Hull 2017 Circus of Horrors
Circus of Horrors is an amazing mix of the world’s most bizarre, brave and beautiful circus acts.
Warning: Circus of Horrors contains adult content
We took our seats amidst spooky music, smoke drifting through the hall, and scary monsters stalking through the audience.
Opening the show literally with a bang, we were welcomed to the show by Camp Dracula. He did what all crowd-warming acts do best; made us laugh, and pulled someone out of the crowd to embarrass them.
Dr Haze and The Interceptors then entered the stage - a band that looked as though they’d all been recently shocked by electricity, and performed their numbers throughout the night with assistance from the lovely Maria Morose, fire breathers, acrobatics, death-defying roller skaters, and zombies.
We then enjoyed Iona ‘the Oriental Contortionist’, who performed mind-boggling feats of flexibility which put every hula-hooper on the planet to shame.
Kshuska the roller skater also performed amazing aerial stunts, some of which involved hanging from the hair of one of the acrobats who was suspended by her feet.
The audience was astonished and terrified by sword swallower Hannibal Hellmurtos, who not only swallowed long blades, but throughout the rest of the show swallowed a curved blade, a razor-sharp carpenter’s saw, and probably most bizarrely – an electrified neon tube. Camp Dracula made a reappearance but was shrunk down to pint-sized Captain Dan, who managed to eat a smashed light bulb without injury.
We then were treated to a troupe of UV-glowing skeletons performing incredible acrobatics both individually and as a team. They turned out to be The Kenyan Warriors, who defied both logic and physics with their stunts – some involving fire.
The show was interspersed with humour, audience involvement, and of course no circus would be complete without a clown. Coulrophobes beware – Relic the Clown isn’t only horrifying in his own right, but he comes with a whole company of creepy colleagues. The show ended in a bloodbath, and of course, another musical number.
Definitely not suitable for children or those of a nervous disposition, this show is incredibly enjoyable. If you fancy a circus that keeps you on the edge of your seat for fear of what’s going to pop up on stage (or behind you), this show is certainly for you.