Award-winning play to return to Theatr Colwyn

The Haunting of Blaine Manor, written and directed by playwright Joe O’Byrne, had previously played to a sell-out crowd at the theatre in November 2021.

The play revolves around renowned American parapsychologist Doctor Roy Earle, famous for discrediting hauntings and exposing fake mediums, who is invited to attend a seance in what is said to be the most haunted building in England, Blaine Manor.

One of the actors in the chilling play.

All who walk within those grounds will be cursed, yet the Doctor’s arrival at the manor has awoken something, something horrific within the walls.

As a raging storm closes off Blaine Manor from the outside world, Earle and the others find that what is waiting there is not nearly as horrific as what has entered with him.

The play pays homage to the black and white classic horror films of Columbia Pictures, Metro Goldwyn Mayor, Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox, and the writer’s first period piece features a star cast of Peter Slater, Jo Haydock, Ed Barry, Andrew Yates and James Allen.

The play features an original, chilling sound design and haunting theme by Justin Wetherill.

WATCH BELOW: The crowd's reaction to the play at Theatr Colwyn in November.

Creator Joe O’Byrne said: “I always wanted to do a haunted house story – not just a ghost story though.

“I wanted it to be a period piece, something that would fit the world of M R James, H P Lovecraft or Edgar Allen Poe.

“At the same time tipping the hat to the Hammer Horror Classics that I watched in my youth.

“And how many of those classics tapped into England’s cultural history of haunted castles, demons and witchcraft?

A haunting scene in the play.

“In tandem with this I also wanted to create something that was a throwback to the Hollywood Golden Age, where glamour mixed with danger like bourbon poured over rocks, a time where you would see the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall and Peter Cushing strutting their stuff, all class and dynamite patter.

“I think they’d feel at home in Blaine Manor.

“Yes, there is fear here, my original sound designer left the production due to having nightmares about the story.

“The play delivers on its promises, all backed up by the reviews.

“Come along for a night you’ll never forget.”

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