The Exorcist, Phoenix Theatre

The Woman in Black's days as the scariest thing on stage are numbered.

This autumn, theatre goes beyond spooky and jumpy into fully fledged horror with the first stage adaptation of The Exorcist. It transfers to the West End just in time for Halloween, after opening at the Birmingham Rep Theatre in 2016.

William Peter Blatty's best-selling 1971 novel, which two years later was made into a record-breakingly popular and profitable horror movie, tells the story of satanic possession. Forty-five years later, despite all our technological innovations, few things have matched the scare-factor.

The impact comes not from grisly gore, but through tension and jump-out-of-your-skin spookiness. There's an eerie familiarity to the small town American setting. A normal family finds their little girl experiencing strange convulsions and unexplainable symptoms. Doctors are baffled; priests cannot help.

Sean Mathias, who was last on the West End directing Patrick Stuart and Ian McKellen in No Man's Land, is at the helm of the production, leading an effects team that includes Olivier-winning designer Anna Fleischle (Hangmen, Royal Court & West End) and illusion designer Ben Hart (Impossible, West End).

Though the limitations of performance may be stretched with 360-degree head spinning and projectile vomiting, it's astounding how sound and lighting effects can create terror and tension within the confines of an auditorium.

As the Exorcist film is still one of the top ten grossing films of all time, there's no doubt the stage version will be popular. But will it be as scary? There's only one way to find out...

Recommended for over 18s
Booking for The Exorcist at Phoenix Theatre opens at 10am on Monday 14 August.