Ghost Stories review: Ghoulishness and droll surprises in returning cult horror show

This cult show from Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman has had two West End runs, delighting audiences with its mix of ghoulishness, droll surprises and nods to chilling films such as Halloween and The Ring. Now it returns to the venue where it had its first London outing nine years ago (and which was until recently run by the duo’s co-director Sean Holmes).

Simon Lipkin is Philip Goodman, an engaging and apparently sceptical lecturer in parapsychology. Standing at a lectern, shambolic yet articulate, he introduces us to three curious cases and their central ‘percipients’ — people who pick up on things outside the five senses’ usual range.

The first is Garry Cooper’s jaded security guard, on the night shift in a rickety warehouse, the next a student (Preston Nyman) whose car breaks down in the fog, and the last a charmless City trader (Richard Sutton) who has a blood-curdling encounter in his unborn child’s nursery.

The show’s creators dial up the tension effectively, and it’s technically impressive. There are atmospheric designs by Jon Bausor, craftily lit by James Farncombe, and Nick Manning’s rasping soundscape accentuates Scott Penrose’s clever special effects. Sometimes the more macabre moments are at risk of being diluted by bursts of giggly humour, and the stories could be more varied. But this is a shrewdly packaged 85 minutes that will satisfy theatregoers eager to conspire in its hammy horror.

Until May 11 (020 8741 6850, lyric.co.uk)