EDINBURGH 2025: Review: DEVIL'S POINT, TheSpace On The Mile
An interesting idea which never unlocks its full potential.
If you are a horror fan, the Fringe often feels like it is lacking. Filled to the brim with comedy, plays, musicals, dance and cabaret, the genre of horror is usually represented at the world-famous arts festival, but never enough to satiate the appetite. This year, however, appears to have upped its game somewhat with the likes of Scatter: A Horror Play, The Edinburgh Makars' production of Dracula and now this, Devil’s Point, an original horror play from Cutty Sark Theatre.
The play follows Ailsa and Sean, a young couple at the height of bliss, which tends to come with a new relationship. It is during a romantic getaway, hiking up the mountain known as Devil’s Point, that things take a rather dark turn. It’s a terrific idea, one which is full of potential for a chilling atmosphere and some great scares, but which, unfortunately, never quite meets expectations.
The play jumps back and forth between the hike and the beginning of the relationship between Sean and Ailsa, jumping between the struggles the couple have had throughout their time together and through the horrors they face on Devil’s Point. This allows for some lighter, even funnier moments, all the while building the characters and their relationship together.
Laura Milton and Logan Rodgers both give respectable performances in their leading roles, though the chemistry between the two is lacking, ultimately taking away from any tension that might be built up between them. The writing does not help this lack of tension, either, with much of the story feeling somewhat basic in the way it portrays a struggling relationship and the depths couples can go to try to fix things.
The most unique aspect of the show comes in the form of shadow play, which is heavily utilised in terrific monologues from the actors, where they discuss the folklore surrounding Devil’s Point and how it got its name. Undoubtedly, the best scenes of the show, these sequences are a solid reminder of the potential of the play and what could have been if the talents of those involved had been used correctly.
Devil’s Point is a show with a lot of unlocked potential. Several sequences and moments, and performances which remind us of the talent of everyone involved, talent which is never quite used to its full extent, leading to an ultimately disappointing show. There is plenty to like here, but the production fails to make the most of its horror elements, which ends up being its downfall.
Devil’s Point was at TheSpace On The Mile
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