“Lovecraft’s much loved, sombre and dramatic story is delivered with sinister ease”
Currently hosting the London Horror Festival, The Old Red Lion Theatre is the perfect venue for goosebumps inducing events. The organisers have made sure that one is welcomed by a ghoulish array of spooky decorations to set exactly the right chilling tone.
The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a tale of insanity, a topic that appears in author H P Lovecraft’s works in many forms. The narrator of the story is a young man who went on a journey to the coast around New England to carry out research into his family history. He encountered unimaginable horrors. The town he passed through to avoid expensive train fares seemed to be inhabited by creatures that are not fully human. Nonetheless, he mysteriously survived the adventure.
Adaptated by Jade Allen and Claire Matthews, Hidden Basement Productions’ take on H P Lovecraft’s classic horror novel places the narrator at his house. He seems to be recalling the events of the story while attempting to go about normal activities like, to his terror, getting married.
The play is an absolute gem. Philip North (narrator) and Claire Matthews (everybody else) are a brilliant, incredibly talented duo that delivered Lovecraft’s much loved, sombre and dramatic story with sinister ease. There were many moments when the skilful sound work (Paul Thompson), imaginative props (Harriet Field, Verity Treadwell, Kayla Holroyd) and outstanding acting made the audience jump out of their seats in fear.
If Philip North was portraying the victim of the dreadful experiences, Claire Matthews was the cause of them. Her rough low voice and her terrifying ability to change in an instant from human to monstrous characters added to the feeling of unease and disbelief that are crucial to Lovecraft’s work. The set did not change from the beginning till the end, although the storyline was constantly moving in time and place. The props – candles, a gramophone, an old-fashioned coat hanger which occasionally turned into a man and the nightmarish puppets were all perfectly chosen to reflect this dark storytelling.
Fans of H P Lovecraft must have been over the moon to see such a soulful adaptation of his short story. There is nothing more delightful than the sense of trepidation one has when leaving the theatre after a good horror story. An excellent darkly comic show. What else will the London Horror Festival bring?
The London Horror Festival is back for a 7th terrifying year to thrill and chill audiences for 3 jam packed weeks this Halloween season. The UK’s original and largest festival of live horror performance returns to the Old Red Lion Theatre following the great success of 2016.
With official sponsorship from Hobgoblin, ‘the unofficial beer of Halloween’, and horror artist Jessica F. Holt, this annual celebration of the horror genre is going strong and 2017 is their biggest line-up yet with an eclectic programme of 23 different shows on offer.
The London Horror Festival works to promote new and innovative work in the arts, support London fringe theatre and is dedicated to providing a platform for artists and companies working in the horror genre. This year promises a mix of theatre, puppetry, cabaret, spoken word, body horror, clowning and comedy, featuring satanic cults, mummies, zombies, ghosts, vampires and the bodies of Frankenstein!
The festival kicks off with this year’s playwriting competition winner staged by the Old Red Lion Theatre’s very own Artistic Director Clive Judd, including special prizes from sponsor Hobgoblin, followed by horror panel quiz show ‘What’s the Bloody Question?’ presented by UK Horror Scene’s Tony Sands and the London Horror Society.
Shows to look forward to include 5 star horror comedy ‘Curse of the Mummy’ from Last Chance Saloon, fresh from their Edinburgh triumph, fellow 5 star fringe successes ‘The Twins Macabre’, The Underground Clown Club returning with the 5 star ‘Knock Knock’ followed by their new show ‘Who’s There?’, and reworkings of classic tales including a comic adaptation H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’ by Hidden Basement Productions and a gender-switched version of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ by critically-acclaimed Evcol Entertainment.
For something different after dark, stay up late for an exclusive midnight performance of ‘Felix Le Freak’s Shockbuster Video’ presented by the folks behind the wildly popular PopHorror cabaret club nights, then party the night away with their very own DJ until 3am.
Bursting with heaps of emerging talent, award-winning creatives and unique live performances – be sure you don’t miss one of hottest events of Halloween!
