Torches in hand, we venture into Bethnal Green's most haunted house to experience the latest show from London's top immersive horror producers. Halloween is an apt time for an immersive theatre company that specialises in horror experiences to return with a new show. Following up the 8-month run of Bloodbath, which occupied their venue located below the arches of Bethnal Green, Screamworks are back with a show that offers big scares and a compelling story for those willing to dive in head first... Set within the abandoned home of the Luff family, who all died in 1937 in a bloody murder-suicide, visitors are invited by paranormal investigator Hector Phoenix to explore the family home and uncover the story of what caused their horrific deaths to occur. Screamworks previous show blurred the boundaries of what is the norm in immersive experiences, with actors force-feeding and tying up visitors, and at its climax, attempting to undress those who have braved the show. It was an arresting experience for those who attended. The most confronting parts of Bloodbath saw visitors become complicit in the actions of a serial killer, and played with the ideas of voyeurism and torture being little more than entertainment for blood thirsty audiences. In our recent interview with Gary Stocker, the CEO of Screamworks, he shared how their commitment to creating the immersive experience may have put some visitors off by appearing too intense. Therefore, it's no surprise that The Ghost Hunt's website seems to promise a show that's less intense than Bloodbath, with no physical contact between actors and visitors, and a storyline that's sold as more spooky than gory. On paper, it may seem like a step away from the boundary-pushing experience that made their previous work so engaging, but in reality, The Ghost Hunt is just as intense and terrifying an experience, with dozens of moments that had us jumping, screaming and recoiling in fear. Upon entry, each visitor is handed a torch - it's largely up to them to find their way through the space and discover what's hidden inside the various dimly lit rooms that make up the 45-minute long-experience. Putting the responsibility onto visitors to find their own way helps ramp up the tension and makes going around every corner a frightening prospect. You're free to explore at your own pace, which allows ample opportunity to pore over the clues scattered throughout if you're so inclined. A section midway through the show allowed us to sit around a makeshift Ouija board as we quizzed one of the house's spirits on what had happened there nearly 100 years prior for as long as we liked. The show's cast of five, who can appear and disappear at a moment's notice through a maze of secret doors and hidden entries, keeps you constantly on edge. One moment towards the end of the show saw Hector Phoenix, the paranormal investigator who tasked us with exploring the house in the first place, appear behind us in a moment of complete darkness. Elsewhere, Geoffrey Luff - with a knife sticking out of his back as he's slowly dying of blood loss - cornered our group in one of the rooms as we were interrogated on what had become of his children. The key difference between Screamwork's productions and your run-of-the-mill scare experience is the ambitious storytelling. The Ghost Hunt tells a cohesive story that is drip-fed to guests across it's 45 minute duration. Through various newspaper articles and letters scattered across the show's 10 rooms, along with some set pieces that offer both scares and exposition, you leave the experience having learnt about the supposedly true history of the show's setting. Previously, we claimed that Screamworks would soon be the leading immersive horror creators in London. Based on the screams both from our group and the echoes of those elsewhere in the venue during our visit, they've delivered a show that confirms that theory, and we now feel they're hands down the top creators of immersive horror experiences in the city. While time is limited to experience this show before it closes on 31st October, future plans for the venue involve an escape room featuring live actors that will open in November. We'd recommend trying to get down there before this show closes, as it's easily one of the best scare attractions on offer in London this Halloween season. ★★★★ Screamwork's The Ghost Hunt runs from 5th October to 31st October in Bethnal Green. Tickets are available to book here.

. ★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Christmas at Backyard Cinema runs until 31st

. ★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Everest: The First Ascent runs at Eclipso on

crack up at the absurdity of seeing an Alexa and a potted plant on the witness stand or hearing GAWD speak us confront them and consider where we go from here. ★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review

This outstanding collection of six five-minute-long plays are each performed for just one audience member at a time as part of Barbican's Scene Change season. Photo: Danny Bright As part of Barbican's Scene Change season, Landmark Productions and Octopus Theatricals' Theatre for One has arrived in the UK for the first time. Taking over a space within the lobby of the Barbican Centre, this free-to-attend experience does exactly what it says on the tin, offering up a five-minute-long play for one audience member at a time on a first-come, first-served basis. Precisely which of the six pieces each audience member will see remains a mystery until the dividing wall inside the custom-built, peep show-style booth slides open, revealing the performer on the other side. Those who want to see more than one performance must rejoin the queue and wait their turn before being admitted again, making an investment of time the only payment required to see the work. For this Barbican run, the one-act shows on offer have been penned by some of Ireland's biggest playwrights, including Enda Walsh, Mark O’Rowe, Joy Nesbitt, Marina Carr, Katie Holly and Louise O’Neill. Each differs wildly from the other and features everything from once-scorned lovers and insecure onlookers to otherworldly entities and desperate magicians. For our visit, we were lucky enough to experience O'Rowe's The Spur, Walsh's Cave and Nesbitt's Dear Rosa in quick succession (a privilege that's not lost on us), but to see just one of these three would more than justify the potential wait times, despite each only being a few minutes long. In O'Rowe's The Spur, Derbhle Crotty plays a woman who recounts an unexpected encounter in a shopping centre that unexpectedly provided her with some much-needed closure. Walsh's Cave gives a voice to a creature used to lurking in the darkness through Art Campion, and Nesbitt's Dear Rosa casts the audience member as Rosa Parks while Tishé Fatunbi's nameless character grapples to come to terms with their racial identity through a number of stark confessionals. Anyone who's been lucky enough to be selected for a one-on-one during one of Punchdrunk's masked shows or has attended immersive shows such as The Manikins: a work in progress, Undersigned or Creature will already be aware of just how powerful and intense being the sole focus of a performer's attention can be. Outside of the awareness that the performance only exists in that very moment for your benefit, the intensity of the moment is amplified by its intimacy, with the performer looking you directly in the eye mere feet away throughout. Without doing anything but watching on, you find yourself silently taking on the role of both a confidante and companion as the person opposite shares a piece of themselves with you. Every reaction, whether it be a laugh or nod or change in expression as you watch on, is seen and silently acknowledged by the performer, leaving you with nowhere to hide. Regardless of which play you see when you step inside the booth, you’ll walk away from Theatre for One having witnessed something that existed only for you. It's an intense and moving experience that distils theatre down to its essentials: a performer, an audience member, and a moment that lingers with you long after the door opens again. ★★★★★ Theatre for One runs at the Barbican Level G Hub Space until 22nd March 2026. The event is free to attend, with performers daily (excluding 16th March) between 12pm-3pm, and 5pm-8pm. For more information, visit barbican.org.uk

We're not going to give away any of the key moments from Undersigned in this review. During the onboarding, it's agreed that the attendee must speak honestly. and has fundamentally changed how we see ourselves. ★★★★★ [Ticket gifted in exchange for an honest review underbellyedinburgh.co.uk You can join the publist waitlist for future appointments via yannickto.com/undersigned For more reviews of experiences like Yannick Trapman-O'Brien's Undersigned, check out our recent Reviews

If you have kids who love Minecraft, you probably don't need this review to tell you if they'll enjoy Photos: Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue ★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Minecraft To find out more and book tickets, visit minecraftexperience.com/london For more reviews of immersive experiences like Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue, check out our recent reviews.

. ★★★½ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience

. ★★★½ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Exhibition Tickets are priced from £27.00 and can be booked via feverup.com For more reviews of immersive exhibitions and experiences like The Legend of the Titanic, check out our recent Reviews

Photos: Johan Persson ★★★★ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Fuerza Bruta - AVEN runs Tickets start at £25 and can be purchased via roundhouse.org.uk For more reviews and coverage of immersive

Our review of Bridge Command... Photos: Alex Brenner ★★★★½ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review] Bridge Command is currently For more information about the show, and to book tickets visit bridgecommand.space For more reviews of shows like Bridge Command, check out other recent immersive reviews here.

With our five-star review of Rhythm&Ruse already posted, it's time to see what tricks The Magician's else out there (unless you've also seen Rhythm&Ruse). ★★★½ [Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review Find out more about the show and book via magicianstablelive.com To stay up to date on news, previews and reviews of more immersive shows like The Magician's Table, follow us on Instagram.