Shock Horror
Reel Chill
Shock Horror
by Ryan Simons
Thunder Road Theatre Productions at the Exchange Theatre, Twickenham until 30th October, then on tour until 23rd November
Review by Heather Moulson
At the first premise, the set of Shock Horror seemed akin to the aftermath of a nuclear fallout, and the dark loneliness and haunting sounds resembledthose in Eraserhead. Or was it a reflection of our nightmares in general? The lone character Herbert unravelled our concepts swiftly as he established his childhood home, a derelict cinema, where he lived in the company of lonely reels of film.
Against the backdrop of horror films and conspiracies outlined by his projectionist dad, Herbert had suffered an unstable environment with his mentally ill and violent mother, and the alcoholic father who was desperate to break free.
Ethan Cheek’s very effective nightmarish set design, symbolising devastation, had a genuine Gothic feel, and was accompanied by incredibly atmospheric lighting by Andrew Crofts and Matt Carnazza . However, the impact of the sound was too loud: we could have picked up the tension of the horror around us, and take in the eerie music composed by Ben Parsons, without such a high volume.
The second act excelled and a creepy ventriloquist doll came to life. Darkly humorous and homicidal, ‘he’ played the part well. Very skilled puppeteering was involved with deft and clever movements, as life was breathed into this doll. Articulate and certainly not “wooden”(!). We were glad ‘he’ took a bow at the end.
The Darkness, voiced by Terence Mann was creepy and penetrating. Alex Moran’s Herbert stayed eerily consistent. The sad and wonky cinema screen, in the now condemned Metropole Cinema, showed us an array of images of Herbert’s upbringing, with vignettes of Herbert’s parents. Strong performances by Chloe Carter as Mum Norma and Joseph Carter as Dad Jack and a very striking one by Chris Blackwood’s priest, whose murder haunted Herbert, created a surreal scenario.
There were nice effects with the filing cabinet drawer smoothly opening, in one case producing a round red balloon, among other macabre features by illusion designer John Bulleid.
The basis of Shock Horror came over as confusing in places. Was this a genuine ghost story? Or a full on horror one? Or a very disturbing account of a childhood gone wrong?! On any text, there were genuinely chilling moments.
This slick production of Shock Horror was directed in great detail by its writer Ryan Simons, and his very impressive production team. Keep a watch out for them, particularly on cold and shadowy late October nights.
Heather Moulson, October 2025
Photography by Marc Brenner
Mark Aspen 