Audio drama, especially horror audio drama, is having another one of its neigh-annual renaissances. Let’s explore some of the connective tissue between three recent shows.
The Holmwood Foundation, written by Friends of the Lid Georgia Cook and Fio Trethewey, is both a sequel to Stoker’s original Dracula and an eldritch blood-stained blueprint for contemporary “found audio”. The show dances with its format, balancing dramatic scenes with snatches of recordings and format shifts. That mercurial nature is echoed in the show’s narrative, as the lead characters struggle to work out who to trust, the ghosts in their heads struggle with the mortal world, and the mortal world begins to crack as something terrible stalks the country behind them. The Holmwood Foundation throws a vampire skull through the comforting consensual reality of our expectations and makes fun new shapes out of the shrapnel.
Audio Connective Tissue
Interstitials: Our favourite #nokings signs
Playout: I’m Happy You’re Here Episode 1