The infamous hauntings of Paranormal Activity have broken free from the found-footage frame, and this time, they’re coming for you in real life. The long-running horror franchise that redefined supernatural terror for a generation has been reimagined as a live stage production, now playing at Los Angeles’ Ahmanson Theatre, and it’s already being called one of the most immersive horror experiences of the decade.
Directed by Felix Barrett, best known for his work with the immersive theatre company Punchdrunk, and illusion designer Chris Fisher, who recently earned a Special Tony Award for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the new Paranormal Activity play promises fear unlike anything audiences have ever felt in a theatre.
Barrett explained, “We didn’t want to just adapt a film, we wanted to create something that could only exist on stage.” That vision comes alive through a breathtaking set design: a two-story house with its front wall completely removed, allowing the audience to see every room at once. The result is voyeuristic terror, viewers can watch the haunting unfold simultaneously across different spaces, unsure where the next nightmare will strike.
The story follows James and Lou, a couple who’ve just moved into a Chicago home that seems perfectly ordinary until strange noises, flickering lights, and invisible presences begin to take hold. Unlike the original films, which relied on jump scares and surveillance-camera footage, the play builds dread through silence, lighting, and the eerie exposure of seeing too much all at once.
Illusion designer Chris Fisher says, “We designed it for theatre, not cinema, every creak, every shadow is live. You can’t cut away or look down at your phone. You’re trapped in the moment.”
The production’s innovative staging makes fear communal again, a reminder of what makes live horror so electrifying. As the audience gasps and grips their seats in unison, the energy of the room amplifies every scare. The experience blurs the line between viewer and participant, as if the haunting extends beyond the stage.
This bold theatrical experiment marks a new chapter for Paranormal Activity, one that suggests horror doesn’t belong to screens alone. When the house lights dim and the shadows start to move, it’s clear, some nightmares are best experienced face-to-face.
