The 2007 movie Paranormal Activity was a massive sleeper hit that spawned a huge franchise. The found-footage horror film follows a young couple haunted by a supernatural force, prompting them to set up cameras to record what is happening. That creepy, dread-filled atmosphere has been adapted for the stage, with a live theatrical version of the film running in Toronto for fans to enjoy.
We spoke with actress Pippa Winslow, who plays Carolanne, the domineering mother of a son who becomes entangled in the paranormal. Winslow shared with us her thoughts on the uniqueness of this stage experience, her newfound appreciation for horror, and the fans who make it so much fun.
HGL: This isn’t your first time working on Paranormal Activity. What originally piqued your interest in this play, and what brought you back to do it again?
Pippa Winslow: It’s such a fun show and fun role. I don’t want to do it forever, but I’m having such a fantastic time. When I first read it, I thought it was going to be good fun. Then the whole process of being a part of it and Felix Barrett, our director, just made the whole thing about fun and games and really discovering what makes horror work.
All of those levels of tension were really important, where you are relaxed and then all of a sudden something happens, and you are right at your limits of being able to take the tension. So yeah, I love all that. I also love listening to the audience every night because the things that I do, I get some really amazing responses.
HGL: The show offers a great mix of horror and theatricality. What is it like performing in front of a diverse yet passionate group of horror fans?
Pippa Winslow: There are a lot of people who have been to the theater many, many times, but because of the nature of this piece, we have a lot of people who have never been to the theater before. They don’t always follow the usual theater etiquette, but that’s great too, because then they are really open to participating and investing and responding.
We hear them laughing, or one person will say, “Oh my god,” which is so much fun for us. Yeah, this show especially brings in a mix of different things, audience types, it’s great. Part of the experience for the audience is hearing the reaction from other audience members.
HGL: Are you a horror fan?
Pippa Winslow: I love the genre, but honestly, every time I watch a horror film, I think I’m going to have a heart attack. When I watched the first Paranormal Activity film, even in the moments where you know something is going to happen, it doesn’t make it any easier. I guess you could say I both love and hate it (laughs).
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HGL: You’ve worked across many different entertainment mediums over the years. Do you have a favorite, or do you simply go where the work takes you?
Pippa Winslow: There are things I love about all mediums. I love theater because you get to participate with the audience, especially with comedy and horror. With this play, you really hear the audience breathing, laughing, screaming. I love film, too, where you can have a thought or do anything, and the camera will see that thought.
However, I’ve done a lot of comedy in film, and you do something and go, well, I think that was funny, but you have no way of knowing until the whole film is put together. Video games, I love that too, but when I did Dead Island 2, I didn’t even know what I was going to look like. So that was a fascinating experience, working so much with motion capture and your imagination.
HGL: Can you tell us a bit about your character, Carolanne, in Paranormal Activity, and how you prepared for this role?
Pippa Winslow: My character is the mother of the leading man in the show. It’s about a young married couple moving to London and finding out their house is haunted, and I play the mother of the man. I am a mother in real life of two sons, so there is a lot of me in that. It’s always great when I can bring a lot of myself to a role, which makes the role very easy, and then it’s me in extraordinary circumstances.
I guess to prepare, there is a phone call with tough love, and I thought, what if I really needed to reach my own son? Just kind of talking them through something they really need to get done; bringing some truth to it. Although I don’t have a haunted house, so I don’t have to worry about that.
HGL: Paranormal Activity has a month-long run here in Toronto. As an actor, is it difficult to juggle up to two shows a day, or are you used to it by now?
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Pippa Winslow: For me, it’s just like going to work, so as far as the times are concerned, it’s not a big deal for me. My role is really fun, there are the two leads and myself and another woman playing smaller roles. Physically, it’s not taxing; I sit backstage and read books, I play on my computer, etc. But for the two main leads, I think it is a huge challenge.
You saw them; they go through a lot physically and mentally. Even though they know they are just pretending and it’s just a play, their bodies still go through all that. They really need to take care of themselves, but for me, it’s pretty easy.
HGL: The audience members had some great reactions to the show. For you and the other cast members, when you hear the audience reacting in a certain way, do you talk about it later to decide whether to change anything, or do you just enjoy it?
Pippa Winslow: We definitely enjoy it. But yes, the four of us have been working together since 2024, and we are still discovering things, so that’s exciting. Every day, it’s like, how will they react to that? And there was a moment they reacted, and we were like, what is it exactly that makes this moment work? So we fine-tune it, find the sweet spot for that part, and that becomes the way we do that bit.
Even coming to this new theater, I spend most of my time in the show on a phone call with my son. They have me in a little room, so I’m separated. But in this theater, I am actually on the stage, just tucked away in the back. When in London, I really had to project my voice, but in this theater, you could actually hear me. Not just through the telephone, which is not what you want, so I just toned it down.
Last night (June 11th) was the first time we did that, and it allowed us to use all these different levels with the phone calls. I could be very subtle, just like we are now talking to each other, so we are still discovering things every day, which is great.
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HGL: Working on stage is like working without a net, so to speak; there are no extra takes if something goes wrong. Does the show’s horror element help mitigate on-stage issues, since the audience is so focused on the tension and dread?
Pippa Winslow: A little bit, yes. The show is so technical, and if an illusion doesn’t work, the audience might not notice, depending on the illusion, of course. They might not notice because, as you say, there is so much tension involved. We might just act as if the illusion had worked. But yeah, I think you’re right, it might cover for things that might go awry, because we are tense all the time.
That’s interesting, I hadn’t thought about that. There is a lot of technical technique to this show. You talk about the four cast members, there is a small army behind the set. The set and lighting design, it really sculpts what you should be looking at but also creates shadows and then doubt for the audience in terms of questioning what they are looking at.
HGL: Once this run of Paranormal Activity in Toronto is over, what do you have coming up next?
Pippa Winslow: Actually, I’m going back to this show in London. This is our set from London; they shipped it here, and when we are done here, they will ship it back to London and go right back into it. I’ll be the only one from this cast going back, so I’ll be with a new cast, learning together and how we can make it all work.
I love this show so much. I promised myself to stop after that, but it’s just so lovely to be a part of this and enjoy the audience’s reactions. We are all just part of the same experience.
Paranormal Activity has its final performance in Toronto on July 5th at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre.
