Haunted

Haunted
Written by Jon Claydon & Tim Lawler
Directed by Paul Jepson
Arts Theatre
May 21st – June 14th 2008



Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide
Wednesday 28th May, 2008

I am easily scared. In fact during the recent one minute earthquake that struck London, I lay in bed, deadly still, petrified under my duvet. My first thought was that there was a ghost in my room, vibrating my bed. Yes, that’s right. Not a person, not even a natural disaster entered my head. My first and only logical conclusion was that some kind of poltergeist had come to torment me.

I do myself no favours though as I am a sucker for a good ghost story, so I was very excited (if a little scared) at the prospect of another Woman in Black(esque) horror in the West End.

Inspired by the Faustus legend and his fascination with the dark side, Haunted plays with the notion of possession. Five old friends gather together at Alex’s (Jesse Wallace) new flat, but the building has a past, just as the friends do and as the evening progresses it’s each man for himself.

A promising start, although it soon becomes clear that this plot is far more suited to screen than stage. The casual gathering of friends with sinister undertones initially works well with the exception of some embarrassing dialogue comparing the preparation of a salad dressing to the blossoming romance between old friends Alex and Daniel (Gary McDonald).

However a crucial component in the success of a horror film is the soundtrack. Yes this production has the eerie clanking of pipes and whispering walls but the warning music that lets you know when something terrible is about to happen, or that lulls you into a false sense of security is missing. As a result the play lacks suspense. In fact it becomes rather shambolic as the audience struggle to follow who was after who.

Jesse Wallace heads up this established cast and is charming as the ever so middle class Alex. Despite the often lame script she is thoroughly convincing as a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Although I have to admit when the spirits take over and she turns to face the audience in full cockney glory, you can’t help but think, “YES!” Kat Slater's back! Sadly that is not the case. It just seems that all spirit/devil/poltergeist incarnations come from East London as another character also adopts this accent when possessed.

As the plot spins out of control, so does the staging as cleavers, cling-film and other household objects are used in attack. Who knew a bottle of fairy liquid could be so deadly? Almost impossible to follow who or what is to blame and with its abrupt conclusion, Haunted feels less sophisticated horror and more Scooby-Doo Caper.