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Hokey supernatural melodrama fails to thrill or chill.Summary
Rating
The clanking of chains sets the mood as we wait for the action to begin, and it’s an accurate indication of what’s in store.
After a brief funeral prologue, we meet History Professor Richard Dubois (Mark Kitto) as he gives a university lecture about how legends of the supernatural are embedded in every human society, and have been since time immemorial. He’s interrupted by Erin (Jessica Porter), a Psychology student keen to expose historic witch trials as just another excuse for men to abuse women. The Prof helpfully offers to help Erin investigate the case of Elspeth Langford, the victim of just such a trial, whose house has been the site of mysterious disappearances ever since…
Erin duly sets out to stay overnight at Elspeth’s house, camping with her more outdoorsy brother Sam (Saul Bache). Erin and Sam’s sibling bickering/banter seems rooted in their relationship with their father, and some sort of childhood trauma is hinted at.
At the house, spooky things start to happen – but it’s obviously the wind creaking the front door open and slamming that window, right?
Flashbacks reveal young Elspeth’s (Eleanor May Blackburn) seduction by the wicked Reverend Woods (Kitto again) and how he trumped up the witchcraft charges against her to conceal his own transgressions, and then we return to the present to find out what the consequences will be for curious Erin and her brother.
The Witching Hour boasts a really lovely set, effective and atmospheric lighting, and the cast are all fine.
However, this is not so much a play as an entertainment, with basic jump-scares attempting to fill the gap where narrative tension should be. There’s nothing original or surprising in the story, the scenes between Erin and Sam are dull, and the attempt to crowbar a serious #MeToo message into the hackneyed plotline just seems crass.
I’m a big fan of schlocky supernatural stories, but if you’re going to go for pure escapism you do still need to exhibit some measure of skill and dramatic coherence. The Witching Hour just gets more histrionic and confusing as it staggers to its conclusion – a progression matched by Ashley M A Walsh’s compositions, which begin quite subtly but eventually swell to Omen-like extremes.
I’d hoped for some cheesy fun, but even an aficionado of gothic nonsense such as myself has to draw the line somewhere.
Written and directed by: James Williams
Set & Lighting Design by: Alex Johnson
Sound Design by: Dan Clarkson
Original Compositions by: Ashley MA Walsh
Associate Set & Lighting by: Joanne Marshall
Associate Direction by: Alexandra Whiteley
The Witching Hour plays at Bridewell Theatre until Saturday 20th July. Further information and booking is available here.
