March, Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre plays host to Ghost Stories, the terrifyingly brilliant stage production by The League of Gentlemen’s Jeremy Dyson and master illusionist Andy Nyman. Mixing the immersive power of theatre with the pulse-quickening tension of a psychological thriller, Ghost Stories is a uniquely chilling experience – one that will have a hold on you for a while.
The play follows Professor Goodman, a hardened sceptic determined to debunk the supernatural. As he investigates three cases – a night watchman’s eerie sighting at an abandoned asylum, a nervous teenager’s disturbing encounter with a monstrous creature, and a businessman’s poltergeist experience – he is forced to question everything he believes. What begins as a rational inquiry soon unravels into something much more sinister, pushing Goodman, and the audience, to the very edge of reason.
With just five actors, Ghost Stories masterfully builds an atmosphere of creeping dread. The minimalist staging and dimly lit set heighten the tension, while the sound design is nothing short of haunting – deep, ominous hums and sudden, jarring noises that make every hair on your neck stand up. One particularly unnerving moment sees the theatre plunged into near-total darkness, the only light a single torch floating eerily above the audience. The play expertly combines the use of jump-scares with psychological horror, but its true genius lies in the way it plays with perception and memory. Is the supernatural real, or are these hauntings merely projections of guilt and trauma?
The show also subtly interrogates themes of toxic masculinity and repression, with its all-male central figures struggling to articulate their fears and emotions. This deeper psychological layer adds to the narrative, making Ghost Stories more than just a horror spectacle – it is a study into the terrifying unknown.
For those brave enough, Ghost Stories is an unmissable experience. The play will be on tour across various UK cities over spring and summer. If you decide to go, be prepared to sleep with the lights on afterward…
Image by Hugo Glendinning courtesy of Capital Theatres