Shirley Jackson’s Creepy Family Mystery Is Heading to the London Stage
Shirley Jackson’s gothic novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle is coming to London’s Lyric Hammersmith in October 2027.
A family tragedy, two isolated sisters and a house filled with secrets are at the centre of a new London stage adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
The disturbing gothic novel is being adapted by playwright Alistair McDowall, with Sarah Frankcom directing its world premiere at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 7 October to 6 November 2027.
Announced on 27 October 2026, the production will introduce Jackson’s psychological mystery to theatre audiences more than six decades after the novel was first published.
What happened to the Blackwood family?
Merricat and Constance Blackwood live an isolated existence in their family home alongside their elderly Uncle Julian, following a tragedy that claimed the lives of several relatives.
Constance rarely leaves the property, while Merricat ventures into the nearby village, where the surviving members of the family are treated with suspicion and hostility.
Their unusual household has developed its own routines, allowing the sisters to maintain a fragile sense of security despite their troubled history.
That arrangement is threatened when their cousin Charles arrives, bringing unwelcome attention to the family’s money and disrupting the relationship between the sisters.
As his presence begins to affect the household, questions about the Blackwoods’ past become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Why is Shirley Jackson’s story so unsettling?
Jackson is also known for The Haunting of Hill House, but We Have Always Lived in the Castle approaches horror through a different kind of family mystery.
Rather than relying on supernatural threats, the novel explores suspicion, isolation and the unsettling behaviour of people who have withdrawn from the outside world.
Merricat’s unusual perspective is central to the original story, influencing how readers understand the family and the hostility surrounding them.
The new adaptation will need to bring that perspective to the stage while preserving the uncertainty that makes Jackson’s writing so effective.
Who is bringing the novel to the stage?
Alistair McDowall is adapting the book, with Sarah Frankcom directing the production.
McDowall’s previous theatrical work includes Pomona and X, both known for their unusual approaches to storytelling and unsettling dramatic worlds.
Frankcom has directed productions including Fun Home, bringing experience of character-driven theatre to Jackson’s complicated family relationships.
The creative partnership offers an interesting approach to a novel in which the audience’s understanding of events is shaped by what characters choose to reveal.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle runs at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 7 October to 6 November 2027, with booking information available through the theatre’s website.
