Cuddles in “Paranormal Activity.” Photo by Matthew Murphy.
A Strictly Limited Pre-Broadway Engagement
Presented by ATG Entertainment
Written by Levi Holloway
Directed by Felix Barrett
Based on the “Paranormal Activity” films, first written and directed by Oren Peli and brought to the screen by Blumhouse and Solana Films.
Featuring: Cher Álvarez, Travis A. Knight, Shannon Cochran, Andrea Syglowski, Bobby J Howlett.
Sat, Jul 11 – Thurs, July 30, 2026
Emerson Colonial Theatre
Boston, MA
Article by Kitty Drexel
TLDR: Lots of scary, suspenseful fun; excellent acting and stagecraft; Not for folks who dislike suspended tension or jump scares. This critique contains light spoilers.
BOSTON — I don’t prefer horror movies. I might watch one at home with a friend and the sound off if I have a persistent interest. I feel the same about horror novels unless I know for certain that the dog lives and the female protagonist survives unraped with all her limbs.
Horror theatre, on the other hand, is good ole’ safe, insane, enthusiastically consensual fun. I take comfort in knowing that, behind the scenes, a hardworking team of corporeal humans has planned for weeks the titillation of their audience. Their work allows us to wriggle ourselves into an adrenaline-spiked, scared (horny?) stupor. If there ever were a real danger, an omniscient stage manager would call “Hold” into the God mic and save us all from a cortisol overdose. If you enjoy such an experience, too, Paranormal Activity running at the Emerson Colonial Theatre is for you. It had thrills and chills aplenty. Its stagecraft is top-notch – Both worthy reasons to shell out for tickets. You will be frightened if you want to be.
I’m old enough to remember how popular media and its junkies buzzed about the shockingly new frights in The Blair Witch Project (1999). That movie used found footage to tell the tragic story of three thrill-seeking adult children lost in the woods. No movie had done that before. Even I, who was too freaked out and/or poor at the time to see it, was interested in knowing more about this cultural phenomenon. It was a fascinating time to wait until the weekend to watch popular movies that you rented in a store, watched, and then returned to the store after 3 or 7 days, depending on the movie’s rental period. I am old now.
(Spoofing starts at 1:20)
The Blair Witch Project walked so the Paranormal Activity franchise could soar. The seven-movie franchise also uses spooktacular found footage to tell the stories of very nice, mostly white folks with no preservation instincts who move into the wrong home. In them, a white woman is haunted by a malevolent being (or, in the case of the spin-offs, malevolent individuals come together to abuse their majority white victims through homicidal community action). A man sets up recording equipment. Scary things happen.
Paranormal Activity also inspired a Wayans parody.
In the Boston stage play, Paranormal Activity goes back to its roots while also diversifying its casting. Lou (Cher Alvarez) and Jimmy (Travis A Knight), a nice, normal biracial couple, move into a charming, bi-level London flat (set design by Fly Davis). Back in Chicago, Lou experienced mental health disruptions: auditory hallucinations, time loss, sleepwalking. Their lives and their relationship suffered. They had the chance to move, and they took it.
Their move gives them a new start. Lou works for her office remotely over Zoom. Jimmy has a new job in London. Life is pretty good. The couple is in love. Jimmy’s religious Mom, Carolanne (Shannon Cochran, a loving menace as a Mom and an eerie menace later), needily FaceTimes them about potential grandchildren. They are content… Until Lou’s hallucinations begin again.
Jimmy tries to support Lou through her messy mental health journey. That is, he thinks he’s trying until literal, figurative alarm bells and a spooky presence force him to believe Lou’s every word. He’s finally ready to listen and accept his new reality: Ghosts are real. There is an afterlife. A spirit is haunting their apartment. Lou re-educates Jimmy in earnest.
The couple invites noted psychic Etheline Cotgrave (Eva Kaminsky, believably cool as a cucumber until she’s scared so witless that her fear fuels ours) to investigate their disturbances. She holds a seance, and we learn a spirit is haunting Lou and Jimmy’s apartment. Through creepy dialogue and a creepier soundscape by Gareth Fry, we also learn that the spirit is not playful. It is vengeful. Lou and Jimmy might not make it out of their adorable two-bedroom flat with a downstairs open plan alive. Bobby J Howlett kicks ass and takes lives in the ensemble. Holy cats, is Howlett scary as fuck.
If you’re looking for a scare, Paranormal Activity is spooky, check-behind-the-shower-curtain-before-you-pee scary funtimes. It was scary on Wednesday night because most patrons wanted to experience chills. We even dressed in our finest goth blacks for the occasion. So, when the tension ramped up and the jump scares began in earnest, we were pleased as Summerween blood punch for a communal taste, because the horror community is just that: a community. They’re in it for the togetherness of it all as much as they are the horror. Knowing this may help some folks stomach the experience. Lou and Jimmy are alone. Audience patrons have each other. Aw.
(At one point, a random audience member sneezed during a tense moment, and a whole section of us jumped and giggled like crazy. We were locked in. No one expected the sudden noise – not even the cast. It was awesome.)
This show scares its audience so well because its many elements seamlessly combine for its greatest effect. Gareth Fry’s soundscape creeps into a scene like a demon possessing a victim’s mind: eerie tones start low to slowly build tension; sharp noises cut across the stage to disrupt our comfort. Fry works with designers Chris Fisher (illusions), Anna Watson (lighting), and Luke Halls (video and projections) to terrorize our nervous systems. Fisher’s illusions were truly inspired; they had the entire audience gasping in shock and awe. Even knowing that we were in the theatre to be frightened, two patrons seated next to me left at intermission.
These nice people are fucked. “Paranormal Activity.” Photo by Matthew Murphy.
That stated, their designs would have limited power over us if actors Alvarez and Knight weren’t thoroughly believable as Lou and Jimmy. Alvarez and Knight take us down a stark rabbit hole of fear and human frailty. These characters were convinced that they wouldn’t live through their haunting. We believed them, too. Even Eva Kaminsky as Etheline Cotgrave, maybe/maybe not con artist, didn’t hit as hard when she realized she was over her head. It made for a fun evening, but I worry for the actors. I hope their union contract covers therapy.
As mentioned above, I don’t normally enjoy horror. I make exceptions for the theatre. Paranormal Activity isn’t a show I’d see more than once, because franchises are intentionally formulaic. That’s not my prference. Maybe you’ll feel different. Tell your friends about it if you do. Tell them Paranormal Activity achieves Broadway-level production value in a Boston venue. It’s a well-built, superbly-acted show.
And I warn patrons to choose wisely. Despite knowing we were in the theatre to be frightened, two patrons seated on my left bailed at intermission. I get that. People don’t expect to be frightened by a play. They expect All My Sons or Noises Off. You know, pleasant theatre that makes you think a little before lunch.
Babes, this is not your Daddy’s pre-Broadway tryout play. It’s your Momma’s spiritualist, revenge horrorshow, and she wants her humeat freshly tenderized before it’s thoroughly, irreversibly cooked. Have fun!
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