The Best Theatre Shows to Watch this Halloween

Paranormal Activity

Photo by Johan Persson

In 2007, a found footage horror film terrified and delighted audiences world wide, before launching a wildly popular franchise of eight terrifying films. Now, you can experience Paranormal Activity onstage, with this original story about an American couple who move into a new home to escape their past, only to find it haunted by terrifying supernatural entities. It’s packed with classic horror movie tropes, including a haunted house, jump scares, and ghostly visitors that prey on our most primal fears - all brought to life with innovative stage magic and special effects that'll have you on the edge of your seat throughout.

• Playing at the Ambassadors Theatre
• Closes 2 January 2027

Paranormal Activity Tickets

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Photo provided by production

If you loved Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things, you won’t want to miss this prequel play created by the Duffer brothers themselves. Return to Hawkins, Indiana in 1959, twenty-four years before the events of the show, and get reacquainted with familiar characters like Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers… and of course, Henry Creel, who will go on to become the terrifying Vecna. With mysteries, monsters, a secret lab, and a town haunted by the paranormal, this is the perfect Halloween watch - and the perfect excuse to catch this play before it closes in December.

• Playing at the Phoenix Theatre
• Closes 23 December 2026

Stranger Things: The First Shadow Tickets

The Mousetrap

The 2025 cast of The Mousetrap. Photo by Matt Crockett

Maybe ghosts and otherworldly entities don’t frighten you as much as human evil. If so, there’s nothing more thrilling than a murder mystery, and Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is not only a prime example of a classic whodunnit, but also the longest running play in the world - and for good reason. Seven strangers snowed in at a guesthouse realise to their horror that there’s a murderer in their midst, leading to a terrifying game of cat and mouse, twists and turns, and a shocking ending that has famously been kept under wraps all these years.

• Playing at St Martins Theatre
• Closes 17 July 2027

The Mousetrap Tickets

Beetlejuice the Musical

Photo by Johan Persson

Do you like your horror with a side of comedy, your ghosts more madcap than malicious? Then you’ll love this musical adaptation of Tim Burton’s cult classic film starring David Fynn as the zany, mischievous poltergeist and ‘ghost with the most’, Beetlejuice. Along with its tongue-in-cheek humour that pokes fun at the horror genre, the musical is filled with head-spinning set and costume design that create a whimsically gothic aesthetic, from the eerie haunted house to all the little details that deliberately evoke Tim Burton’s instantly recognisable signature style. It’s a haunting you won’t forget!

• Playing at the Prince Edward Theatre
• Closes 2 January 2027

Beetlejuice Tickets

The Phantom of the Opera

Beatrice Penny Toure and Dean Chisnall in The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Johan Persson.

Horror and romance can go hand in hand perfectly - The Phantom in the Opera follows in the footsteps of works like Dracula and Frankenstein by giving us a brooding, monstrous anti-hero with a tragic depth in the form of the titular Phantom. This timeless musical has a lush, gothic setting in the Paris Opera House, moments of heart-stopping horror and intrigue, and a captivating story about a woman haunted by an obsessive spectre, brought to life through dizzying special effects and an epic, haunting score. The Phantom of the Opera is a classic for a reason, and this year marks its 40th anniversary!

• Playing at His Majesty's Theatre
• Closes 2 October 2027

Phantom of the Opera Tickets

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Photo provided by production

For most of us, Halloween evokes childhood memories of dressing up as our favourite characters and pretending to be someone we weren’t. How many of you dressed up as Harry or Hermione from J K Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter series? Relive the nostalgia and return to the whimsical, enchanting Wizarding World with this sequel play that follows Harry’s son Albus nineteen years after the fall of Voldemort. Dazzling special effects, illusions, and stage magic bring the spells, flight, duels, apparition, and even the terrifying Dementors to life, immersing you into a magical world you won’t want to leave.

• Playing at the Palace Theatre
• Closes 27 June 2027

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Tickets

Jane Eyre

Photo by Victoria Davies

You can’t have Halloween without a good old gothic novel, and it doesn’t get any more gothic than Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. This musical adaptation takes you into the heart of the eerie Thornwood Hall, haunted by mysterious fires and laughter in the night-time. With a monochromatic colour palette and a score that evokes the desolate beauty of the Yorkshire moors, Jane Eyre captures every bit of the haunting atmospheric quality of Bronte’s book. It closes a week before Halloween, but you still have three weeks to watch it before October finishes.

• Playing at Southwark Playhouse Elephant
• Closes 24 October 2026

Jane Eyre Tickets

Hamlet Hail to the Thief

The company of Hamlet Hail to the Thief. Photo by Manuel Harlan

Hamlet is probably Shakespeare’s spookiest play after Macbeth, opening with a tortured ghost haunting the battlements of Elsinore Castle in search of revenge. With a tormented hero, characters struck by madness, a tragic ending, and plenty of bloodshed, it’s the perfect Halloween watch if you’re in the mood for some Shakespeare. And in this case, it comes with a musical twist, retold through the music and lyrics of Radiohead’s celebrated album, Hail to the Thief. Shakespeare meets Radiohead might sound like an unlikely combination, but those are often the best kind, bringing together theatre, music, and movement to put a new spin on this iconic story.

• Playing at the Barbican Theatre
• Opens 31 October 2026

Hamlet Hail to the Thief Tickets

Angel’s Bone

The cast of Angel's Bone, May 2026. Photo by Ellie Kurttz

Are you in the mood for some opera instead? Look no further than this dark, unsettling parable from Du Yun which won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. In this harrowing, eerie story of modern slavery and human trafficking, two fallen angels are held prisoner by a greedy couple. And this isn’t your standard issue opera either - it shatters operatic traditions by multiple musical genres from chamber music to electronica, spoken word and immersive staging, which includes projection and multiple viewing angles.

• Playing at the London Coliseum
• Opens 16 October 2026

Angel's Bone Tickets

Looking for more inspiration to fill your autumn with theatre? Check out our list of the 10 best new theatre openings in October. And if you enjoyed Jane Eyre, we've compiled a list of all the new book to stage adaptations you can enjoy this year. Want to know more about The Phantom of the Opera? We've answered all your burning questions about this epic musical here.