The House on Cold Hill is a spooky, gripping tale based on the supernatural best-selling thriller by Peter James. The story follows the Harcourt family as they move away from the hustle and bustle of London city life into the idyllic countryside and their abandoned Georgian mansion – their dream “forever home” that has lay empty for over 40 years and is in dire need of more than just a lick of paint.
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Dad, successful web designer Ollie Harcourt (Joe McFadden), and his solicitor wife Caro Harcourt (Rita Simons) are keen to settle into their new home and remain optimistic despite the financial pressure of such a project and the gossip from their eccentric new neighbours about ghostly goings on.
However when their teenage daughter Jade (Persephone Swales-Dawson), devastated at leaving her city life behind her for the deserted countryside, quickly starts to question the unsettling goings-on and investigates the supernatural world, they soon begin to wonder who else is lurking in the darkness…
Some would say McFadden is most famous for his 2017 win on Strictly Come Dancing and regular appearances on Casualty and Holby City. Others would note his work on The Crow Road, Small Faces and High Road. Here, the local boy is well paired with former soap star Simons, fresh from her long running stint as Roxy Mitchell on EastEnders.
Together with Swales-Dawson they deliver a convincing performance of a family driven to the edge by things that go bump in the night.
The acting can at times veer towards hammy and a tad overly dramatic but this is to be expected from this particular strand of the horror genre.
The script is packed full of witty remarks and humour provoking much laughter from the audience, particularly delivered from the hippy “psychic” Annie (Tricia Deighton) who is hired as a cleaner by Caro.
Charlie Clements, also a former resident of Walford Square, delivers a great performance as the awkwardly nervy tech geek Chris who has a fascination with the supernatural world.
The set design achieves the difficult task of building tension and atmosphere as a gloomy delipitated mansion with effective lighting and special effects to deliver plenty of spooks and jump-in-your-seat moments.
The single scene set can slow down the action and at times overly lengthy dialogues can plod along, only partially saved by the acting from an experienced all-star cast.
The ending seems a little rushed after a long tense build up with a very quick second act, however the unexpected twist at the end was cleverly told.
The introduction of 21st century technology embedded into the plot such as Alexa, FaceTime and YouTube also gives this traditional ghost story a relevant edge.
Perhaps not a full-blooded thriller, but well worth a watch.
Tickets available at the Theatre Royal until Saturday 1st June.