This House Will Devour You

“This House Will Devour You” is an epistolary (“from letters”) audio drama told from the correspondence of a betrothed couple building their marriage home in County Waterford, Ireland, the oldest city in the country, founded by Vikings in 914 A.D. The epistolary form is a format that comprised the earliest novels in European literature (called “epistolary novels”), and was very popular at one time but less so today. “This House Will Devour You” revives the form for audio drama, and puts it to good use in the way that letters can cause suspense when they may arrive too late. What’s more, a revived style of storytelling suits a story about the revival of far more ancient traditions. Such as the awakening of an old god, and what must be done to appease it once stirred. The delivery of the details can be subtle, and listening in an awake way can be a challenge for the constantly stimulated mind of today. Like others it did take me a few tries to get woven into to the spell of this audio drama in 1925 when the world moved according to the speed of pens and horse power could still mean horses. But once I was, I enjoyed the stoic realism befitting of the time, and the elegant turns of phrases. As well as the resonant, ambient soundtrack, that had the sound of both the primal and the industrial. Both qualities of which contrasted with the proper buttoned-up writing in a way that long foreshadowed the dark shapes to come. “This House Will Devour You” is finely crafted but also “blink and you’ll miss it.” I am happy that I stuck with it and now look forward to season 2. The voices which to me seemed reserved at first began to take on more colors and even sounded lively as the episodes continued. Take a page from my book and get to know these thoughtfully developed characters who spring to life when far more than they bargained for is thrust upon them.

The voice acting and sound design are incredible in this production! We love to deep, rich historical context and we are IN LOVE with the relationships between John and Elizabeth. Can’t wait for more!

This is a slow-burn show with elements of horror and mystery…extremely well-written and well-paced! The actors/writers are really talented and do a great job with the historical settings of Ireland and Egypt. Looking forward to season 3!

I’m always on the hunt for good slow-burn thrillers and this one of the best I’ve heard. If you’re looking for jump scares and gore or background chatter it might not be your thing. You need to pay attention to the details but it quickly starts to pay off.