World premiere stage adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s supernatural thriller The Haunting of Hill House heading to the Manchester Palace Theatre for Halloween 2026

A new stage adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s bestselling novel The Haunting of Hill House will make its world premiere with a UK tour this autumn, including dates at the Manchester Palace Theatre from Tue 27 Oct – Sat 31 October.

Following the critically acclaimed Netflix hit series that introduced a new generation to Jackson’s eerie masterpiece, this brand-new adaptation – written by Olivier and BAFTA award-winner Stef Smith – will conjure the iconic supernatural thriller on stage.

Laurence J. Hyman, son of Shirley Jackson, today said, “From film and television to the stage, my mother Shirley Jackson’s legacy continues to endure through her iconic novel The Haunting of Hill House. I’m thrilled that this haunting classic will return in a new form, and that Stef Smith’s adaptation will capture the novel’s remarkable and unsettling spirit for audiences in a whole new way.”

Directed by Martin Constantine, this is a Wiltshire Creative production in association with Theatr Clwyd, presented by Mark Puddle with Alexander “Sandy” Marshall and Patrick Myles. Opening at Salisbury Playhouse on 11 September, the run continues at Richmond Theatre from 6 – 10 October before embarking on a UK tour to Theatre Clwyd, Theatre Royal Brighton, Palace Theatre Manchester, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, concluding at Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh on 14 November.

Stef Smith added, “The Haunting of Hill House is one of the greatest supernatural novels of the last one hundred years and to have the chance to adapt it for the stage is a true privilege. I find Shirley Jackson’s world intoxicating, thrilling and gut-wrenching. I believe there is something so deeply theatrical at the heart of Hill House. From the spooky, to the surreal, through heartache and hope. I hope that our cast of characters will take the audience along for a ride quite unlike anything else. Above all we will examine that the biggest horrors are usually human.”

Full cast and creative team to be announced shortly.

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

“A ghost can be a lot of things. A memory, a daydream, a secret, grief, anger, guilt.”

When a group of daring investigators take on the mystery of Hill House, curiosity quickly
descends into fear. Experiments plunge into darkness. Strange disturbances ripple through
twisting corridors. As the house tightens its grip, it will leave you on the edge of your seat…
and questioning what is real long after the curtain falls.

From best-selling novel to major hit Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House now takes to the stage in this gripping new production that blurs the line between heart-thumping suspense and the supernatural.

Shirley Jackson (1916 – 1965) was an American writer celebrated for her works of horror and mystery. Over a career spanning more than two decades, she authored six novels, two memoirs, and more than 200 short stories. Her novels include The Road Through the Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird’s Nest, The Sundial, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. 

Stef Smith is an Olivier and BAFTA-winning playwright. Her theatre credits include Roadkill (Theatre Royal Stratford East – winner of the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre), Girl in the Machine, Enough (Traverse Theatre), Swallow (Traverse Theatre/Edinburgh Festival Fringe – also adapted for screen, premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival), Nora: A Doll’s House (Citizens Theatre), Smoke (and Mirrors) (Traverse Theatre/DOT Istanbul), Woman of the Year (Òran Mór), Human Animals (Royal Court Theatre) and The Outrun (Edinburgh International Festival). Her screenwriting credits include Float (winner of the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Television Scripted), and The Outrun.

Martin Constantine is an award-winning theatre and opera director. His theatre credits include Peter Pan (Storyhouse Theatre, Chester), The Owl and the Pussycat (UK tour), Manga Sister (The Yard Theatre), The Future for Beginners (Wales Millennium Centre/Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Marsha (Arcola Theatre). His opera credits include The Elixir of Love (UK tour), Acis and Galatea (Buxton International Festival), The Silent Twins (Almeida Theatre), Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci (Shanghai Opera House), Don Giovanni (Loughborough Festival Opera), Dead Man Walking, andPaul Bunyan (Wales Millennium Centre).

The Haunting of Hill House plays at Manchester Palace Theatre Tue 27 Oct – Sat 31 October. Tickets are available here.