It Walksaround the House at Night review – Jump scares and spine-tingling sensations when the pretend ghost gets really spooked | stage

THere’s a sparkling irony in Tim Foley’s ghost story: An unemployed actor is recruited to play a ghost for a week, only to become haunted himself. Joe (George Naylor) is hired by David, a handsome outsider, to prowl the grounds of Paragon Hall in order to perpetuate the legend of a troubled spirit residing in the countryside.

What a great gig – he can pay off his debts with what he earns and exercise his acting muscles. Of course, Joe gradually begins to wonder if he’s the only ghost walking through the woods surrounding Paragon Hall, but this drama from tour company HeatSkin doesn’t go the way you think. It mixes the gothic hauntings of 19th century literature with the jumps and bumps of modern horror films.

The storytelling is largely guided by Joe’s narration, although there is a pre-recorded narration of the whole thing by Paul Hilton, enjoyed for its atmospheric eloquence. The gothic gloom of Paragon Hall feels like “the ancient valley howled and spat out of this house,” he says, and later ponders why ghosts continue to roam the grounds: “Some say it’s because they’re in too much pain. I think it’s out of spite.”

It’s phrases like these that bring the shivers to award-winning writer Foley’s script, along with the jump scares of course. It’s brilliantly directed by Neil Bettles, and created by stabs of sound, light and projection (sound design by Pete Malkin, lighting and video design by Joshua Farrow). The stage features a backdrop screen of bare tree trunks that move and shake with the shadows (set design by Bettles and Tom Robbins).

There are some truly spine-tingling moments, from Joe’s creepy sleepwalking to a creature scurrying through his room and a larger “thing” whose shadowy hands resemble Freddy Krueger’s.

This entity is closer to the natural world, with legends generally resembling it. The story gets excitingly twisty, but the revelations at the end come thick and fast and you can’t always keep up. A dancer (Oliver Baines) emerges from the woods to tell Joe his story; Joe’s friends show up. David offers his own story, as does an ex-boyfriend.

A lot is packed into 90 minutes without enough unpacking of the supernatural “mischief” here, or the larger themes of class privilege and exploitation that run throughout the play. But the show is definitely worth experiencing for the thrills and spills that stay with you and follow you home.