|
|
Post by silverednickle on May 2, 2016 21:22:30 GMT
31. The Haunted Refrain
Synopsis
“Nobody here now. Nobody but me and them. Can't you hear them? Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch...”
Barbara loves her husband and their new home. But something is missing from her life. Something she can't explain... Until, one day, she finds it.
An old gramophone sits in the attic. And, on it, she hears the voice of man called Quentin Collins. A voice that talks back to her, begging her for help.
Something has trapped the soul of Quentin Collins. But he isn't alone...
Written By: Aaron Lamont
Directed By: Darren Gross and Jim Pierson
Cast
David Selby (Quentin Collins), Karen Jean Olds (Barbara), Jonathon Marx (Grant), Alex Mallinson, Joseph Lidster (Scratches)
|
|
|
|
Post by silverednickle on May 2, 2016 21:30:05 GMT
Thought I would get the party started this time.
The Haunted Refrain is not only one of my favorite Quentin stories, but overall Dark Shadows Big Finish audios. Such great performances, even with a last-minute change of cast for Grant (if memory serves originally Andrew Collins had recorded all the parts for Grant, but his recording was lost, so they brought in Jonathan Marx last minute). Plus the play on making the part of show's original audience a character (maybe we'll soon get an audio with a kid rushing home to catch a show after school). The respect for Quentin's rich history with an ending that really complimented the show's cannon. Add in some great one-liners ("death by cocktail party"), a cameo from Joe Lidster himself (which I didn't notice until I copied over the description for the topic today), and it's a great recipe for success.
|
|
bobod
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,759 
|
Post by bobod on May 2, 2016 23:21:03 GMT
Thought I would get the party started this time. I had a moment of thinking 'ooh quick off the mark this week' and then I remembered it's Monday today, not Sunday. |
|
|
|
Post by Audio Watchdog on May 2, 2016 23:55:53 GMT
I need to give this one another chance. I don't know what it was the first time I listened but I had a really hard time getting through this one.
|
|
|
|
Post by kimalysong on May 2, 2016 23:58:15 GMT
I always have my Dark Shadows audios downloaded in anticipation of the weekly thread.
|
|
|
|
Post by joehart1962 on May 3, 2016 5:01:02 GMT
I loved the way this answered one of the questions that had lingered since the original series: Who the hell was Grant Douglas and why did Quentin use that name?
But of course it set up another mystery as well: How the hell did Quentin get in that gramophone record? Which, of course, was answered by ...
(Also anything with Jonathan Marx is well worth listening to!)
|
|
|
|
Post by omega on May 3, 2016 5:11:34 GMT
I love how the music at the end sounds like it's being played on a gramophone. This story gives us a reason to be wary of gramophones in general, like Doctor Who did with gas masks, ticking clocks, statues and shadows.
This story was intended to be released November 2012, but delayed until January 2013 (by which point 32 A Collinwood Christmas had been released).
|
|
bobod
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,759
|
Post by bobod on May 3, 2016 12:16:39 GMT
Bobod's boPod is in for repair so I'll be behind the game for a week or two.
I have heard this one before though, and it's a great script/story. And David is as marvellous as ever.
|
|
|
|
Post by barnabaslives on May 3, 2016 23:20:15 GMT
I love how the music at the end sounds like it's being played on a gramophone. This story gives us a reason to be wary of gramophones in general, like Doctor Who did with gas masks, ticking clocks, statues and shadows. Indeed, The Haunted Refrain seems to uphold a fine tradition of that. I think the gramophone is the harbinger of troubles since we first hear Quentin's gramophone playing, and it's fairly intrinsic to his character and stories, although I do think it's interesting and refreshing what seems to happens as if on account of a record in Panic. We'll see if I get to hear this, but this is certainly one of the Quentin stories I'd like to revisit most although I'm sure I've heard it five times already. I'm not sure that it's been sorted out entirely but I do appreciate very much the effort this story makes to try and explain the Grant Douglas character. |
|
|
|
Post by kimalysong on May 4, 2016 22:51:00 GMT
I don't know if it's my memory playing tricks on me but one of the song in this did sound a bit like the song in Panic.
|
|
|
|
Post by Trace on May 9, 2016 2:32:09 GMT
I love this story. It's extremely creepy and its always great when a story can somehow answer a long-standing question from the original series, and do it so well. When I got to the part of the story where all the women in Quentin's long life are mentioned, it was fun to remember all their wonderful storylines! What lingering mark did each of them leave on Quentin's soul, and vice verse?
It's also a fantastic sequel to The Darkest Shadow, even though the sequel came first. I'm even more excited to get to that one because I've only listened to it one time!
|
|
|
|
Post by barnabaslives on May 20, 2016 3:31:40 GMT
Couldn't resist finally giving this another listen on a gloomy afternoon. This really is good, another great story from Aaron, and fine casting and performances. I'm still amazed at just how engaging David Selby really is. Also it was a wonderful "surprise" to be reminded that Johnathon Marx is in this story as somehow I'd completely forgotten he played Grant Douglas before Sheriff Hardy.
|
|
