6 horror stories that should be adapted for the stage

1.Casper the Friendly Ghost

Why this hasn't been done already is beyond us. The film starring everyone's favourite ghost has the makings of a brilliant family stage show; a real ghost, a ghostly trio of prankster uncles and a heartbreaking story about a girl who lost her mother. Win. Win. Win. Just have to work out how to make holograms cheaper.

2. Bloody Mary/Candyman

Don't try and deny it, at some point in your life you've turned the lights off in your bathroom, looked into the mirror and whispered 'Bloody Mary' or 'Candyman' three times. According to folklore, Bloody Mary is a ghost of a woman who murdered her children. We're thinking this is perfect stomping ground for a Punchdrunk-style immersive theatre mirror maze…

3. Child's Play

Watching this slasher franchise was a rite of passage for '90s teenagers. We can't help thinking it's a bit like Matilda, but A LOT scarier.

We'd definitely enlist Tim Minchin to write the score and suggest songs like "Naughty", "The Hammer" and "Revolting Children"… oh wait.

4. Beetlejuice

Again, why it hasn't been done already is ¯_(ツ)_/¯. Tim Burton's comedy about an obnoxious ghost called Betelgeuse, whose scaring ground is invaded by a young ghost couple who return to haunt their former home, is ripe for the picking. Imagine the fun you could have with costumes and props.

5. The Black Shuck

Growing up in Suffolk, our deputy editor was often regaled with the tale of the big black dog that haunted the church at Blythburgh. It's said the hound 'prowls along dark lanes and lonesome field footpaths, where, although his howling makes the hearer's blood run cold, his footfalls make no sound.'

Curious Incident and Legally Blonde have proved that everyone loves a dog onstage, and The Darkness wrote a song about him, so there's basis for this to be a glam-rock musical…

6. Hairy Hands

If you've ever driven around the South West then you'll have likely heard of the tale of the Hairy Hands.

A stretch of road in Dartmoor, Devon, is said to have seen an unusually high number of car accidents during the early 20th century. Apparently a pair of disembodied hands appear suddenly, grab at the steering wheel of a moving car and force the victim off the road.

Wait a few months and we'll be able to use the flying car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.