Now that spooky season is upon us, more and more people will be testing their bravery with a classic Halloween activity: watching horror movies. As fun as the movies are, Denton residents can now truly immerse themselves in a horror story with a little help from a scrappy local theater company.
Sundown Collaborative Theatre will close its 16th season with The Haunting of Hill House this weekend and next weekend at the Theatre Denton Annex at Golden Triangle Mall.
If you go
What: Sundown Collaborative Theatre presents The Haunting of Hill House, adapted by F. Andrew Leslie from the novel by Shirley Jackson.
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 4-5 and Oct. 11-12, with matinees at 2:30 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 6 and 13
Where: Theatre Denton Annex, next to Dillard’s inside Golden Triangle Mall, 2201 S. Interstate 35E
Tickets: $17 general admission; $14 discounted rate for students, seniors and anyone who may need it; $20 option to donate extra to support Sundown.
On the web: For tickets and more information, visit sundowntheatre.org/series/the-haunting-of-hill-house.
Although some viewers may be most familiar with the Netflix adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, this production’s director, Julia Bodiford, specified that the play is more faithful to the original 1959 novel by Shirley Jackson.
The story follows a set of siblings who come to an eerie and isolated house on a hill to learn more about the supernatural. They end up also confronting their own inner turmoil.
“Horror is really my favorite genre,” Bodiford said. “I feel like most of the time, you can find depth in horror. Fear is such a visceral emotion that we all feel and we all can feel connected to. What you’re afraid of tells you a lot [about] who you are. So I think we explore that quite a bit in the show.”
Bodiford said she was already a fan of the novel and its film and television adaptations, but that she was intrigued by the immersive nature of the play.
Marketing manager Lindsey Hall said the show allows the audience to experience elements of classic horror stories in a different environment.
“As a person who loves horror movies,” Hall said, “I feel a lot of what those characters feel. But there’s something so different, so powerful, about being there live with the person that’s feeling [those emotions].”
Hall even recommended the show for people who don’t like the gory or violent side of horror.
“I think it’s more accessible to folks that might be turned off by the horror movies that come out nowadays,” she said. “It is scary, psychological and atmospheric. But I think it’s very accessible, even for a person who doesn’t typically love horror.”
They advised a PG-13 rating for the show and noted that some lighting changes and special effects may not be suitable for photosensitive viewers. There will be an American Sign Language interpreter for the final show on Oct. 13.
Bodiford encouraged viewers to come to Hill House because live horror performances aren’t common.
“It’s an opportunity to get to see horror theater,” Bodiford said. “Whether it is [at Sundown] or anywhere, whether you think you like horror or not, I really think that if there’s ever a horror show, you should go support it.”