Ricardo Serrano Denis

Few things are disquieting as a haunted girl, regardless of how many examples of them we have. Blame The Exorcist, Carrie, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Stigmata, Ringu, A Head Full of Ghosts, Huesera, and countless others that have graced books and movie screens throughout the years. Often, they’re agents of chaos that resort to dark magic to get what they want, be it power, revenge, or what is justly theirs.

Few horror movies can legitimately claim to be in contention for the title of “scariest movie ever made.” Oren Peli’s 2007 found-footage classic Paranormal Activity is one of them, and it’s one of the strongest candidates in a very short list of them. When news came out of the UK that the franchised would be getting a new original entry in the form of a theater play, the first question that sprung to mind was, how will it live up to the quality of fear set by the original film?

Horror’s place in the library varies wildly by location. In Salem, NY, for instance, it has its own dedicated section, alongside Mystery and Sci-fi. It’s kept separate from General Fiction because the body of work it represents points to a unique cosmography of storytelling that deserves its own space.