Replete with atmospheric fog, moving furniture, and ominous warnings, Danny Robins’ 2:22 is a classic ghost story. After moving into an east London home with their newborn, couple Jenny (Louisa Lytton) and Sam (Nathaniel Curtis) host a house-warming party for their friend Lauren (Charlene Boyd) and her new boyfriend Ben (Joe Absolom). Jenny has been hearing footsteps in the baby’s room at 2.22am each night, but Sam refuses to believe her. Things come to a head, and the group decides to stay up until that exact time to discover the truth.

As a giant digital clock above the door ticks on, tension slowly builds between this quartet, with secrets revealed and relationships re-examined. The character drama complements the supernatural fare in a way that feels coherent and satisfying without being too on-the-nose. Jenny assumes that the ghost was married to the previous owner, a Cockney woman whose furniture they burnt and whose wallpaper they stripped while renovating. Rather than simply adding flavour to the haunting, this detail is used to provoke a nuanced discussion of gentrification. One particular highlight is the monologue from Ben, himself a Cockney, in which he reveals the humiliation of having to sell his mother’s home to a rich couple who mocked her taste.

2:22 has the potential to be bone-chilling. The script and performances succeed in building real terror, but this is somewhat overshadowed by the gratuitous jump-scares and flashing lights that punctuate every scene. A major plot twist also cheapens both the horror and social commentary, the latter having been the show’s biggest strength up until that point. 2:22 is both scary and interesting. It’s just a shame that the play never quite trusts itself.

2:22 A Ghost Story tours until Saturday 1 June; reviewed at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh.