Screaming from the balcony of the Union chamber last night, Cecile Taylor gave voice to my own feelings about that famous debating hall. Is there anywhere in Cambridge more haunted than that chamber—other than perhaps the Varsity offices? After a week of controversy that left audiences “gasping and clutching [their] face”, Izzy Grout has a tough act to follow. Half-psychodrama, half-farce, her production of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel, The Haunting of Hill House, falls uncomfortably between categories. But with its humour and impressive sound design, this play holds its (unhallowed) ground.

It’s the original haunted house story. Supernatural investigator Dr Montague (William Johnson) invites three people to study the mysterious activity of Hill House. There’s Luke (Joseph Lucas), the timid heir to Hill House; and two women with experience of the beyond: the wisecrack artist, Theodora (Lillian Jones), and Eleanor (Cecile Taylor), still recovering from her mother’s death.

Andrew Leslie’s script has an almost impossible task. Much of the genius in Jackson’s novel is its haze of narration—troubled pasts and supernatural encounters are implied. But without a West End budget to bring the dead to life, Grout’s attempt at conjuring real ghosts is more campy than creepy.

“Sameera Bowers was scoring laughs with every facial expression”

A lot could be left to the imagination, and moments of intensely bright lighting hold us back from immersion. That said, much of the heavy-lifting is done by a sound system loud enough to blow your mind, battering the wood-panelled walls of the Union with enough force to shake the room. Nevertheless—and despite its reputation for drama of the wrong kind—the Union is not a theatre. Acting in the traverse (with the audience on either side) poses its own difficulties, and audibility in the chamber is an issue worsened by the tendency to mumble or rush lines.

Needless to say, feigning fear—like tears or laughter—is very difficult to pull off convincingly. But as the actors ease into their roles (and with lower lighting), some superb performances come out. Special mention must be given to Sameera Bowers as the paranormal medium, Mrs Montague; the audience followed her comic repartee with Arthur (Tess Bottomley) like a ping-pong match, scoring laughs with every facial expression.

Cecile Taylor navigates the changing tone of the play, bringing candour to her role as Eleanor that makes her terror all the more frightening. At times, the audience didn’t know whether to laugh or scream, but Taylor’s mesmerising finale—backlit beautifully by Sam Bell’s red lighting—redeemed the play from accusations of farce.

I’ve watched enough films to know not to step foot in the haunted house, but I’ll make an exception for Izzy Grout’s production in the Union Chamber. Was it scarier than the usual serving of free-thinking psychopaths? Not quite. But with a less literal take and some more immersive lighting, The Haunting of Hill House might just come alive.