The Barn Theatre has truly put on a scary production fitting for anyone looking for a compelling stage fright this afternoon. 

Inspired by the classic ghost stories of M.R James, Room 13 is an original production that pits four strangers together in a bleak hotel in stormy Jutland, Denmark, each carrying with them unresolved trauma from events of their past. 

And as the weather worsens, and unexplained noises increase, our small cast, played by Samuel Collings, Alice Bailey Johson, Ffion Jolly, George Naylor and Phillip Pellew, pass the time be telling ghost stories revealing more about themselves and those dark pasts to each other and also unveiling more about a central mystery that ties everything together. 

It's a fairly simple set-up but it is bolstered by the commitment of the cast who bring to life both the past and present flashbacks with ease as well as some quite simply brilliant stagecraft to bring to life all of the things that go bump in the night. 

Paintings fall off walls, radios turn on by themselves, windows fling themselves open and other tricks are deployed that are better, not spoiled. But the point is that a lot is going on with both props/set and other elements of staging to help build tension, create a scary atmosphere and occasionally cause the audience to jump out of their seats. 

(Image: Alex Tabrizi) One truly unique and quite disorienting element is that the set, a crooked and bedraggled hotel room that the play takes place in, changes after the interview with the entire staging flipped. 

The story itself is a little disjointed and I was left wanting the four disparate ghost stories to more neatly fit together but they do help to set up several possibilities for why the actors have been unexpectedly thrust together, and a series of quick twists help to stick the landing in a satisfying and not completely obvious way 

Ultimately Room 13 has made the bold claim of being scarier than Woman in Black and while that might be true to an extent, it doesn't quite have the same delicately built-up tension and atmosphere as that infamous horror play does. 

However, it more than makes up for that with a variety of chills and scares, clever effects and a thoroughly entertaining finale that plays with expectations and upends them becoming an entirely worthy addition to the list of stage horrors. It's certainly well worth your time this Halloween.  

For tickets visit:  https://barntheatre.org.uk/room-13