Ghost Stories, Lyric Hammersmith

After terrifying audiences in China, Australia, Canada and Europe, the live horror theatre production Ghost Stories returns to the Lyric Hammersmith to send shivers down the spines of Londoners once more.

Since premiering at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2010, co-writers and directors Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman have done well to keep up a steady hype surrounding their production by notoriously keeping the details of the play shrouded in mystery. Production photos are rarely released and audiences are urged to ‘keep the secrets of Ghost Stories’ to themselves so that new audiences can experience 80 minutes of unadulterated terror without prior expectations.

We can’t give too much of the plot away, but we can say that in past productions, the story has revolved around a character called Dr. Goodman, a professor of parapsychology who delivers a lecture on ghost stories. The productions are usually multimedia experiences, often featuring video interviews with witnesses of supernatural events. These spiritual encounters are then ghoulishly reenacted on stage.

Packed full of jumpy moments, the play is so petrifying it issues a health-warning strongly advising ‘those with a nervous disposition’ to think twice before attending. On the other hand, it certainly bodes well for horror fans.