Expect to be shocked. Expect to be horrified. Expect to be disturbed. And don’t hold onto your drink!
‘Shock Horror’, now at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre until 30th September – tickets here – follows the story of a young man, Herbert, who has returned to an old, decommissioned cinema, The Metropole, to complete his life’s work. However, the cinema is haunted. Or is it?
The storyline takes us through the young man’s experience within that cinema. Using a clever blend of stage craft, set, and a blend of technologies, the story of his childhood and the reality of his present is brought to life. Alex Moran does the role justice, fully projecting the mixed-up, haunted persona that he inhabited for the show
The audience enters the auditorium and is presented with a stunning set: instantly recognisable as a disused, abandoned cinema, littered with rubbish, old half painted bed sheets, a part of a screen frame, and a cinema screen knocked off its frame, set askew. Let’s just say, the opening moments are a bit of a shock!
The screen is used to high effect: using old film, complete with flickers and crackles and black spots, we see Herbert’s parents, and we see his interactions with them. Herbert sees his life in flashbacks of conversations, with his parents on the screen, and Herbert enacting his responses. The effect is eerie and unsettling, as indeed it is meant to be. Gradually, you begin to understand the disturbed nature of his mother, the disturbing behaviour of his father, and that Herbert’s view of the world has been completely inward focused: he grew up in The Metropole, in his bedroom, with the door locked – from the outside, whilst his father plays horror movies on repeat and his mother whispers, cries, and screams about The Darkness. Herbert has found an escape: he goes into the walls of the cinema and is able to move around the building – but at what cost?
Without question, the story is unsettling and quite weird. The scenery is perfect for the story and combined with the spooky use of lighting leaves plenty of opportunity for ‘did something just move there’ and ‘did you see that?’ moments. And as mentioned in the opening paragraph, there are plenty of ‘jumpy’ moments – great for showering your seat neighbour with your choice of beverage. The Shining features in it, as does a ventriloquist dummy which for one of the Buzz team was strongly reminiscent of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer although possibly it was a reference to the evil doll Chucky. There are other nice nods to famous horror stories and some even inject a little humour into the proceedings, which, given the grim and disturbing storyline, provides momentary relief.
All in all, this is not one for the faint-hearted. Audiences with a knowledge and love of the genre, however, should buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Sarah Marsh-Collings and Darren Weale, 29 September 2023
Bromley Buzz 