Archive 81 (podcast): Difference between revisions
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The show follows the story of an audio archivist named Dan, who has recently been hired for a job that involves reviewing and cataloguing a set of old audio tapes.<ref name="Farrar 2016">{{Cite web|last=Farrar|first=Joseph|date=July 4, 2016|title='Archive 81' and the Rise of ‘Soft-Horror’ Podcasting|url=https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/archive81-podcast-horror/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705134316/https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/archive81-podcast-horror/|archive-date=July 5, 2016|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=[[The Daily Dot]]|language=en-US}}</ref> The contract is for a group called the Housing Historical Committee of New York State and involves working at a remote and isolated bunker in the middle of the woods.<ref name="Verdier 2017">{{Cite web|last=Verdier|first=Hannah|last2=Slaney|first2=Rowan|last3=Tresilian|first3=Susannah|date=October 20, 2017|title=A Fresh Perspective on Donald Trump – Podcasts of the Week|url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/oct/20/a-fresh-perspective-on-donald-trump-podcasts-of-the-week|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020141402/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/oct/20/a-fresh-perspective-on-donald-trump-podcasts-of-the-week|archive-date=October 20, 2017|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]]|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Roper 2018">{{Cite web|last=Roper|first=Naomi|date=March 12, 2018|title=Ten Horror Podcasts to Give You All the Fun Scares|url=https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/top-ten-horror-podcasts-to-listen-to/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928131100/https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/top-ten-horror-podcasts-to-listen-to/|archive-date=September 28, 2020|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=Geek Girl Authority|language=en-US}}</ref> Throughout his time on the job, Dan is contacted by his boss who insists that Dan must continuously record himself for archival and legal purposes.<ref name="Roper 2018" /> The audio tapes that Dan is listening to are over two decades old and contain interviews conducted by someone named Melody Pendras.<ref name="Locke 2016" /> |
The show follows the story of an audio archivist named Dan, who has recently been hired for a job that involves reviewing and cataloguing a set of old audio tapes.<ref name="Farrar 2016">{{Cite web|last=Farrar|first=Joseph|date=July 4, 2016|title='Archive 81' and the Rise of ‘Soft-Horror’ Podcasting|url=https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/archive81-podcast-horror/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705134316/https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/archive81-podcast-horror/|archive-date=July 5, 2016|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=[[The Daily Dot]]|language=en-US}}</ref> The contract is for a group called the Housing Historical Committee of New York State and involves working at a remote and isolated bunker in the middle of the woods.<ref name="Verdier 2017">{{Cite web|last=Verdier|first=Hannah|last2=Slaney|first2=Rowan|last3=Tresilian|first3=Susannah|date=October 20, 2017|title=A Fresh Perspective on Donald Trump – Podcasts of the Week|url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/oct/20/a-fresh-perspective-on-donald-trump-podcasts-of-the-week|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020141402/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/oct/20/a-fresh-perspective-on-donald-trump-podcasts-of-the-week|archive-date=October 20, 2017|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]]|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Roper 2018">{{Cite web|last=Roper|first=Naomi|date=March 12, 2018|title=Ten Horror Podcasts to Give You All the Fun Scares|url=https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/top-ten-horror-podcasts-to-listen-to/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928131100/https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/top-ten-horror-podcasts-to-listen-to/|archive-date=September 28, 2020|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=Geek Girl Authority|language=en-US}}</ref> Throughout his time on the job, Dan is contacted by his boss who insists that Dan must continuously record himself for archival and legal purposes.<ref name="Roper 2018" /> The audio tapes that Dan is listening to are over two decades old and contain interviews conducted by someone named Melody Pendras.<ref name="Locke 2016" /> |
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In the 1990s, Melody Pendras was doing interviews with residents of an old and mysterious Manhattan apartment building called the Eldritch Visser building.<ref name="Watts 2016">{{Cite web|last=Watts|first=Gabrielle|date=December 9, 2016|title=A BiGinner’s Guide to Queer Culture in 2016: Podcasts|url=https://www.rifemagazine.co.uk/2016/12/a-biginners-guide-to-queer-culture-in-2016-podcasts/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421004324/https://www.rifemagazine.co.uk/2016/12/a-biginners-guide-to-queer-culture-in-2016-podcasts/|archive-date=April 21, 2017|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=Rife Magazine|publisher=Watershed Charity|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Farrar 2016" /> The interviews are with strange and eccentric |
In the 1990s, Melody Pendras was doing interviews with residents of an old and mysterious Manhattan apartment building called the Eldritch Visser building.<ref name="Watts 2016">{{Cite web|last=Watts|first=Gabrielle|date=December 9, 2016|title=A BiGinner’s Guide to Queer Culture in 2016: Podcasts|url=https://www.rifemagazine.co.uk/2016/12/a-biginners-guide-to-queer-culture-in-2016-podcasts/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421004324/https://www.rifemagazine.co.uk/2016/12/a-biginners-guide-to-queer-culture-in-2016-podcasts/|archive-date=April 21, 2017|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=Rife Magazine|publisher=Watershed Charity|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Farrar 2016" /> The interviews are with strange and eccentric residents of the building and often include references to a terrible and unnerving song that has affected the people living in the building.<ref name="Locke 2016" /> Throughout the first season, Dan attempts to make sense of the tapes and becomes increasingly rattled by the unsettling interviews carried out by Pendras.<ref name="Roper 2018" /><ref name="Bishop 2018">{{Cite web|last=Bishop|first=Bryan|last2=Liptak|first2=Andrew|date=October 31, 2018|title=10 Scary Podcasts to Listen to in the Dark|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/31/18049662/favorite-scary-podcasts-exorcist-video-palace|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103003730/https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/31/18049662/favorite-scary-podcasts-exorcist-video-palace|archive-date=November 3, 2018|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|language=en-US}}</ref> Pendras has a female partner named Alexa who is briefly introduced, but otherwise the tapes consist only of her interviews with other residents.<ref name="Watts 2016" /> |
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At the end of the first tape, Dan's best friend Mark reveals that he received these recordings from Dan in the mail and that Dan has been missing since January 2016.<ref name="Locke 2016" /> Mark is trying to figure out what happened to Dan by slowly releasing the audio to the public as a series of podcast episodes.<ref name="Griffin 2018">{{Cite web|last=Griffin|first=Sarah|date=August 11, 2018|title=Archive 81 is a horror ensemble notable for lack of conformity|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/archive-81-is-a-horror-ensemble-notable-for-lack-of-conformity-1.3589779|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811092033/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/archive-81-is-a-horror-ensemble-notable-for-lack-of-conformity-1.3589779|archive-date=August 11, 2018|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=[[The Irish Times]]|publisher=Irish Times Trust|language=en-IE}}</ref><ref name="Bishop 2018" /> |
At the end of the first tape, Dan's best friend Mark reveals that he received these recordings from Dan in the mail and that Dan has been missing since January 2016.<ref name="Locke 2016" /> Mark is trying to figure out what happened to Dan by slowly releasing the audio to the public as a series of podcast episodes.<ref name="Griffin 2018">{{Cite web|last=Griffin|first=Sarah|date=August 11, 2018|title=Archive 81 is a horror ensemble notable for lack of conformity|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/archive-81-is-a-horror-ensemble-notable-for-lack-of-conformity-1.3589779|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811092033/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/archive-81-is-a-horror-ensemble-notable-for-lack-of-conformity-1.3589779|archive-date=August 11, 2018|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=[[The Irish Times]]|publisher=Irish Times Trust|language=en-IE}}</ref><ref name="Bishop 2018" /> |
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Revision as of 15:35, 27 January 2022
| Archive 81 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Genre |
|
| Language | English |
| Length | 15-30 Minutes |
| Production | |
| Audio format |
|
| No. of seasons | 3[1] |
| No. of episodes | 35 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | April 16, 2016 |
| Provider | Dead Signals |
| Related | |
| Related shows | |
| Website | www |
Archive 81 was a horror podcast created by Daniel Powell and Marc Sollinger starring Amelia Kidd. The show was adapted into the television show Archive 81.
Background
Daniel Powell graduated from Darlington School and began his career in sound engineering.[5] Powell was working from home in isolation, reviewing and archiving sound effects from an audio library for a company called Soundsnap, when he and his friend Marc Sollinger came up with the idea for Archive 81.[3] Sollinger worked as an associate producer on a radio program called Innovation Hub, which had support and funding from WGBH and Public Radio Exchange.[3] Archive 81 did not have the same support and funding as Innovation Hub because it was produced independently, which meant that the first season was written, performed, recorded, and edited by themselves in a friend's bedroom.[3][6]
Sollinger and Powell have gone on to produce another podcast called The Deep Vault, which is a seven part radio drama set in a post-apocalyptic United States.[3][7]
Synopsis
The show follows the story of an audio archivist named Dan, who has recently been hired for a job that involves reviewing and cataloguing a set of old audio tapes.[4] The contract is for a group called the Housing Historical Committee of New York State and involves working at a remote and isolated bunker in the middle of the woods.[8][9] Throughout his time on the job, Dan is contacted by his boss who insists that Dan must continuously record himself for archival and legal purposes.[9] The audio tapes that Dan is listening to are over two decades old and contain interviews conducted by someone named Melody Pendras.[3]
In the 1990s, Melody Pendras was doing interviews with residents of an old and mysterious Manhattan apartment building called the Eldritch Visser building.[10][4] The interviews are with strange and eccentric residents of the building and often include references to a terrible and unnerving song that has affected the people living in the building.[3] Throughout the first season, Dan attempts to make sense of the tapes and becomes increasingly rattled by the unsettling interviews carried out by Pendras.[9][1] Pendras has a female partner named Alexa who is briefly introduced, but otherwise the tapes consist only of her interviews with other residents.[10]
At the end of the first tape, Dan's best friend Mark reveals that he received these recordings from Dan in the mail and that Dan has been missing since January 2016.[3] Mark is trying to figure out what happened to Dan by slowly releasing the audio to the public as a series of podcast episodes.[11][1]
The second season follows Dan as he explores a different world.[9]
The show contains a three-part miniseries called Left of the Dial, which began with an episode entitled "The Passenger". The miniseries follows the story of two characters named Nicholas and Static Man as they go on a road trip to a place called "the Blacktop".[12]
Production
Daniel Powell and Marc Sollinger wrote, performed, recorded, and edited the entire first season in a friend's bedroom on their own.[3] The show was produced entirely by Marc Sollinger and Daniel Powell starring voice actress Amelia Kidd.[4][13] The show's audio quality and sound design improve over the course of each season.[13] The second season was released the year after the first in January 2017.[10] There is a bonus episode that uses the old school radio drama style production.[13]
Main cast and characters
- Daniel Powell as Dan the Archivist
- Marc Sollinger as Mark
- Amelia Kidd as Melody Pendras[14]
- Carly Piersol as Alexa[10]
Episodes
Season 1
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | "Trailer - Season One" | 1:54 | March 30, 2016 |
| 01 | "A Body In A New Place" | 16:46 | April 5, 2016 |
| 02 | "A Night At An Opera" | 14:47 | April 19, 2016 |
| 03 | "A Story In Cycles" | 16:52 | May 3, 2016 |
| 04 | "A Collection of Disparate Strangeness" | 17:58 | May 17, 2016 |
| 05 | "A Spider in a Web" | 16:28 | May 31, 2016 |
| 06 | "A Conversation Without Record" | 14:17 | June 14, 2016 |
| 07 | "A Face in a Crowd" | 15:44 | June 28, 2016 |
| 08 | "A Chemical Experiment" | 18:35 | July 12, 2016 |
| 09 | "An Implosion of an Idea" | 15:34 | July 26, 2016 |
| 10 | "The Ending, Perhaps" | 15:07 | August 9, 2016 |
| Bonus | "The Future of Archive 81" | 2:39 | August 9, 2016 |
Influences
Powell and Sollinger view Orson Welles’ radio drama The War of the Worlds as an inspiration and influence for their work on Archive 81.[3] The show has influences from the soft horror and paranormal horror popularized by 90s television series such as Twin Peaks and The X Files.[4] The show also has similarities to a Roberto Bolaño novel and contains references to David Cronenberg's film Videodrome.[14][6] The show also has similarities to the urban horror themes present in series such as Candyman.[9]
The show has been described as a radio drama,[8] found-footage podcast,[1] and a fictional scripted investigative journalism podcast.[15] The show uses themes of conspiracy theories.[16] The show is a mix of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi.[13]
Reception
The show was recommended by Cassandra Baim at The Guardian, saying that "the show will suck you in from the very first episode and leave you with new questions and theories after each listen."[8]
The first season was ten episodes long and reached #25 on the iTunes Chart.[3]
Adaptions
The show was adapted into a television series called Archive 81.[17]
References
- ^ a b c d Bishop, Bryan; Liptak, Andrew (October 31, 2018). "10 Scary Podcasts to Listen to in the Dark". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Dutta, Anisha (July 3, 2019). "15 Podcasts You Must Listen to if You Love Lore". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Locke, Charley (August 24, 2016). "Fiction Podcasts Are Finally a Thing! Thank You, Sci-Fi and Horror". Wired. Condé Nast. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Farrar, Joseph (July 4, 2016). "'Archive 81' and the Rise of 'Soft-Horror' Podcasting". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Lahr, Spencer (July 25, 2018). "One Odd Job Turns Into Creative Pursuit for Darlington Grad". Rome News-Tribune. Times-Journal. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b Verma, Neil (January 2017). "The Arts of Amnesia: The Case for Audio Drama, Part One". University of Wollongong. Northwestern University. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Locker, Melissa (August 8, 2016). "The Week's Best Podcasts: Rio, Star Trek Beyond and Drunken Snoop". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c Verdier, Hannah; Slaney, Rowan; Tresilian, Susannah (October 20, 2017). "A Fresh Perspective on Donald Trump – Podcasts of the Week". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Roper, Naomi (March 12, 2018). "Ten Horror Podcasts to Give You All the Fun Scares". Geek Girl Authority. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Watts, Gabrielle (December 9, 2016). "A BiGinner's Guide to Queer Culture in 2016: Podcasts". Rife Magazine. Watershed Charity. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Griffin, Sarah (August 11, 2018). "Archive 81 is a horror ensemble notable for lack of conformity". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Collins, Elena Fernández (May 6, 2019). "Comedy Bang! Bang! Does the Damn Thing With a 10-Hour 10th Anniversary Episode". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Feltman, Rachel (November 23, 2016). "The Science Fiction Podcasts Every Nerd Should Listen To". Popular Science. Recurrent Ventures. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b McCammon, Muira (January 27, 2017). "The Pod People: 5 Audio Dramas on Good and Evil - From Global Warming to Guantánamo". Paste. Paste Media Group. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Peters, Lucia (October 7, 2016). "8 Creepy Podcasts to Listen to Late at Night". Bustle. Bustle Digital Group. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Zabiegalski, Robin (April 9, 2017). "15 Creepy Podcasts That Will Keep You Up All Night". TheTalko. Valnet. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Porter, Rick; Porter, Rick (2020-10-26). "Netflix Snags 'Archive 81' Horror Series Based on Podcast". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-21.