VPA presents: ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

WASILLA — The Valley Performing Arts Center is ready to unveil their latest production, a local adaption of Shirley Jackson’s classic “The Haunting of Hill House” Friday, starting at 7 p.m.

Attendees can expect plenty of jump scares, ghoulish overtones, spooky special effects, and subtle “Easter egg” apparitions hiding in the background and haunting the stage.

With Halloween around the corner, director Joe Myers said this play will be a great way to set the mood for the remaining month.

“If anything, this show is a great way to get in the Halloween spirit,” Myers said.

“The Haunting of Hill House” is often regarded as the quintessential haunted house story. This supernatural horror is considered by many as one of the best ghost stories written in the 20th century. This is largely due to the fact Jackson relied more on terror than horror.

The story elicits emotion from the reader as they get a cerebral sense of dread digging into the complex relationships between the mysterious events in the house and the characters’ psyches.

It’s been a year since the latest adaptation of “The Haunting of Hill House” came out on Netflix, introducing countless modern audiences to the classic tale. The show was met with widespread acclaim and while that may lead more people into the VPA’s theater, Myers said people can expect plenty if differences since this adaption is much closer to the source material.

In fact, the stage production is vastly different than the web series’ spin on the story. Instead of following a haunted family, viewers will find an entirely different set of characters, the ones featured in the book.

Below is a description of the plot from a recent press release:

Cut off from the outside world by its remote location and shunned by all who know its forbidding and sinister reputation, Hill House has remained empty and silent except for the daily visits of its grumbling caretaker, Mrs. Dudley. Its isolation is broken by the arrival of Dr. Montague, an investigator of supernatural phenomena who has been granted a short lease by the present owner. His mission is to delve into the morbid history of the house and to come to grips with the occult forces that have made it uninhabitable for many years. He is joined by three others, all unacquainted, but all having their particular reasons for coming to Hill House. Can they survive ‘The Haunting of Hill House?’”

The Haunting of Hill House opens on Friday, Oct. 18 and runs through Nov. 3. Tickets cost $19 for regular admission, $17 for seniors (65+)/students (18 and younger).

VPA is putting on the show at their home theater, located at 251 West Swanson Avenue, Wasilla.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 907-373‐0195, visit their website at valleyperformingarts.org, or stop by their office.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com

Performances:

Fridays at 7 p.m.

Saturdays at 7 p.m.

Sundays at 2 p.m.