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It Walks Around the House at Night

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 3 Published: 10 Mar 2026 Southwark Playhouse Borough Show Dates: 4 Mar 2026-28 Mar 2026

Hyped as a “chilling ghost story” in which the “terror continues” with “atmospheric horror”, “dark humour and spine-tingling moments”, It Walks Around the House at Night at Southwark Playhouse might well disappoint those who expect a spine-chilling drama full of startling surprises and moments of heart-palpitating shock.

Top quality performances and work by the creatives make this a memorable production.

However, if you are content with a well-told story built around an ancient manor, a noble family, a ghostly invention and a scheme involving young men lured into the woods by an attractive older man in order to sustain a wealthy family’s respectability, then this might be for you.

Wigan-based ThickSkin’s production has many strengths, and creating a piece in this genre requires exceptional creatives who can fill our imaginations with the image of a grand location in an eerie woodland alongside a humble room in a cottage. Darkness pervades, both inside and out. The simple open-plan cottage set by Neil Bettles and Tom Robbins has a basic bed with a table lamp beside it that provides minimal lighting. It is the sort of place where things could go bump in the night. Indeed, embedded into a rock formation is a refrigerator door that has a haunting mind of its own. That feature indicates the merging of inside and outside worlds, with the room being accessed from all sides.

Video and lighting designer Joshua Pharo excels in creating the play’s overall mood of haunting suspense, leaving us wondering what will emerge from the shadows and surrounding blackness. Against this appropriately grim palette, projections that mark the passage of time stand out, as do some sudden flashes and a spectacular display that accompanies a disaster. Heightening the moods, sound designer Pete Malkin maximises the opportunities to create an air of shimmering tension and moments of explosive shock.

Dominating the scene is George Naylor, who plays Joe, a depressed out-of-work actor trying to earn a living working in the local pub. When a rich stranger offers him a ridiculously large fee to play a ghost in the grounds of the local mansion, his desperate predicament leaves him with little alternative but to abandon his friends, quit his job and accept. Inevitably, the simple job description portends only a fraction of what will transpire, as he is exposed to nightmarish terrors while roaming the haunted grounds at night.

Naylor abounds with confidence, charm and exuberance. He is endearing from the outset, with an engaging conversational style that lures us into the story, complete with some humorous asides. He also knows how to raise the level, bringing tension and anxiety into the frame accompanied by often frantic physicality that uses all available space and levels under the imaginative direction of Neil Bettles. Movement sequences take off with the arrival of Oliver Baines as the Dancer, who adds a paranormal element to the increasingly disturbing events.

As the story progresses it becomes less clear, more complex and, for me, difficult to follow. Events begin to move rapidly and, while the dramatic appeal persists, the denouement seems tangled. Notwithstanding this, the high-quality performances and work by the creatives make this a memorable production.

Amir Nisi

Richard Beck

A graduate in theology and education, Richard acted and contributed to dance, drama and music productions throughout his teaching career. He joined Broadway Baby in 2014 and is now our Editor-in-Chief. He usually disappears to warmer climes for the winter to pursue his passion for travel.

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The Blurb:

The award-winning ThickSkin return to London following a sold-out tour with this chilling new play from Bruntwood Prize-winner Tim Foley.

When an out-of-work actor accepts a well-paid job playing a ghost at a remote countryside manor, he expects nothing more than a few easy scares for curious visitors. But as night after night unfolds, the role begins to blur with reality and something far more sinister starts to emerge.

Part ghost story, part psychological thriller, It Walks Around The House At Night will draw you into a world of creeping dread, unexpected twists and dark humour. Inventive staging, immersive sound and bold visual effects combine to create this edge-of-your-seat theatrical experience.

Unsettling, darkly comic and full of surprises, the stage is set… for terror!

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