FreshFringe 2026 Reviews - Sarah Roberts: scary Movie 7

Despite the sequential nature of the show’s title, Scary Movie 7 stands out as one of a kind. Sarah Roberts is morbidly funny, inviting each individual in her audience on her emphatic and emotive journey from literal conception to her Fringe stage. The audience is immediately captivated with Roberts from her first sinister walk onto stage- which is not in the least a Stockholm response to the ‘locked room’ illusion she begins with. In some ways, this sets the tone for Roberts’ show- illusions of gothic grandeur felled by an over enthusiastic audience and a playful, charming comic who can’t seem to help putting you at ease when she intends to scare you.

Scary Movie 7 is premised on Roberts’ two greatest, self-defeating fears; the fear of being alone, and her fear of other people. To blame for this contradiction, Roberts muses, is the deep seated effect on her psyche of consuming her twin sister, Siobhan, while in the womb. As Roberts denotes how this affected her throughout her life, the audience cannot help but laugh at her misery- and though she occasionally has demonic outbursts of rage at the state of her love life, Roberts deftly allows you to feel as though you are laughing with her, rather than at her, as she thumps her head with the microphone, or uses well-timed gunshot effects after particularly cringe-worthy moments.

At its core, this show is ‘weird girl humour,’ grown up and dressed in a dark cape, fit with swinging chains, ominous music and crystals in her bra to sage any negative energy. Roberts turns the unique experience of going viral for not being a ‘girls girl’ into a moment of deep connection. She eloquently rhapsodies on the nature of a crush- heartbreakingly fleeting as we parade our ‘holiday versions’ of ourselves, while ‘Once Upon A December’ from Fox Animation Studio’s seminal 1997 Anastasia soundtrack soars in the background. While this isn’t a reference that might’ve meant anything to large swathes of the audience, I at least felt that much closer with Roberts as the show came to an emotional crescendo- indeed, the whole show is quite the journey to the past.

And though there is an emotional heartbeat at the undercurrent of this show- though whether that heartbeat is Sarah’s or Siobhan's, I couldn’t say- that centres on love, dwindling hopes, romance and the pressure of living a life that could’ve been for two, do not underestimate the sheer breadth of comedy to be found here. From sound effects, to visual gags and reveals, from blithe jokes, cleverly crafted monologues to call-backs, physical humour and high-fives with the audience, there is no comedic rock Sarah Roberts leaves unturned.

This is the perfect late-night show, spilling over with jokes, as Roberts strikes genuine connection with her audience. The intimate venue, paired with her overly familiar humour that is both vulnerable and grotesque, demands that you leave the venue as unlikely friends with Sarah Roberts, quite desperate to see some more.

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Sarah Roberts: Scary Movie 7 is on at 10pm at Monkey Barrel 2 at Monkey Barrel Comedy, every day until the 30th of August. Buy tickets here.

Photo credit: Rebecca Need-Menear.

Review written by Nilufer Aumeerally for FreshAir Radio.