Greatest Thriller and Horror Stage Shows of All Time – Since the dawn of time, we have been seeking a rush of adrenaline from live theatre and shows. On stage, our fears and terrors can come to life in a way that is as thrilling as it is disturbing.

From murder to unwanted ghosts, there are lots of plays to satisfy a desire for horror, putting you as an audience member in the thick of the scares on stage. 

Greatest Thriller and Horror Stage Shows of All Time

Macbeth

The iconic play by William Shakespeare is a classic thriller that has been on our stages for centuries. The anticipation, mystery and murder involved make the story a truly spine-chilling watch. The play originated in the early 1600s, telling the tale of the damaging psychological impacts of political ambition through the trauma that Macbeth encounters. Opening with witches on stage plotting trouble sets the tone for the chaos and horror that dominates the play and chills the audience. The play is so terrifying that some performers even believe that it’s cursed and refuse to mention the word ‘Macbeth’ aloud, coining it ‘The Scottish Play’ instead – just in case something bad were to happen!

Blasted

‘Blasted’ by Sarah Kane falls into the categories of both horror and thriller, making it a disturbing watch. It was first put on stage in 1995 and the horrors that unfold become more and more frightening as the play goes on. Set in a hotel room in Leeds, the real terror of the play is in the reminder to the audience that this could happen to them – no one is safe from horror and tragedy. With the collision of the Bosnian War and the Leeds hotel room, bombs, soldiers and unspeakable crimes take place right in front of the audience’s eyes. The graphic and grotesque play is a must watch for any thriller fans, so long as they are prepared for the horrors that they will be watching.

The Woman in Black

The terrifying stage show that we know as ‘The Woman in Black’ was originally a book by Susan Hill. The stage production brings to life the sounds, sights and scares of the novel, putting you as an audience member right in the centre of the creepy action. The play is renowned as one of the most petrifying shows about and definitely not for the faint of heart. The play follows a lawyer who is sent to a mysterious house in Crythin Grifford to collect any important documents left by a woman who had once lived there before she died. The play takes a supernatural turn as the lawyer is tormented by a woman in black and faces dreadful consequences for having ventured into the house. It is one of the West End’s longest-running plays for a reason and is truly unmissable for lovers of ghost stories and jump scares.

Carrie

‘Carrie’ is the story of a high school girl who is bullied by her peers and is consistently an outsider. When surprised by her first period at school, she is confused and scared and mocked for it by the other school girls. Her Mother punishes her for her bleeding, telling her that it is because of her sin. By the end of the play, the tables turn and Carrie gets her revenge in a shockingly gruesome twist. ‘Carrie’ is an unnerving and dark story written as a book by Stephen King in 1974. In 1988 is was adapted for the stage by Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford and Lawrence D. Cohen, but reimagined as a spooky musical. The eerie music, lighting and staging really elevate the fear that Carrie feels – and that we as an audience feel watching her! It might not be as traditionally terrifying because of its musical genre, but it puts an interesting spin on the genre of horror in theatres.

The Crucible

‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller is another hair-raising production. The play premiered in 1953 at Martin Beck Theatre in New York and has been taunting its audience members ever since. Miller has dramatized and fictionalised the story of the Salem Witch trials that took place in Massachusetts Bay Colony and the play even won a Tony award for Best Play, going to show how impactful the fear ‘The Crucible’ instils is. Since then, ‘The Crucible’ has been adapted to be a film, an opera, several television adaptations and even a ballet. However, the original play is a wonderfully horrifying experience for any audience member looking for an evening of thrills and excitement.

The Turn of the Screw

In 1996, Jeffrey Hatcher adapted Henry James’s ghostly novella into an even more terrifying stage production. The tale follows a governess, whose name we never learn, being posted at a spooky house in Bly with two children named Miles and Flora. As the play goes on, the governess begins to see figures of a man and woman on the grounds of the house and is alarmed and frightened. It is not immediately clear that these figures are ghosts, and the governess becomes more and more worried that one of the ghosts is affecting or controlling Miles. ‘The Turn of the Screw’ is an iconic story with all of the gothic tropes you could need to construct the perfectly creepy performance that it does.

Frankenstein

‘Frankenstein’ is the thrilling story of a man named Victor Frankenstein who decides to try and create human life and manages to bring a being to life named the Creature. Havoc is quickly wreaked though as the Creature is despised by humans and seeks revenge on the man who brought him into the world and then abandoned him. The murderous rampage and endless suspense makes this thriller one to shock any unsuspecting audience member, keeping you on the edge of your seat all the way through to the end. The story was originally a book written by Mary Shelley in 1818, but was put on stage by Nick Dear in 2011 at the Royal National Theatre. It will have you constantly feeling like you need to look over your shoulder.

What do you think’s missing from our list of the Greatest Thriller and Horror Stage Shows?

Why not catch a great drama at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre.