As a huge fan of the found-footage horror genre, I had very high hopes for this show, and I am glad to say that it certainly lived up to them. From David Alnwick’s brilliant delivery, to the seamless blend of horror and humour, this show was highly impressive and unlike anything I have ever seen.
The most impressive achievement of this show was its ability to manipulate the audience. It began with a lecture-style introduction to documentary making and the found footage horror genre, setting a light and humorous tone. This seemed to lull the audience into a false sense of security, as if they are waiting for the true performance to begin.
The show makes use of multi-media technology, switching between Alnwick’s direct address to the audience and recordings from VHS tapes on a screen. However, the light and comedic mood begins to shift as the boundaries between these tapes and real life start to blur.
Through unsettling magic tricks with cards and a spooky grave bell, the world of the VHS recordings begins to enter the theatre and forces the audience to question where performance ends and reality starts. This is no longer a light-hearted, comedic lecture on documentary making, but an immersive and meta-theatrical found footage horror show.
The audience realise that everything they have witnessed so far has been part of the performance, to the point where the audience themselves have been made part of the show too. Now that the fourth-wall has been truly dismantled, there is nothing for the audience to metaphorically hide behind, and the performance becomes truly immersive and unsettling.
You may not be left absolutely shaking in fear, but you will be left stunned by how cleverly this performance breaks the fourth wall and manipulates the audience. From the mind-blowing magic tricks, to the moment you realise that you as the audience are part of the performance too, this show will leave you in absolute awe — a definite must-see!
David Alnwick: The Dare Witch Project is running until 24 August at Speakeasy at PBH’s Free Fringe at The Voodoo Rooms.
Buy tickets here.
Image courtesy of David Alnwick, provided to The Student as press material.