The official blurb: Ever since Judith’s lifelong best friend, Claire Sterback, inherited a house from a biological family she never knew, things have begun to change. Claire has begun to change. It isn’t just that the house is full of cryptic notebooks, ominous scribblings on the wall, and a basement that is colder than it should be. Claire is… off. She’s started sleepwalking. Sometimes when Claire begins to speak, it isn’t her voice that comes out at all.
As Claire gets closer to a secret at the heart of the old house in the Toronto neighbourhood of Parkdale, she is also getting closer to losing herself. And after Claire goes missing, Judith vies to track her down, even if it means diving into a history that may have been better left untouched. Even if it means dealing with spirits that really do not like her. Parkdale Haunt is about friendship and identity, trauma, cults, demons, and rituals, and, most frighteningly, the Toronto real estate market. From: https://frequencypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/parkdale-haunt/
Parkdale Haunt is one of the most fun, creepy fictional podcasts I’ve heard and needless to say, it’s highly recommended.
I love the “set ups” which dramatic podcasts choose. I mean, how do they relay the story? Is it old radio serial style, or “fly on the wall?”
In this case, character Judith is actually making a podcast and has hours and hours of recorded material to work through. And while she’s listening and sifting, she’s analysing and discussing it further with podcast buddy Owen – you get the idea. It might sound artificial, but it works, it really works!
In an article in The Varsity, co-creator Emily Kellogg said: “It’s more like a TV show in the sense that we use 10 episodes to tell one long story. It’s meant to be binged!” That’s certainly what I did.
The characters are voiced very well; you’ll soon feel like you’re part of the Toronto gang and in the room with them.
The audio and sounds are effective and chilling. I often found myself looking over my shoulder if I was alone, because the storyline really does create a sense of foreboding.
This is scary fun in the vein of a Halloween movie that doesn’t have any gore. For me, that hits just the right note.
I was disappointed when the ten-episode story finished; but in December they released a ‘minisode’ called A Parkdale Carol, with a gorgeous creepy Christmas vibe.
Go listen!
Michelle Prak Writer 