Audio - Dark Shadows: Snowflake

It’s January and it sounds like wintry weather in Collinsport as Susan Omand listens to the free Dark Shadows story Snowflake from Big Finish...

“It's this town. It's Collinsport. It's broken."

Victor Frost, a private investigator, had been sent a letter, and a large cheque, by the mysterious Mr Snowflake to travel to America and see if the people of Collinsport believe in ghosts. The reason for this request was never explained but Victor needed the money, so this story finds him in the town, recording what could be his final message to his friend Alex, as he explains a bit about his researched history of the town and some of the people and places there, the Inn, the Blue Whale, Widow’s Hill and the mysterious whispering in the cave below it. Why might this be his last message? Because the town has an eerie feeling, the townsfolk he has talked to are terrified of something that is going to come and he now believes that, as he is recording the message, he is not alone ...

This little fifteen minute story, written for Dark Shadows by Joseph Lidster and given away free on the website, was very clever on several levels. It worked as a stand alone ghost story, as it is billed, but also worked really well as both a very descriptive introduction to the Dark Shadows universe for new listeners coming into the series, explaining a few of the locations and the characters, and as a short prologue to the full audio drama series Bloodlust that follows it. I’m not normally a fan of the found footage concept but the Dark Shadows team are especially good at it and the soundscaping in Snowflake added a lot to the tension, especially with the whispering in the cave that you couldn’t quite make out, although you know there are words in there. Talking of words, plaudits to the voice acting of Daniel Collard as Victor Frost who carried the 15 minute monologue effortlessly, keeping it engaging and building the suspense without it sounding hammy or over the top, which can be quite difficult when there are no visual cues to help the actor portray his emotions.

Having listened to Snowflake a few times now I can definitely report that it has done its job and I am keen to delve into the Dark Shadows Bloodlust serial very soon.

Image  - Dark Shadows

Available as a FREE download from here.