More than 10 years after my first brush with the Woman in Black, it was with some trepidation I found myself spending the afternoon in her ghostly company again.

What I remember from my first taste of this classic stage thriller is sketchy. But what snippets I could recall left a lasting impact over the years; the grotesque face of the woman in black, the ghostly stage lighting and nerve-shredding screams echoing around the auditorium.

Now older and, arguably, wiser, I was curious to see whether I could be as easily frightened as my younger – and somewhat excitable – self.

Fresh from recently seeing the brilliantly terrifying Ghost Stories, which had audiences jumping out of their seats from start to finish, I was confident I still had the capacity to be scared stiff. But had my tolerance for fear become more highly developed?

My second helping of the Woman in Black wasn’t as frightening as the first, but what I got from the play this time round was a chance to revisit the classic ghost story genre of old; a slow build-up of intrigue and suspense, culminating in a chilling climax.

The eerie tale behind the suspense was something I had largely forgotten.

Remaining true to the classic novel (much of Susan Hill’s own descriptive writing and dialogue is used in the production), this stage adaptation tells the story of solicitor Arthur Kipps who re-lives the terrible experience he had as a young man at the mysterious and isolated Eel Marsh House, located on a bleak stretch of England’s east coast.

Following the death of Alice Drablow, Eel Marsh’s reclusive owner, Kipps is sent to the house to settle her affairs.

Kipps’ task is a lonely one, as most of the locals refuse to go anywhere near the house. At first, he is unaware of the tragic past linked with Eel Marsh and its inhabitants. But he soon develops a terrible sense of dread and, gradually, starts to question whether he is alone in the remote and formidable house.

While the first act takes its time to slowly unravel the tale of the Woman in Black, the second act uses sound and light to build tension, creating a feeling of uneasiness.

Despite having already seen it - so therefore knew when the shocks were coming - the scenes building up to the moment Kipps comes face-to-face with the ghoulish woman in black still rattled me.

One of the tricks behind the success of the play is that it effectively uses one of the most powerful tools at its disposal - the audience’s imagination.

How else could a play consisting of only three actors, a few props, a sparse set, clever lighting and atmospheric sound effects captivate and chill you to the bone in equal measure?

And I firmly believe it’s for this reason the play is celebrating its 21st anniversary at London’s Fortune Theatre this month.

It might be one of the longest-running plays in the West End, but the Woman in Black continues to lure audiences into her lonely, nightmarish world.

Tickets for the Woman in Black are available from the Fortune Theatre’s box office on 0844 871 7626.