Can horror movies save struggling Broadway?…
It’s spooooooky on Broadway.
And not only because of the fee of a glass of wine. Fifteen of 41 homes are darkish proper now, and those drafty previous buildings are being haunted by the ghosts of Cee Cee Bloom, “Queen of Versailles” subject Jackie Siegel and Lea Michele.
But some precise (fictional) spirits are inhabiting the August Wilson Theatre on 52nd Street: the characters in new play “Paranormal Activity,” based on the favored horror film franchise.
Like most ghouls, I’m of two worlds — theater and movie. And over the past a number of years, I’ve watched as the horror style turned the only product that constantly beckons paying audiences to the movies. “Sinners,” “Weapons,” “Backrooms” and “Obsession” are notable examples, yes, but also pulling their weight are established franchises such as “The Conjuring,” “Final Destination” and the “Halloween” reboot sequence. People demonstrably need to scream.
“Paranormal Activity,” a new play based on the horror film franchise, is now on Broadway. Matthew Murphy
It’s simple to see why. Horror particularly appeals to younger audiences, and Gen Z (ages 14 to 29) constitutes the bulk of moviegoers today. Plus the flicks present environment. Scary movies go down a lot better blown up and in the darkish than in mattress and on a laptop computer. And, at the risk of sounding like a Nicole Kidman advert, the cathartic release after a good fright feels better in a packed group.
That’s what makes “Paranormal Activity,” which has already performed London, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, DC and Boston, such an attractive prospect.
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Broadway wishes all the same issues that the film industry does — enthusiastic younger ticketbuyers, a product that sells itself, repeat business — while charging 10 occasions more for the privilege. Hollywood, for all its points, is way, far better off today than stumbling Broadway is.
Could horror help?
Thrillers really had been once a in style fixture on Midtown phases. Think Frederick Knott’s “Wait Until Dark” (1966), his “Dial M for unlawful killing” (1952) and Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap” (1978). But they tapered off in the Eighties. The 1988 flop musical “Carrie” carried its bucket of pig blood with misplaced gusto, but New York Times critic Frank Rich wasn’t having it. “The intended Stephen King pyrotechnics wouldn’t frighten the mai tai drinkers at a Polynesian restaurant,” he wrote.
The film “Wait Until Dark” with Audrey Hepburn was based on a Broadway thriller. Courtesy Everett Collection
Years later, a stage adaptation of “The Exorcist,” directed by John Doyle, performed LA in 2012, but the demon Pazuzu never made it to New York.
More just lately, in 2023, an unique attempt at horror-theater called “Grey House” wasn’t prepared for primetime.
The presently working “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” has components of fright, sure, but none are almost as terrifying as how a lot money the show price to produce.
The Broadway show “Paranormal Activity” has a new plot separate from the movies. Matthew Murphy
Now comes “Paranormal Activity,” directed by Felix Barrett, the co-director of “Sleep No More.”
It’s a good ol’ haunted home story. And if there’s one factor Broadway is aware of, it’s homes. Lest you cry “Unoriginal!,” the play, which incorporates Blumhouse’s Jason Blum among its producers, has a new plot about a Chicago couple relocating to London fairly than ripping off one of the seven movies.
The first indie film, which has a handheld, “Blair Witch Project” vibe, was made for a puny $15,000 and went on to gross $194 million, making it one of the most profitable movies of all time. In that sense, it’s a forefather of “Obsession.”
“Paranormal Activity” is among the most profitable movies ever made. Blumhouse Productions
“Paranormal” was cleverly marketed — previewing for a number of weekends at midnight screenings on faculty campuses in cities like Ann Arbor, Michigan, before Paramount even announced a release date. Its uncommon trailer was two minutes of freaked-out viewers reactions.
The Broadway show will hope for that same kind of organic-ish success fueled by phrase of mouth. The ideally suited phrase being “Scary!” The first 4 preview performances of the play had been offered out, which is more than the last Tony Award winner for Best Musical, “Schmigadoon!,” can boast of its past week.
Time will inform. First, this weekend comes the demons no priest yet has been ready to absolutely exorcise: the critics.
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