With Halloween just around the corner, people will be turning to their favourite horror films for timely entertainment.

But while not necessarily a horror story, The Barn Theatre's stage adaption of the hit-Dreamworks film The Girl On The Train has more than enough chills and thrills to satisfy this spooky season. 

I must confess, I hadn't visited the relatively new venue until recently seeing the best-selling novel brought to life on stage, but I was immediately impressed by how clean and sleek it looked and how professional the staff were.

The show itself could also be described in relatively the same way, the theatre is small and the scale of the production had to match it, but through some deceptively simple yet clever staging, they were able to recreate the many sets required to retell the story of Rachel Watson and the mystery she finds herself in. 

Rachel is quite the depressing figure, struggling to deal with divorce, she finds herself fantasising about a couple she regularly sees out of the window of her train on her daily commute. 

That is until the woman in the couple, Megan Hipwell, mysteriously goes missing, plunging her into the middle of a thrilling mystery, made worse by her unreliable memory caused by alcoholism. 

Those familiar with the story will know about the twists and turns that ensue and the dark subject matter that is unearthed - indeed there were posters around the venue before entering the theatre warning of some of its more distressing elements. 

The cast of seven was all distinctly up for the task of taking on such a well-liked story with Gemma Yates-Round as the troubled lead character and Nick Read, providing some comic relief as an exasperated D.I. Gaskill, as the standouts. 

Some may be put off by the noticeable difference between the Emily Blunt-led film and this modest play, but those who give it a chance may find themselves quite affected by the emotional story playing out in front of them.  

Swindon is lucky to have two great arts venues in The Wyvern and Swindon Arts Centre.

But in The Girl On The Train, and indeed its other offerings throughout the year, The Barn Theatre is carving a niche for itself as a true home for plays. A niche that is well worth the 25-minute trip down the A419 to check out. 

The Girl On The Train is running until October 29 and tickets can be found here - https://barntheatre.org.uk/the-girl-on-the-train.