Box Tale Soup’s puppet take on Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey was one of the surprise hits of the 2013 Fringe, earning them an Argus Angel.

Now the puppet theatre company is back in Brighton with two new shows – a Victorian family favourite and a classic MR James story.

“We created Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland last year as we wanted something which was family-friendly,” says Noel Byrne, one-half of Box Tale Soup with wife Antonia Christophers.

“So many people were asking us whether Northanger Abbey was suitable for younger audiences. There’s nothing in it which is inappropriate, but it’s not an easy show for everyone to follow. Everyone knows and loves Alice In Wonderland, and it lent itself to puppetry.”

The inspiration for Casting The Runes came after a friend saw their take on Northanger Abbey – in particular the otherworldly puppet of General Tilney – and suggested they look at James’s oeuvre for future ideas.

“If an audience aren’t a little uncomfortable after Casting The Runes then I don’t think we have done our job,” says Byrne, who admits the tale of a sceptic placed under a curse was the one which really stood out when they were reading James’s stories.

“As much fun as it is to do a family show, we still wanted to have an adult piece out there as well.”

Casting The Runes, which made its world premiere in Brighton at the start of the Fringe, follows the Box Tale Soup ethic of having everything out and visible on the stage in front of the audience.

At no point do the pair of actors retire to the wings to produce a character or costume – making the story very immediate.

“The effects and chills come from what is seen in front of you,” says Byrne. “The Woman In Black was an inspiration for us – it may be a West End show but it is small-scale in feel.”

Casting The Runes tells of a sceptical paranormal expert who finds he only has a few days to live after being cursed by the mysterious Karswell, a supposed charlatan he is investigating.

The story was converted to the big screen in 1957 in Jacques Tourner’s cult classic Night Of The Demon. More recently, Sam Raimi poached elements of the tale for his gleefully gory Drag Me To Hell.

While Northanger Abbey saw Byrne and Christophers take on the two central lovers accompanied by a cast of puppets, Casting The Runes sees the pair play most of the roles, with puppetry used sparingly.

“Anybody who has seen Northanger Abbey will still enjoy Casting The Runes and recognise it as a Box Tale Soup show,” says Byrne, who first met Christophers while the pair were playing Romeo and Juliet on a Shakespeare In Schools tour.

“We have tried to take a few risks and push ourselves. We didn’t want to take the safe choices or most predictable turns.”

While with Northanger Abbey the pair had to condense Austen’s novel into 75 minutes, Casting The Runes saw them extend the original short story – keeping James’s sense of atmosphere but trying to flesh out his characters.

A device which runs throughout the production is the minimalist live music, drawing on eerie folk songs and tapping rhythms.

“We could take a little more licence with James,” says Byrne.

“We had to be respectful of Austen as a writer of dialogue, while James is more about atmosphere. Casting The Runes felt more of its time.

We were able to move the era forward a little without adding mobile phones or computers, which would have completely changed the tone of the story. We needed to find a happy medium so the audience could connect.”

CASTING THE RUNES The Burrow, Russell Place, Brighton, Sunday, May 25, Monday, May 26, and Sunday, June 1, Starts 8pm, tickets £9.50/£8. Call 01273 917272.

 ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND The Warren Main House, Russell Place, Brighton, Sunday, May 25, Monday, May 26, and Sunday, June 1 Starts 4pm, tickets £8.50/£7.