Crybabies: The Scaring review – chills and laughs abound in twisty tale of demonic possession

The Pleasance Courtyard in Edinburgh is currently hosting "The Scaring," a comic play by the acclaimed Radio 4 trio Michael Clarke, James Gault, and Ed Jones, collectively known as Crybabies. This production continues a proud tradition of horror pastiche at the Edinburgh Festival, a lineage that includes notable acts like Garth Marenghi and Andrew Doherty’s successful "Gay Witch Sex Cult" from two summers prior. "The Scaring" distinguishes itself with its ambitious production values, rarely seen on the fringe circuit, and a masterful blend of genuine chills and sharp comedic wit. The play's narrative centers on a tale of demonic possession, featuring a disillusioned priest and set within a guesthouse so dilapidated and unsettling that it makes the Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick's iconic horror film "The Shining" appear positively luxurious by comparison. The script is densely packed with intelligent gags, drawing a vivid, albeit macabre, comparison to a hotelier’s cellar overflowing with the corpses of unfortunate guests.

The plotting of "The Scaring" is as intricate and disorienting as Regan MacNeil's famously contorted neck in William Friedkin's seminal horror masterpiece, "The Exorcist." This classic film is directly referenced in a particularly effective scene that masterfully balances creepiness with dark humor, featuring a haunted doll. The play's story opens with two priests engaged in the perilous task of exorcising a formidable beast originating from another dimension. However, their efforts are ultimately unsuccessful, as the demonic entity triumphs, leaving the protagonist, Father Arthur, devastated and stripped of both his partner and his priestly vocation. The narrative then takes an unexpected turn with a non-sequitur second act, where Father Arthur finds himself employed in the immersive stag-do industry. This unconventional career path is abruptly halted when he is summoned to the Lyle Away hotel, a location that promises a profound and unavoidable reckoning with the traumatic events of his past. The play culminates with the imposing figure of the demon Haeldrrun, a spectacle that towers over the stage, underscoring the production's considerable scale and ambition for a fringe theatre offering. "The Scaring" not only delivers on its promise of scares and laughs but also solidifies Crybabies' reputation for creating engaging and technically impressive theatrical experiences.