2:22 A Ghost Story – a chilling exploration of the fragile fault lines between trust, scepticism and belief

There’s something deeply unsettling about a story that unfolds in real time – especially when it hinges on what may or may not be lurking in the dark. 2:22 A Ghost Story delivers exactly that: a sharp, suspenseful thriller that toys with the fragile fault between trust, scepticism, and belief in relationships.

The premise

The premise is deceptively simple. Jenny (Shvorne Marks) believes her new house is haunted. Every night, at precisely 2:22 am, she hears someone moving around upstairs.

Her husband Sam (James Bye) is dismissive – a rationalist who believes there’s a logical explanation for everything. Over dinner with old friend Lauren (Natalie Casey) and her partner Ben (Grant Kilburn), what begins as a polite debate escalates into a night-long vigil to see what really happens when the clock strikes 2:22.

It’s a brilliantly simple set-up. One living room. Four characters.

Suspense over spectacle

What makes 2:22 A Ghost Story work so effectively isn’t elaborate staging or jump-scare theatrics (though there are a few moments that genuinely jolt). Instead, it’s the psychological sparring.

The script crackles with debate – science versus superstition, intuition versus evidence, belief versus ego. Each character is carefully drawn, and as the night deepens, their personal insecurities and relationship fractures surface alongside the supposed haunting.

The pacing is relentless. The play runs for two hours, including an interval, and its real-time structure creates a mounting sense of unease. The digital clock on stage becomes oppressive. Every creak feels amplified. Every silence stretches.

More than a ghost story

Robins has spent years collecting real-life paranormal testimonies. What fascinates him isn’t simply whether ghosts are “real,” but what belief itself reveals about us.

A ghost sighting, he has suggested, is like a detective story in which both the witness and the ghost are suspects. Do we trust the teller? What does it mean if we don’t? What happens to intimacy when one partner dismisses the other’s lived experience?

Those questions sit at the heart of this production.

Sam’s scepticism is not merely intellectual; it’s emotional. Jenny’s fear is not simply about unexplained noises; it’s about being believed. As the night deepens, the cracks in their relationship widen. The haunting, whether real or imagined, becomes a catalyst.

The debate is sharp, funny, and recognisable: science versus superstition, ego versus vulnerability, certainty versus doubt.

The comfort of fear

Part of the play’s power lies in its cultural timing. History shows that belief in the supernatural surges in uncertain eras. After the world wars, spiritualism flourished. In our own unsettled times, horror is once again hugely popular, and paranormal podcasts attract devoted followings.

Why?

Because, paradoxically, ghost stories are comforting.

They allow us to confront death – humanity’s greatest anxiety – within safe boundaries. The idea that something lingers beyond mortality, however frightening, is also reassuring. Perhaps the real question isn’t “Do ghosts exist?” but “Can we exist without them?”

That philosophical undercurrent elevates 2:22 A Ghost Story beyond a standard thriller. Yes, there are jolts. Yes, there are moments that make the audience collectively gasp. But the real tension lies in what belief means — and what it costs.

Performance and atmosphere

This cast brings strong ensemble energy.

James Bye’s Sam bristles with clipped logic and underlying insecurity. Shvorne Marks captures Jenny’s escalating desperation with convincing emotional weight. Natalie Casey and Grant Kilburn provide both comic relief and surprising depth as Lauren and Ben, gradually revealing their own vulnerabilities as the night progresses.

The sleek domestic set design lulls us into familiarity, while subtle sound and lighting shifts create mounting dread. Nothing feels excessive. The horror emerges from suggestion rather than spectacle — and that restraint makes it more unsettling.

The verdict: Does it deliver?

This is a smart, thought-provoking supernatural thriller that uses the language of horror to explore themes of trust, mortality, and belief. Tautly written and compellingly performed, it proves that sometimes the scariest thing isn’t what goes bump in the night – it’s not being believed.

The final twist will divide audiences. Some will love the ambiguity; others may want something more definitive. But that conversation – that lingering “what do you think really happened?” – is part of the experience.

Ultimately, 2:22 A Ghost Story isn’t just about whether ghosts exist. It’s about what we choose to believe, and why.

And whether you’re a sceptic or a believer, you may find yourself listening a little more carefully when the clock strikes 2:22.

Get tickets

2:22 A Ghost Story is currently playing at New Theatre Oxford from Monday 23 February to Saturday 28 February. The production will also stop at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre from 08 to 13 June.

New Theatre Oxford Tickets

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Tickets

Audiences can expect the same tense, real-time suspense and compelling performances that have made it a record-breaking West End phenomenon.