John Ajveide's novel has been around the adaptation route a few times - filmed, adapted to a US context, currently a TV series and this stage adaptation originally written in 2013. It's a simple story of a child meeting something strange but protective, about a bond formed in harsh conditions, about alienation and acceptance. It's also, in this production, tense and terrifying.
On a simple industrial looking set (designed by Isabel Hudson), we get the slowly warming relationship between bullied Oskar and the unusually confident Eli, interspersed with scenes of Oskar being bullied at school, dealing with his distant parents, and the background of a series of mysterious deaths being enacted by Eli's guardian. The revelation of Eli's true nature comes slowly but surprisingly, with a few intriguing departures from popular lore, and the true horror turns out to be social rather than an individual monster.
There are a few inconsistencies in the production - in particular, the choice to use Swedish accents throghout does distance the production more than is strictly necessary - and at least one early murder feels a little under-bloody. But in the core, as it tells the blossoming relationship between Will McDonald's freshfaced Oskar and Sebrina Thorton-Walker's disconcertingly calm Eli, it blooms as a very unconventional love story of enforced co-dependence.
Alexander Berlage's production is full of sudden blackouts and large industrian rock noises throughout transitions,throwing us off-centre and building audience tension to explode when necessary. I do feel it meanders a little when the attention is off Oskar and Eli, but part of that is the nature of the material - the story is intent on isolating them as much as possible to strengthen their bond, and anything that moves away from them does feel like a distraction. But all in all this is a successful, intriguing thriller.
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