Paranormal Activity at Ahmanson Theatre in LA
The play follows a young married couple who flee to London, hoping to put oceans between themselves and a haunting that has shadowed them since a family tragedy. At first, their new flat feels like a fresh start. Domestic concerns — a meddling mother-in-law, career pressure, the strain of mental health struggles — seem like the real problems. Then the inexplicable begins: power flickers, strange sounds echo through empty rooms, and the sense of something watching becomes impossible to ignore. What starts as a psychological drama slowly tilts into full-blown supernatural nightmare, blurring the line between ordinary life and the unseen forces the couple is desperate to outrun.Chicago critics were especially taken with how the production builds its scares. Rather than relying on nonstop jump moments, the show begins with a deliberately restrained pace, letting tension simmer while the audience wonders whether the eerie events can be explained away. Then, just when spectators settle in, the play unleashes a twist that sends the story—and the fear—into overdrive. From that point forward, the atmosphere crackles with dread as viewers scan every corner of the house, waiting for shadows to move or something impossible to appear.
Visually, “Paranormal Activity” has earned raves for its ultra-realistic staging. The action unfolds inside a detailed, multi-level home that looks ready for someone to move in, complete with numerous rooms and sightlines that reward audiences who take in the whole picture. Reviewers praised how the production uses that two-story set to full advantage, combining traditional horror touches—creaking doors, pictures crashing to the floor, objects shifting on their own—with subtle illusions that leave people wondering how what they saw could possibly be done live.
The design team’s work in sound, lighting, and effects has also been singled out as a major star of the Chicago run. Layers of low, ominous noise, sudden blasts of music, and horror-film-inspired lighting cues create a sense of realism that many felt was even more intense than the movies. Practical effects and cleverly timed illusions make the haunting feel dangerously close, transforming the theater into something like a sophisticated haunted house where every flicker and thud lands in your chest.
What audiences in Chicago talked about most, though, was the communal experience. People reportedly gasped, screamed, laughed nervously, and even shouted “don’t do it!” during key moments, only to dissolve into relieved giggles when the tension briefly broke. Reviewers described the show as a “spellbinding” and “sensational” live ghost story that taps into deep-seated fears—of the dark, of grief, of not being believed—and leaves spectators on edge even after the curtain falls.
When this haunted house of a play arrives at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles audiences can expect a sophisticated piece of horror theater: a character-driven story rooted in the “Paranormal Activity” franchise, staged with meticulous realism, charged with inventive live scares, and powered by the shared adrenaline of a crowd bracing for what might be lurking just beyond the next blackout. For horror fans and thrill-seekers alike, this limited engagement promises to be one of the must-see events of the theatre season in LA.