Audio Rec: Beyond the Grave
I've been listening to Big Finish's Beyond the Grave a couple of times this week - it's that good, and it's that scary. The premise is a fairly simple one: a British ghost hunting show called Beyond the Grave has decided to do a live show from Eagle Hill Cemetery in Collinsport on Halloween night because it's been the scene of multiple late October murders. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?
Because it's being portrayed from the point of view of outsiders and doesn't tie into the soap opera storylines, you don't need to know a single thing about Dark Shadows to appreciate the story. (If you do, you'll recognize all the cameos.)
And it is *terrifying!* Big Finish doesn't shy from horror - they're possibly a tad overfond of gluggy sound effects and shouting in the Doctor Who ranges - but I find this the most atmospheric and frightening by far - and I'm comparing it to the the rest of their Dark Shadows and Sapphire and Steel ranges. Considering their audio-only products, Big Finish surprisingly shies away from milking the "you're listening to the radio" format. (Even this is, technically, the sound track from a TV show.) When they embrace the concept that this is a series of transmissions they are at their strongest - it's not a coincidence that my other big Big Finish favorite is Live 34.
Beyond the Grave is available in download or on CD. There's also a trailer to listen to at the link: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/beyond-the-grave-884
Because it's being portrayed from the point of view of outsiders and doesn't tie into the soap opera storylines, you don't need to know a single thing about Dark Shadows to appreciate the story. (If you do, you'll recognize all the cameos.)
And it is *terrifying!* Big Finish doesn't shy from horror - they're possibly a tad overfond of gluggy sound effects and shouting in the Doctor Who ranges - but I find this the most atmospheric and frightening by far - and I'm comparing it to the the rest of their Dark Shadows and Sapphire and Steel ranges. Considering their audio-only products, Big Finish surprisingly shies away from milking the "you're listening to the radio" format. (Even this is, technically, the sound track from a TV show.) When they embrace the concept that this is a series of transmissions they are at their strongest - it's not a coincidence that my other big Big Finish favorite is Live 34.
Beyond the Grave is available in download or on CD. There's also a trailer to listen to at the link: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/beyond-the-grave-884