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'They travel on the wind, just like that missile, and they only land once they find someone to possess.'
Iran. 1980s. When Shideh's husband is conscripted to serve on the frontline, she is left alone with her young daughter in Tehran as the city is bombed. The missile strikes bring terror and destruction, but there is also something ancient and malevolent, carried on the wind.
Adapted by Carmen Nasr from Babak Anvari's BAFTA Award-winning horror film, Under the Shadow explores the boundary between the rational and the irrational, and the question of whether to leave or stay. It was first performed at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 2026, directed by Nadia Latif.
'A gripping thriller about a mother and daughter under supernatural siege' Hollywood Reporter on the original film
Iran. 1980s. When Shideh's husband is conscripted to serve on the frontline, she is left alone with her young daughter in Tehran as the city is bombed. The missile strikes bring terror and destruction, but there is also something ancient and malevolent, carried on the wind.
Adapted by Carmen Nasr from Babak Anvari's BAFTA Award-winning horror film, Under the Shadow explores the boundary between the rational and the irrational, and the question of whether to leave or stay. It was first performed at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 2026, directed by Nadia Latif.
'A gripping thriller about a mother and daughter under supernatural siege' Hollywood Reporter on the original film
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Reviews
"'Nerve-shredding... Carmen Nasr's taut adaptation could scarcely be timelier... searing enough to feel like a 2026 livestream'"
Guardian
"'Terrifying and timely... eerily pertinent, and with satisfying adrenal bursts of paranormal activity... more nuanced than the original film - within the constraints of the genre. It maximises the thrill of us being in the same space [as the characters]... At the same time, it doesn't diminish Shideh as an overwhelmed woman alone, reaping the whirlwind of her non-conformity... This stage version honours the original, but also escapes its shadow'"
Telegraph
"'Like a Middle Eastern version of Paranormal Activity, but with much more in the way of psychological depth... a detailed picture of domestic life in a city under bombardment... succeeds in taking us into an unsettling realm'"
The Times
Extended Details
- SeriesNHB Modern Plays