Friday, July 25, 2014

(Intentionally) Creepiest Fringe Preview - Night 1

“Are you sure there are no lost souls in the house tonight?"

Tourist Trap - Tim Uren and his company Ghoulish Delights know horror, and serve it up right.  If you find yourself nervous when they carry out a large wooden chair with leather restraints on the arms, this is the right instinct.  Follow that up with Charlie Hubbell onstage to deliver the chilling tale of a man who sweeps up the homeless, the wandering and the forgotten, and tortures them before killing them, and you know the kind of evening you’re in for.  The thing I admire about Tim Uren’s work is he earns the terror he inflicts on his audiences.  It’s not about sudden shocks or overwhelming rivers of gore (though, let’s be honest, we’re not ruling those out).  Uren crafts his stories in basic human psychology and reality.  You can see the horrific only one step removed from the every day.  And that makes it that much more unsettling.  Plus, he’s got a really great cast to help him tell the tale.  Hubbell is the first of many.  Ghoulish Delights serves up the kind of stories that get under your skin and stay there.  You’ve been warned.  Mom and I, however, are still going.

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