The Manoel Theatre and TOI TOI, the theatre’s learning and participation programme, will embrace the Halloween spirit with The Haunting, an original piece of horror theatre written and directed by Stephen Oliver.

The Haunting features true ghost stories from Malta’s past, extracts from recognisable plays and poems, a stellar cast and edge-of-your-seat special effects.

“I have always had a fascination with the horror genre, particularly the psychological type,” writer and director Stephen Oliver says. “What is it that scares us – the fear of the unknown, those things that play on our brain when we desperately try to sleep?”

Using local ghost stories as a starting point − including a famous tale about a woman who haunts the Manoel itself − Oliver was inspired to weave together a thrilling narrative that would bring the world of horror to the stage, something rarely done in Malta. In fact, this is the first time that TOI TOI will be exploring the theatrical horror genre.

“All of the best horror movies are always made more terrifying when a soundtrack is added and this is certainly the case with The Haunting,” Oliver explains.

“Lots of sudden noise and creepy underscoring will fill the theatre via surround sound. Making things appear where you least expect them is another aspect of horror, together with a myriad of special effects. I think when directing horror, it's always about looking for those elements that will play tricks on an audience member's mind, having them worry about where the next fright is coming from. For the actors, the challenge is about the storytelling and setting the fear factor for the audience throughout.”

The Haunting stars Victor Debono, Michael Mangion, Edward Thorpe, Isabel Warrington, Edward Caruana Galizia, and Cassandra Spiteri.

The surround sound will heighten the experience for audiences, with the sound travelling across and around the auditorium, instead of emitting from one fixed source, adding an element of suspense and surprise.

Lots of sudden noise and creepy underscoring will fill the theatre via surround sound

The script uses various sources as inspiration, including works by William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Walter De La Mere, Robert Graves and Susan Hill, writer of the iconic horror stage play The Woman in Black, which ran on the West End for over 30 years.

Kate Fenech Field, TOI TOI creative producer, describes the repertoire as “a blend of ghost stories and ghostly characters” which will bring fear to audiences “from a psychological perspective than anything.”

Audiences can expect lots of darkness, an impressive soundscape, haunting narratives and, of course, a number of jump scares.

Performances will take place on Halloween night, October 31, with the first show starting at 7.30pm, and a later show for braver audiences at 10.30pm.

Children below the age of 11 will not be admitted into the theatre. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit teatrumanoel.mt, call (+356) 21246389, or stop at the booking office in Old Theatre Street.