It’s October, so if you traverse the state’s theaters you can indulge in such Halloween fare as Dracula, Frankenstein, Carrie, and the Evil Dead. But if you want some true horror this month, you should make the trip to Springfield’s What a Do Theatre and see its production of “1984.”

It’s a political thriller, written more than half a century ago, that views a world of surveillance, of governmental control, of unbridled power and of cruelty and pain. It is one of the early examples of dystopian novels. In it, the “party” holds absolute sway over people’s lives. Winston Smith (Joe Dely) works in the Ministry of Truth, changing records of the past to align with the Party’s current version of reality. He and his co-worker Syme (Lars Loofboro) translate things into Newspeak, the Party’s new language that destroys old words in an attempt to control ideas and thinking.

Julia (Kristin Marie Stelter) is transferred into the department, replacing an “unperson” – someone who has been hung as a traitor and who is now said to have never existed. Despite being a member of the Junior Anti-Sex League, she confesses she is in love with Winston, and they begin an affair which would mean arrest and certain death if it were discovered.

Together they confess their hatred for the party, making them “thought criminals,” and engage in a conspiracy to change things.

What a Do manages the intensity of the story with all the tools at its disposal. A uniformed guard stands dead-eyed next to the box office, a contrast with the friendly volunteers. Another guard barks orders at people in the lobby, telling them to approach him when they are ready to enter the theater. Yet a third guard snaps at patrons as they prepare to take their seats.

John Purchase’s original sound track pulses throughout the house before the show begins and throughout the course of the play. It is an electronica reminiscent of the ’80s with lyrics fitting the setting of the show. Samantha Snow and Joshua Olgine’s scenic design is stark and unforgiving, much like the Party itself. The feel is one of oppressive poverty, with chain link fences serving as doors and weathered concrete the pervading motif.

Dely immediately establishes himself as out-of-sync with his committed co-workers. He’s late to work and a little slower on his feet when the telescreen announcements come on. His hissing is pro forma, and he barely participates in the calisthenics until the disembodied voice from the screen reprimands him personally.

His discontent is aided by Loofboro’s goofy grin and puppy-dog like passion for the Party and his work. Co-worker Parsons (Stacy Little) is enthusiastic about the party and convinced everything they do is correct and for the best.

The chemistry between Stelter and Dely communicates volumes in what must be a shortened version of what plays out in the novel. There is a tension and fear that underlies their relationship, a forbidden love which they both know is doomed.

Some of the most intense scenes come at the end with Troy Randall-Kilpatrick’s O’Brien, an inner party member whose fate becomes inexorably linked with Winston and Julia. He becomes the voice of the party, the voice of power and cruelty and control. Randall-Kilpatrick moves instantly between reasonableness and anger, exerting fine control over his voice as he commands, then shouts, then threatens.

It is also in these final scenes where Dely truly shines as the confused man who tries to hold onto what he knows is true in the face of unrelenting physical and emotional torment. He travels a spectrum of emotions as he tries to process all that is happening to him and is being said to him.

Director Randy Wolfe controls the pacing with an iron fist. There is never a slow moment or one in which the tension is allowed to release. He crafts a story that is unified in its vision and voice, ensuring that everyone is working toward the same goal. It is this discipline that emphasizes the horror and thriller aspects of the story.

Intermission was a bit confusing, for while the houselights went up, things kept happening on stage and the audience stayed mesmerized and unwilling to move from their seats as the guards and Rachel Markillie’s landlady had intense and violent interactions.

Ashlyn Shawver was the voice over the loudspeaker and she gave an unseen performance that was creepy and intense. There were times her voice seemed electronically altered, adding to the overall oppressiveness of a society that is constantly watched and under electronic surveillance.

What A Do mines every bit of intensity in playwright Robert Owens’ adaptation of the classic Orwell novel. While there is nothing supernatural in this horror story, it frightens by revealing the darkness of the human soul and the dire predictions of what a totalitarian state can do to wipe out one’s very thoughts and memories for no other reason than the pursuit of power.