Under the Shadow - by Babak Anvari (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"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

"Timeless... a dark universal parable about living under two shadows: war, and a totalitarian state"-Time Out

"Moving and merciless... a pacy, intense, and refreshingly unusual kind of thriller"-Independent

"Thrilling... Carmen Nasr's script effectively and claustrophobically distills the screen locations... an effective chiller with some moments of genuine startlement"-London Standard

"Painfully timely... centuries-old religious belief collides with secular modernity... Two big jump-scares had the opening night audience shrieking in thrilled terror... an admirably ambitious attempt to channel social and political resonance through psychological horror. The show eschews the thrill-a-minute overkill of recent stage horror successes in favor of a slow-burn treatment... spine tingling"-New York Times

"Spooky and unsettling... genuinely scary... compelling, with unexpected twists and turns... its portrait of people living with terror has strong contemporary resonance"-WhatsOnStage

"Vivid and unnerving"-Financial Times

"Incredibly clever... a deliberately slow-burning affair... builds the tension, slowly but surely. You know something is coming, and that foreboding sense grows throughout, with dread lurking underneath the surface... Yes, it is a horror, but it deals with so much more than that, redefining just what it means to be classed as a horror... it carries an important message that will linger long after you've left the theatre"-All That Dazzlies

"Chilling and suspenseful"-Reviews Hub

"Frightening... the lines between conflict-induced paranoia and superstition are blurred to create something quietly haunting... perfectly executed scares... a great expansion of the story... A decade [after the film], and in a new medium which makes the tale a lot scarier, Under the Shadow continues to explore the horror and spectre of war in a chilling and unsettling way"-Liam O'Dell

"Perfectly frightening, with jump scares fit to make you rise several inches from your seat"-London Theatre

"A thoughtful, engaging and worthwhile piece of theatre, one that uses the language of horror to illuminate the very real fears lurking beneath it"-Theatre & Tonic

"An intense experience that is genuinely scary and has important insights into life under war and the Iranian regime"-Everything Theatre

About the Author

Babak Anvari is a British-Iranian filmmaker. His films include Under the Shadow (2016) and Wounds (2019).

Carmen Nasr is a British-Lebanese playwright whose plays include: Samir (National Theatre, 2026); Under the Shadow, based on the film by Babak Anvari (Almeida Theatre, London, 2026); The Climbers (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, 2022); The Maladies (Almeida Young Company, 2022); and Dubailand (Finborough Theatre, London, 2018).