IT'S a ghost story written in the gothic horror mode of the late 19th century, so it is going to be hard to make it convincing – isn’t it?

Well, no. Lewis Cowen’s production of Henry James' novel, The Turn of the Screw, adapted by Ken Whitmore for the stage, is genuinely scary. So take a safe and friendly hand to hold on the way home.

This cast, which includes a couple of delightful children, (or are they?) draws us into the malevolence of the remote house in Essex where a raw young governess is charged with the care of two orphaned children and a pair of predatory ghosts.

The performances of Laura Bartle, as Miss Grey, the governess, Ottilie Payne as Flora and Zachary Green as her brother Miles, have us confused and disturbed in turn.

Laura Bartle is totally believable as a woman on a mission to save two young souls from a nameless evil, although she comes across as austere and cold, despite affectionate words to her young charges.

The two children show remarkable maturity and confident stage craft, but they could do with a little practice at voice projection for those of us whose hearing is perhaps not as sharp as it was!

Tamsin Antignani plays Flora on alternate nights during the play’s run until Saturday (Sept 28).

Jax Brady as the homely housekeeper Mrs Grose is mostly a comforting presence, and adds a bit of light relief, but every now and then it is clear she knows more than she lets on, which adds to the doubt and suspense.

Chris Smith has a brief but vital role as the uncle who clearly cannot wait to offload his niece and nephew onto Miss Grey and vanish into his business world.

Ben Jenkins and Alexia Fletcher are very scary as the silent ghosts – make-up and costumes cleverly giving them an appearance of less than solid flesh.

Jo Bayne