“Paranormal Activity”, a stage adaptation of the low-budget 2007 horror film, opens at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre on 14 August. Its producers and director hope its intense scares and comic audience reactions will attract film and horror fans who do not usually attend theatre, potentially broadening Broadway’s audience.

The play follows young couple James and Lou as unsettling events escalate in their new home, and has already toured from Leeds to the West End and several US cities. Its prospects remain uncertain because Broadway tickets cost far more than cinema admission and previous horror productions, including “Grey House”, “Evil Dead: The Musical” and “American Psycho”, struggled to last; however, supporters point to continued appetite for horror and the franchise’s long-running popularity.