Patrick Heusinger Photo by Kyle Flubacker

The story centers around Lou and James Singer, a young couple who have relocated from Chicago to London in response to some difficulties Lou had been having. Initially, in the course of an awkward video chat with James's mother Carolanne, we learn that, although Lou has been seeking medical explanations and solutions for blackouts and missing time, she is also drawn to supernatural explanations and has been mainlining the work of Etheline Cotgrave, an expert in the paranormal. As the inexplicable events mount so that even the skeptical James can see no earthly explanation, the two arrange for a visit from Cotgrave that ends in the well-practiced charlatan fleeing in terror.

Holloway's text is clever in the way it doles out the details and ratchets up the tension. James and Lou are both likable and flawed, and the conflict is not frustratingly one-sided as too many horror movies are. Even Carolanne, though clearly built on the trope of the overbearing mother-in-law, is not entirely two dimensional. The end result is a story and set of characters that secure the audience's buy-in, elevating the whole above simply creepiness and jump scares. That said, the show isdeliciously creepy, and the jump scares are top notch.

The set (design by Fly Davis) is essentially a two-story dollhouse with the fourth wall removed. The main entrance to the house, with its flanking glass, is set up-center. Right center is the kitchen with a large window, often covered by blinds, and left center is a small living room, backed by the staircase leading to the upper level. On the second floor, the master bedroom occupies stage right and the bathroom stage left, with the door to the spare room (or the nursery, depending on which half of the couple is speaking of it) at center, immediately above the front door.

The fact that the entire set is visible at all times, though individual spaces are only intermittently lit, lays a foundation of tension, as the audience theoretically has constant access to every dark corner of the Singers' lives. This is amplified by Anna Watson's lighting design, which scours the space with headlights moving down the busy streets, strobing police lights, as well as light and darkness as the characters move through the space. Moreover, Davis advances the story with the subtle accumulation of clutter and outright trash on the ground floor as James seeks the solution and Lou retreats further into herself. Watson's lighting is also critical to the execution of Chris Fisher's illusions, which build beautifully until the climax of the story.

The final piece of the production puzzle is Gareth Fry's sound design, paired with the video design by Luke Halls. Fry primes the pump of audience anxiety with a literally overwhelming audio collage. Halls echoes this on the Singers' kitchen flat panel at several critical moments. One of the highest compliments one can pay to any endeavor in the horror genre is that the piece is honest, giving the audience all the information it needs to know not only what comes next, but how the whole story is sure to resolve. Altogether, set, lighting, video, sound, and illusion are chillingly honest and effective here.

Added to all this are really strong performances across the board. As Lou, Cher Álvarez is more than up to the challenge of defying all the expected stereotypes of the haunted leading lady. She beautifully handles the unexpected and subtle moments that Holloway's text affords without ever compromising the mandatory haunted vibe.

For his part, Patrick Heusinger (James) is absolutely a bro grown older, as horror so often requires. And here, the text calls out the character's core self-centeredness in ways that are important to why the story works as well as it does. Heusinger's performance weaves together swagger and uncertainty from the start, and effectively progresses through the character losing his mind. Likewise, he renders believable James's last ditch efforts to regain his standing and place at the center of the story.

Shannon Cochran (Carolanne) and Kate Fry (Etheline Cotgrave) offer performances that complement one another. From the start, Cochran is over-the-top white lady from Boca Raton, and the way she leans into this effectively amplifies the horror when the character reappears later in the play. Fry has only one on-stage scene, but she navigates the nuances of playing the role of a charlatan in a way that makes it clear why the desperate couple would plausibly believe in her abilities.

Paranormal Activity runs through November 2, 2025, in the Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, 800 East Grand Avenue, Chicago IL. For tickets and information, please visit chicagoshakes.com or call 312-595-5600.