ERNEST And The Pale Moon is a gothic tale of obsession, murder and ghostly retribution inspired by the macabre stories of Edgar Allan Poe and disturbing films of Alfred Hitchcock.

Or maybe you will spot other influences if you see Oliver Lansley’s Edinburgh Fringe hit at Harrogate Theatre this week – and surprise the playwright.

“I wanted to create something that touched on as many horror themes as possible, so the audience will recognise plenty of horror genres without it being too arch,” says the London writer and company founder, who will play the lead role in Les Enfants Terribles’ touring show.

“It’s a story within its own world, but there will be things you will spot: Poe, Hitchcock, Rear Window, Tim Burton…and Franz Kafka as well. Often people read more into it than I do. Sometimes I only know what my influences are when people tell me!”

Ernest And The Pale Moon fuses physical storytelling and live music with inventive design in a macabre noir horror show, wherein Ernest spends his days watching the beautiful Gwendoline in the apartment block opposite him. Upon seeing her with another man, he is driven to murder, although all is not what it seems when Ernest’s guilt sends him spiralling into madness.

Despite the reference points, originality is vital, suggests Oliver. “You can’t just cobble things together from other works, and that was the challenge: to write a new story that had an echo of familiarity, that feeling of hearing a story from before that you heard round the campfire,” he says.

He likes to create his stories in “a bit of a vacuum”.

“Aesthetically there are definitely hints of period in Ernest And The Pale Moon, but no detail is distracting as you don’t want the audience to get caught up in facts and dates, but in the atmosphere of the period instead,” says Oliver, who has worked in tandem with director Emma Earle.

Named as a Broadcast Hotshot by Broadcast Magaz-ine, Oliver writes not only for the stage but for television too, penning ITV2’s FM for Kevin Bishop and Chris O’Dowd and the upcoming Whites – a sitcom about a brigade of chefs – for Alan Davies and Isy Suttie for BBC2’s autumn schedule.

Coming next will be a project with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

“The more television I do, the more theatrical my theatre becomes, because it’s about embracing the medium and presenting something that couldn’t be done in any other way,” says Oliver. “So we always use live music and live sound effects and break down the fourth wall. You’re locked in a room with us, so let’s have an experience together, especially with a horror story, which is all about trying to scare people.

“They’re so primal, horror stories, as they appeal to basic human feelings…and everyone loves to be scared!”

• Les Enfants Terribles present Ernest And The Pale Moon, Harrogate Theatre, tomorrow until Saturday, 7.30pm. Box office: 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk

This play is recommended for 12 year olds and upwards.