11 Horror Plays That Will Spook You Silly
If you’re in the mood for a good scare, you’re in the right place. We’ve put together a list of 11 horror plays that are sure to send tingles down your spine. So turn down the lights, get cozy, and try to enjoy these theatrical thrills.
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1. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Crucible is a semi-fictional retelling of the Salem witch trials in 1592/93. Although the play’s initial reviews were less than spectacular, it has since gone on to become a recognized classic of the American theatre.
2. Wait Until Dark by Frederick Knott
Wait Until Dark tells the story of a blind Greenwich Village housewife. She is the target of three con men who are searching for heroin, which has been hidden inside of a doll. The show first opened in 1966, but it has been frequently revived since.
3. Night of the Living Dead by Carroll, Romero, and Russo
This three-act play follows the story of a group of strangers who are all trapped together in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse. And of course, that can’t end well. In Night of the Living Dead, they all have to work together in order to fight for their survival.
4. Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
Although technically classified as a “tragedy” not a “horror”, Titus Andronicus can get pretty gruesome. Some productions of this play even require extra staff to take care of fainting theatre goers! It’s Shakespeare’s bloodiest and most violent work.
5. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Macbeth tells the story of the potential psychological effects that can come along with having too much power and ambition, especially when it comes to politics. Also, this play is so bad-ass that it’s typically forbidden to say the name of it aloud when in most theaters.
6. Deathtrap by Ira Levin
Deathtrap is a comedy-thriller “play within a play.” It tells the story of an ambitious playwright who considers the idea of getting rid of a protege in order to take his script and present it as his own.
7. The Haunting of the Hill House by F. Andrew Leslie & Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of the Hill House is a suspense play that’s based on Shirley Jackson’s novel. It tells the story of an anthropologist who conducts a curious research project in a house that’s said to be haunted.
8. The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh
In Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, we follow the story of a writer who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his stories. We then find out that there is something strangely similar between his plots and the murders that have been taking place around town.
9. Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring
Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic play that tells the story of a drama critic who finds out that his aunts have been poisoning gentlemen callers and hiding them in the cellar.
10. Frankenstein by Nick Dear / Mary Shelley
The play version of Frankenstein is based off of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name. The play follows the story of Victor Frankenstein, who creates a living creature out of the remains of human corpses.
11. The Weir by Conor McPherson
In Conor McPherson’s The Weir, local Irish men swap scary stories in an attempt to impress the sole lady in the bar. But things take a turn when she begins to “spin a yarn of her own”.
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Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip and the author of The Thespian’s Bucket List. She is also the creator of The Cast Album List. Her background includes a BA in Theatre, a TESOL Drama certificate, and professional experience in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
