The two men behind the world premiere stage adaptation of hit horror film Paranormal Activity currently know all about being woken by loud cries in the middle of the night. Director Felix Barrett and writer Levi Holloway's nocturnal activity isn't paranormal, though. It's parental.
"We both have six-month-old babies," Holloway says to explain why the pair are even more bleary-eyed than they might usually be in the frantic final preparations for a major new show. "The only paranormal activity I know is at 03:30 with the cry for milk. That comes quite regularly at the moment," Barrett jokes.
"Yeah, we're both very haunted," Holloway adds wryly. They haven't let night-time disturbances stop them from coming to the Leeds Playhouse theatre's café first thing in the morning to talk about their production - and fill up on coffee - before starting their last week of rehearsals. With Paranormal Activity, they are taking on a modern horror classic.
In 2009, the film terrified audiences by showing an everyday young couple, Katie and Micah, at the mercy of unexplained forces in their San Diego home. It became one of the most profitable films ever, if box office takings are compared with the original production budget. It cost just $15,000 (£8,000) to make and went on to earn $193m (£125m) - then spawned a franchise that took another $700m (£435m).
The stage version isn't a simple recreation, but few details have been revealed so far. Instead of posting the usual promotional blurb to.
