There’s a whole ABC of horrors at Bluefire House – as four young people, drawn together to this tumbledown hotel at the edge of nowhere, are about to discover. But whatever the ancient and foul thing that has emerged from the wilderness to drag them here, speaking of it will only strengthen it.

The Doctor alone knows what lurks at the heart of Bluefire House. But the monster of his childhood dreams is coming. The Mi’en Kalarash is coming… Just this once, the Doctor is afraid.

House of Blue Fire by Mark Morris is a many-layered story, the details of which are hard to go into without entering spoiler territory. Even the synopsis above doesn’t give much away, as the story has almost completely diverged from its initial premise by the end. What I can say is this: this is a truly creepy release with a twist or two that you really won’t see coming.

At the heart of this story is Amy Pemberton‘s Number 18, or as we later come to know her, Sally Morgan. Starting the story entering Bluefire House and ending it stepping into our favourite blue (or is it black?) box, Sally goes on quite the journey in this one, beginning the adventure amnesiac and terrified, and ending it proving herself as a worthy new companion to the Doctor. Brought to life with a headstrong but vulnerable performance from Pemberton, Sally definitely makes a strong first impression here.

The rest of the guest cast aren’t given quite as much to work with, but they do well to portray the terror of their characters being faced with their biggest fears, as well as their confusion at being caught up in the Doctor’s schemes. Timothy West is particularly effective as creepy butler Soames, while Miranda Keeling is excellent in the first part of the story, which pretty much entirely focuses on her and Sally as they explore the house.

Special mention has got to go to Sylvester McCoy, however, who portrays the Seventh Doctor at his most cunning and manipulative here. It’s always unsettling when you don’t know what the Doctor is up to, but even more so in a story as spooky at this, and praise should go to Fool Circle Productions for such spine-chilling music and sound design which perfectly complement the actors’ performances.

Overall, this is a delightfully scary story let down somewhat by some underdeveloped characters and some notably poor dialogue. Sylvester McCoy and Amy Pemberton impress as the Doctor and Sally, as a new chapter in the Seventh Doctor’s adventures begins… Recommended.

House of Blue Fire is available as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com