Theatre is set to get gruesome and gripping this winter; strap yourself in for entertainment of a slightly uncomfortable nature

Words: Sophie Haslett

British audiences have a longstanding tradition of terrifying themselves in theatres. Take The Woman In Black; it debuted in Scarborough in 1987 and it has been a fixture in the West End since 1989. And as the trend for immersive theatre grows, so has the desire among theatre-goers to be spooked, chased and scared witless by actors who whisper in your ear when you’re least expecting it.

As it’s Halloween, there’s no better time to seek out the sort of experience that keeps you perched on your seat’s edge, gripping the hand rests with slightly clenched knuckles. So here’s our pick of the darkest, goriest and just plain terrifying theatre coming up. Just keep your wits about you.

Psycho Killer

If you’re a fan of Matt Smith and Eighties pop, you could do worse than see the soon-to-be erstwhile Time Lord fire up a chainsaw to the beat of Phil Collins’ Sussudio. Because, in a marked departure from Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel American Psycho and the 2000 film of the same name starring Christian Bale, this production is a musical. Naturally, director Rupert Goold is keen to make the soundtrack central to the story; “The musical is very cool and hip but it also pastiches the period,” he explains. If you’re not clear on the plot, it’s about a yuppie Wall Street banker who likes to rape and murder while musing on business cards, face masks and Phil Collins. There will be blood. There will be Eighties music. There will be Matt Smith singing. All boxes ticked.

American Psycho; 3 December-25 January 2014; Almeida Theatre, London N1; £8-£45; almeida.co.uk

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