It’s back! A new production of Ghost Stories, the chilling portmanteau play of spooky case histories related by a ‘paranormal professor’ (Dan Tetsell) is at Richmond Theatre until Saturday (Jan 25) at the start of a UK tour.

Having seen the London premiere of Ghost Stories in 2010 at the Lyric, Hammersmith – which commissioned the original show from Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson – it was fascinating to see how it has evolved; a tweak here, a little bit of careful editing there.

But overall it remains one of the most affecting pieces of theatre you’ll ever see – full of tense build-up, full of dread and full of surprises that raise the heart rate.

No wonder the show has proved to be such a hit as far afield as Canada, Russia, Finland, Peru and China.

What does the night watchman see? It’s one of the ‘cases’ investigated by the paranormal prof

Using a rather faded and spooky safety curtain as a backdrop (not unlike Richmond’s genuine one, come to think of it), the show unfolds with the narrator examining a series of case histories of inexplicable happenings.

We the audience, as if attending a lecture by an expert, are then left to fathom what we have also witnessed in the re-enactments, complete with flickering light bulbs (Abbi Clarke) and disturbing sound effects (Hope Brennan).

An excellent cast of David Cardy, Eddie Loodmer-Elliott, Clive Mantle, Lucas Albion and Simon Bass share the roles as the show – one and a half hours, with no interval to break the tension – unfolds.

For the full flavour, watch the unsettling trailer at the ticket website: atgtickets.com/shows/ghost-stories/richmond-theatre/

It’s a classic in the same bracket as some of those marvellous Hammer Horror films of yesteryear, where a narrator leads us from one self-contained chilling tale to the next. We reviewers have given an undertaking not to reveal any spoilers! Just get a ticket (from £15) if you can.