Spooky treat from the master of fear
NEUNOIR Theatre Company returns this Halloween for The Outcast, an intimate reading of two chilling ‘spook stories’ by horror writer E.F. Benson at Stourbridge Town Hall and Birmingham Back to Backs.
After her younger fortune-hunting husband commits suicide, a 40-something widow relocates to a small country town in The Outcast. She’s charming, witty, sociable, well-dressed, beautiful, and seemingly the perfect companion. Yet those in her vicinity often find her eerily and inexplicably detestable – though none can explain why.
Could it be that her new home is, as rumoured, haunted? Or is something else at play?
Complementing The Outcast, the night also includes a reading of the macabre The Thing In The Hall, in which a spirit has been tempted into this world after a seance – but what kind of elemental spirit, no-one is certain.
A prolific writer, Edward Frederic Benson (1867-1940) was the son of Birmingham-born Edward White Benson, who was later the Archbishop of Canterbury. Best known for his popular Mapp and Lucia series, EF also authored numerous biographies, as well as many short stories. Among these shorts were dozens of what he referred to as “spook stories” – frightening and creepy yarns that delve into the dark corners of haunted houses, and reveal weird horrific creatures and happenings, often in unexpected everyday places. A master of the horror genre, E.F Benson’s work has been championed by everyone from American writer H.P. Lovecraft, to actor/writer Mark Gatiss.
First collected in 1923’s Visible And Invisible anthology, The Outcast demonstrates perfectly Benson’s skill at introducing the strange into the everyday, while The Thing In The Hall warns of the dangers of dabbling in the unknown.
In the words of EF Benson: “Fear is the most absorbing and luxurious of emotions. One forgets all else if one is afraid.”
Having gripped audiences with Carnacki – The Ghost Finder last Halloween, actor Richard Usher returns to ensure attendees are suitably spooked again.
Neunoir presents The Outcast at Stourbridge Town Hall on Friday, October 28, and Birmingham’s historic Back to Backs on Sunday, October 30. For tickets and more information visit www.neunoir.wordpress.com