Review: Dreams of the Dark at Alma Tavern Theatre

New show by Knife-Edge Theatre brings together horror and humour for a gripping show

“It was very, very clever,” a man in the audience stated at the end of the show. This is a good way of summing up Dreams of the Dark. It’s a clever twisting tale amounting to a satisfying hour and twenty minutes of horror theatre.

What at first seems like a series of creepy short stories comes together with nightmarish glee.

There’s nothing like producing an Ouija board right at the start of the show and asking if anyone is there? Hopefully just the two actors, a tech and 50 audience members. But, along with an unsettling soundtrack of piano and violin music it’s attention grabbing from the off.

The first scene is smart. It’s funny, tense and ends in a jumpscare of sorts. It’s quite cinematic, feeling like a Cold Open that takes us into a Twilight Zone.

A man and woman who have met on a dating site for widowers arrive at a spooky location for an Ouija board session. Except, there are clearly very crossed wires in the human world. It’s deft writing, blending comedy and horror in one neat package.

A planchette that moves of its own accord, a chill in the air. Bristol’s answer to Derren Brown – Peter Clifford – is one half of the show’s creators, staging some neat tricks and gory scenes.

Heather Phoenix plays a woman who is haunted by bad dreams. Each tale spins from this. The audience puzzles over whether what they are watching is real or not. At times, it’s really quite unsettling.

It would be too much of a spoiler to talk about the plot, because it’s likely the show will be revived at some point and little prior knowledge for it is a good thing.

Dreams of the Dark has been created by Peter Clifford and Heather Phoenix of knife-Edge Theatre. Together they have staged an original piece of theatre. It borrows from the horror genre, creating a strong story that feels fresh and plays with our expectations. Blending a touch of gore, a touch of the supernatural, a touch of psychological horror and a touch of witchcraft, it’s a memorable and entertaining piece of theatre.

For more about what’s coming up at the Alma Tavern Theatre, visit: https://www.almatavernandtheatre.co.uk/

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