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Entertainment
These otherworldly terrors provide routine community radio news that represent the pinnacle of fiction podcasting.
These otherworldly terrors provide routine community radio news that represent the pinnacle of fiction podcasting.
It’s quite uncommon for a podcast to survive 14 years, particularly a fictional one. In actuality, based on my observations, Welcome to Night Vale stands as the longest-running fiction podcast available. (Some may contend it’s actually We’re Alive, however, that has encountered a few sizable pauses between seasons.) The narrative of Night Vale, the eponymous desert town, now covers 12 seasons and over 280 episodes, along with three books, and a minimum of 10 standalone live shows. Although committing several hundred hours to listening to all episodes might feel daunting, I trust you’ll be captivated once you take the plunge.
The series is crafted by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, who are heavily influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Each season tells its own story arc, but generally, the show narrates the tale of a town that exists in a parallel version of Earth. In this town, angels are tangible, yet acknowledging their existence is prohibited; librarians are perilous entities with “thousands of spiny legs” and “pincers”; and there’s a Faceless Old Woman who secretly resides in your dwelling.
These ideas are undeniably disconcerting when evaluated straightforwardly. However, instead of seeking to frighten the audience, Cranor and Fink embrace the inherent absurdity of cosmic horror and avoid taking themselves too earnestly. They also regularly challenge the biases of their source inspiration, employing Lovecraftian elements to narrate stories enriched with LGBTQ+ representation.
Naturally, having well-crafted scripts and an engaging storyline is just part of what makes Welcome to Night Vale truly exceptional. What propels it to greatness is the cast, particularly the narrator Cecil Baldwin, who portrays the host of the main radio broadcast, Cecil Palmer. Cecil’s voice possesses the weight needed to convey ominous tales of elusive governmental organizations and ancient deities. Yet, he also showcases the ability to deliver humorous exchanges with a sentient wisp of fog (her name is Deb, if you were curious).
Cecil Baldwin has the magnetism to make even a toaster’s repair manual sound intriguing. He can be eerie, amusing, or calming, often within the same episode. (For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend tuning into Night Vale at nighttime. I’ve lulled myself to sleep with Baldwin’s mellifluous voice multiple times, only for the more disquieting segments of the program to seep into my dreams.)
Every episode additionally includes a musical interlude known as “The Weather.” The show primarily highlights lesser-known musicians, but previous contributors include Jason Isbell, The Mountain Goats, Waxahatchee, Angel Olsen, Open Mike Eagle, and Sylvan Esso.
Welcome to Night Vale serves as a fantastic introduction to horror for younger audiences. I would never advocate allowing my eight-year-old to read H.P. Lovecraft. Partly due to his unrepentant bigotry manifesting in his stories, and also because the violence frequently exceeds children’s thresholds. Night Vale, conversely, takes these terrors and reveals them for what they truly are: entertainment. I can play the podcast, connect with my child over their developing fondness for all things eerie and peculiar, and trust that they will take away a positive message.
Welcome to Night Vale is accessible on most podcast platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Pocketcasts, YouTube, and Spotify.
