HOWL
14 October 2016
Rosemary Branch Theatre
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
In the run up to Halloween I like to check out creepy and spook events around London. This one was advertised as an immersive ghost hunt slash seance kind of thing, taking place in one of those tiny pub theatres which are always worth a visit.
From the get go our host was in character, we were given waivers to sign, with our names having to be legible of course, and got a short run down of the premise; our host was a ghost hunter who found a way to communicate with the spirit world and needed our help to reach out and complete the connection.
We were led into a dark room with old furnishings, some covered with cloth, and minimal lighting. The part of the story that happened in this room was great, the actor very convincing and the atmosphere eerie. Ominous sounds and the erratic behaviour of our host helped make this feel truly immersive, spreading a sense of unease.
However, shortly after an intense moment in the dark, when I felt the experience was just kicking off, we were whisked into another room, where the finale was way too short and silly, overshadowing a hitherto great event. Another hugely distracting factor in the finale was that my name, whispered by a ghostly voice, was completely mispronounced.
Overall the experience seemed way too short for the price and very unbalanced with a brilliant start and terrible ending. Our host actor was great, the disappointment was rather due to the lack of imagination and suspense in the story. There’s definitely room for improvement.