Many people don’t understand Grand Guignol, because it’s not a hugely familiar form of theatre. It was created in Paris in the late 19th century, in a little theatre in Montmartre called Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol. The idea was to put things on stage that were stark and realistic. A lot of the time they indulged in crime-based stories, and from that began to specialise in naturalistic horror shows.

The theatre gained a reputation for being a grisly theatre of horror, and its reputation spread fast. People came to be shocked, scared and appalled. By the 1920s, it was known as the place to go for a spook and a scare, though it never dealt with the supernatural. Eventually, it became a victim of its own success.

Horror theatre has really come into its own in recent years – before, with the exception of The Woman In Black, Shockheaded Peter and maybe The Lieutenant of Inishmore, there was no horror theatre in London. Ghost Stories, however, has come into London and just cemented itself in, while Punchdrunk’s Poe-inspired Masque of the Red Death was a great success.

The idea of Grand Guignol as a regular presence has finally sparked with the public – our Terror season  has been running for seven years and people have finally caught onto the fact that it can work. [Sarah-Louise Young is pictured above in a Terror 2010 interlude.] This year’s season features new plays by Mark Ravenhill, Neil LaBute and April DeAngelis. Meanwhile, Theatre of the Damned are coming to the Etcetera Theatre in Camden in November with their performances of Grand Guignol pieces old and new, which sold out at the Camden Fringe earlier in the year, and Le Nouveau Guignol just put on a one-off night of “debauchery and horror”.

Our Terror season takes a group of writers and gives them free range to write on Grand Guignol. It’s a mix of comedy, horror and adaptation. Some of the writing is completely contemporary, while others adapt writers like Poe, MR James and HP Lovecraft. It treads a line between funny and scary. Last year was quite disturbing psychologically, while this year everyone says we’re too silly, but I like the silliness of horror.

Grand Guignol was originally a series of short plays interspersed with variety numbers, and that’s what we try and do. When people see a belly dancer come on, they may wonder what’s happening, but it’s part of the tradition. They called it hot and cold shower techniques – a warm comedy shower, and then suddenly something icy cold.

We’re presenting our work in the Southwark Playhouse, which apparently was used as a morgue during the Blitz. Last year, when we were working there, we left a large piece of scenenry in the vault arches that had just been painted. The next morning, we found tiny little footprints all over it. I think I’m past believing in ghosts, but I like that sliding scale of what you couldn’t explain 200 years ago we can now, and what we can’t explain now, we will in 200 years. There’s definitely something going on.

Adam Meggido was talking to Miriam Zendle.

Get your tickets for Terror 2010 and Theatre of the Damned.