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Gareth K Vile

Working in a company of ‘queer clowns, Lachlan Werner can see a direct connection between puppetry and horror. ‘When Linda Blair's head spins all the way around in The Exorcist: (spoilers) that is not a real little girl. Chucky couldn't exist, nor could Audrey II, the Gremlins, the chest-busting thing in Alien,’ he explains. His production for the 2021 London Horror Festival, Voices of Horror, takes these cinematic scares and brings them back onto the stage. ‘I believe the tactility is what makes these classic monsters,’ he adds. ‘They could come into your room and you could touch them!’

Voices of Horror has an eclectic dramaturgy: unsurprisingly, since Werner is a comedian, clown and ventriloquist, it draws on improvisation, audience participation, ‘muppet-style puppetry and some expert voice-throwing to pay a very silly homage to such films as The Exorcist and The Conjuring. Brew the Witch (a puppet) and Lachy (Werner) throw a séance, and the inevitable relationship between ventriloquism and demonic possession makes it more than a night to remember.

Werner was inspired to make the show because he felt that ‘ventriloquism is inherently creepy, but I have never seen a ventriloquist produce a show like this.’ He combines voice-throwing with his physical comedy skills, but makes a strong claim for ventriloquism as a marginalised art-form that has considerable untapped potential.

‘I think ventriloquism belongs in theatres, even though it mostly exists now on the stand-up circuit or TV talent shows,’ he says. ‘Modern ventriloquism was born in the British music hall. There is a great ventriloquist called Jay Johnson who won a Tony for his one man play. I don't know why more solo shows don't utilise it - you can have a full ensemble of characters and you get all the applause!’

Werner’s enthusiasm for horror is matched by a love of puppetry, which he regards as a powerful ally to the clown. ‘I was worried that using a puppet was too much of a defence when clowning myself. I think puppets themselves can be massive clowns.’ And while Voices of Evil is clearly a show for older audiences, his influences reach back into his childhood. ‘I had a VHS of The best of The Muppet Show: at age three, I watched it over and over. The tactile magic of Jim Henson's work was spellbinding for me.’

Despite the impact of TV and film, Werner remains committed to the live experience, and sees it as essential to the magic of puppetry. ‘After the past two years of attempting to translate what I do to an online format,’ he reflects, ‘I can say that ventriloquism is only fully alive when on stage - not just because I could obviously have dubbed myself! Seeing a relationship between a person and the inanimate can only be fully taken in, in front of your eyes!’

Voices of Evil

Part of the London Horror Festival

The Pleasance, Islington

26 -27 October 2021