The Haunting of Spook Mansion (by ghosts) review | Chapel Off Chapel

The Haunting of Spook Mansion (by ghosts) opens with a cheeky premise, a sceptical professor, a believer, and a cash reward big enough to convince anyone to spend a night in a purportedly cursed mansion. It promises chills, chuckles and a full tour of every haunted house trope you can think of, and for a while it delivers exactly that. But as the story progresses, the humour sometimes trips over its own hair-raising ambitions.
 
The play opens at a reading for A Bullshittery of Ghosts, the latest book by Professor Adrian Chambers, the Head of a University Paranormal Disproval Department. There he meets Beth, a fan of Chambers' and the supernatural who challenges him to stay overnight in Spook Mansion and pocket five hundred thousand dollars for his trouble. Adrian barely pauses to breathe before accepting, and the slumber party kicks off.

The performances by Peter Houghton, Emily Taheny and Ben Russell are solid across the board. Taheny is terrific as the seemingly innocent Beth, letting the cracks in her facade appear little by little as the plot unfolds. Houghton brings an easy charm to the pompous and arrogant professor who believes he is always one step ahead of everyone. Russell adds welcome energy as Flugel, the local shop owner, going for bold choices and making them work in this over-the-top but enjoyable performance.
 
Writer Michael Ward packs plenty of laughs into the lead-up to Adrian’s arrival at the mansion. Every classic gimmick and cliche gets a turn, including sinister portraits, ventriloquist dolls, unsettling music and hillbilly locals. The comedy keeps things lively, but the tension is there too, at least early on. Around the halfway mark though, the plot knots itself up with heavy exposition, too many flashbacks and a random plot regarding a BBC contract that drains the suspense. By the finale, the big reveal is hard to follow and even harder to make sense of, and you cannot help wondering what you were meant to take from it.
 
Jason Bovaird’s lighting design creates an atmospheric world, particularly when it comes to the spookier elements of the production. For the most part Stephen Gates’ sound design works neatly alongside it. The jump scares and audio stingers, however, start to wear thin after the first couple.
 
While The Haunting of Spook Mansion (by ghosts) has a playful set up, committed performances and an eerie design, it never quite sticks the landing. There are laughs, there are even a few decent jolts and there is clear affection for the genre, but the tangled storytelling in the second half prevents the show from becoming the sharp, spooky romp it sets out to be. You walk away entertained by some moments, slightly puzzled by others, and wishing the clever ideas had been given a clearer path to haunt.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran
Season: until 23 November | Wed - Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6:30pm
Duration: 75 minutes
Tickets: $55 Full | $49 Conc
Bookings: Chapel Off Chapel

Image credit: Darren Gill