Post-Halloween Blues

There is no denying it – the weather is getting worse, I’ve laundered my woollen apparel, hoovered up the last of the glitter, cut my fake nails short, and turned the calendar to a new month,  Gothtober is officially over.

To assuage my sulking, I have been catching up on the deluge of dark delights that are on the BBC iPlayer. (I’m not getting paid by the BBC, it’s just that being a technophobe once I find a medium that I can make work on my phone/ computer/ television, I stick to it).

Yesterday whilst hoovering up said glitter, I listened to the Fright Night radio adaptation of the Ring (1998). It was a little odd to hear it adapted for radio when the narrative centres around a visual medium but I thought the little twist they did at the end was good. A killer VHS would not be very threatening to the modern world because no-one has a video player at home any more and it would likely just end up in a car boot sale – the curse would only kill Luddites. I was not particularly pleased that the protagonist became a man, leaving his wife at home to look after the baby, and his side-kick was a womaniser. It felt liking taking two steps backwards in regards to the presentation of women in horror.

Perhaps more suitably for a radio drama, there was also a Fright Night adaptation of the BBC drama The Stone Tape (1972) which is still regarded as one of the most terrifying television programmes of all time. The narrative is largely about audio recordings so it worked rather well on the radio. I would recommend giving it a listen. Both of the above are also available in 3D sound which is meant to add an extra element of horror especially when using headphones to listen.

Later this evening, I am planning to catch up on the BBC radio adaptation of The Exorcist (1973). I first watched the movie when I was far too young for that sort of thing (but still had the desire to stay up all night watching horror movies) and then had to sleep in an attic room that was reached through a trap door in the roof. Nightmares ensued …

And, if you enjoy all this, why not try the quiz ‘How long would you last in a horror movie?’. I would survive but seriously maimed which is a cheerful thought for a miserable day.