Comments on: Pseudopod 016: Medicinal http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/ The Sound of Horror. Pseudopod is the world\'s first audio horror magazine. We deliver bone-chilling stories from today\'s most talented authors straight to your computer or MP3 player. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:08:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: ben http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-30849 ben Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:53:01 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-30849 <p>Mari: That was an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Great stuff.</p> Mari: That was an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Great stuff.

]]> By: Mari Mitchell http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-20037 Mari Mitchell Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:20:54 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-20037 <p>This was okay. It reminded of something I saw on TV.</p> <p>The plot was of a man taking is wife home from the hospital after she had been attacked and almost died, some radon act of violence had stricken their normal lives. On the way home, she points at and says, “He did it.”</p> <p>He asks over and over if she is sure.</p> <p>She is. So he kills the bastard.</p> <p>After the deed is done, he gets back into the car with his wife and drive home. Again she sees another and proclaims that he had done those horrible things. He and we, see that he just killed an innocent man.</p> This was okay. It reminded of something I saw on TV.

The plot was of a man taking is wife home from the hospital after she had been attacked and almost died, some radon act of violence had stricken their normal lives. On the way home, she points at and says, “He did it.”

He asks over and over if she is sure.

She is. So he kills the bastard.

After the deed is done, he gets back into the car with his wife and drive home. Again she sees another and proclaims that he had done those horrible things. He and we, see that he just killed an innocent man.

]]> By: Pete S http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-391 Pete S Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:32:52 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-391 <p>Not a fan of this one, really. Take out the medical terms and you're left with a very thin tale...</p> <p>Anyway, re: A Christmas Carol: Mur, I think you've missed the point. Scrooge wasn't upset because he was going to die. He was upset because he was going to die and no one was going to give a damn. He thought he was respected for being a fine businessman, but in the end no one cared about him at all and he just vanished from the earth when he went.</p> <p>Had the Ghost of Christmas Future been the first spirit, the whole scene might not have impacted him so much, but by then the Spirits' influences had already begun to work on him.</p> <p>Also agreed that no movie has even remotely captured the feel of the book. I saw Patrick Stewart do a one-man show of the book, with a table and a chair as his only props. It was wonderful, but still didn't have the impact of the book.</p> Not a fan of this one, really. Take out the medical terms and you’re left with a very thin tale…

Anyway, re: A Christmas Carol: Mur, I think you’ve missed the point. Scrooge wasn’t upset because he was going to die. He was upset because he was going to die and no one was going to give a damn. He thought he was respected for being a fine businessman, but in the end no one cared about him at all and he just vanished from the earth when he went.

Had the Ghost of Christmas Future been the first spirit, the whole scene might not have impacted him so much, but by then the Spirits’ influences had already begun to work on him.

Also agreed that no movie has even remotely captured the feel of the book. I saw Patrick Stewart do a one-man show of the book, with a table and a chair as his only props. It was wonderful, but still didn’t have the impact of the book.

]]> By: Tony Bullard http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-352 Tony Bullard Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:24:21 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-352 <p>I liked this one, but I didn't like the lack of an ending. It had a really good set up, and then it just sorta ended.</p> <p>Once again, I like the little bit of production used for the wife's voice. I know this is a horror story podcast, but making it a little horror radio show wouldn't be to bad either.</p> I liked this one, but I didn’t like the lack of an ending. It had a really good set up, and then it just sorta ended.

Once again, I like the little bit of production used for the wife’s voice. I know this is a horror story podcast, but making it a little horror radio show wouldn’t be to bad either.

]]> By: Dr. Oddbody http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-334 Dr. Oddbody Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:02:13 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-334 <p>Great story - thanks all.</p> <p>I had a thought about that line from the Christmas carol you mentioned in the intro. In America we don't associate ghost stories and Christmas (except for the Dickens classic), but in England it used to be a common practice for families to tell ghost stories around the fireplace at Christmas time. In fact, most of M. R. James' stories were written specifically to read to his friends at Christmas. Time to bring that back!</p> Great story - thanks all.

I had a thought about that line from the Christmas carol you mentioned in the intro. In America we don’t associate ghost stories and Christmas (except for the Dickens classic), but in England it used to be a common practice for families to tell ghost stories around the fireplace at Christmas time. In fact, most of M. R. James’ stories were written specifically to read to his friends at Christmas. Time to bring that back!

]]> By: Tiktok of Oz http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-333 Tiktok of Oz Wed, 20 Dec 2006 22:58:54 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-333 <p>Would someone get away that easily? It's a cliche in fiction that you can do anything and flee, but It really bugs me that nobody grabs a dude before he can get his car keys out and start it up.</p> <p>Oh, and what I'm taking from this story? Love my wife <em>now</em> so that I don't have regrets about not paying attention to her whilst avenging her "killer".</p> Would someone get away that easily? It’s a cliche in fiction that you can do anything and flee, but It really bugs me that nobody grabs a dude before he can get his car keys out and start it up.

Oh, and what I’m taking from this story? Love my wife now so that I don’t have regrets about not paying attention to her whilst avenging her “killer”.

]]> By: sterling http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-330 sterling Mon, 18 Dec 2006 21:41:51 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-330 <p>This was a great story. I love the woe of the exasperated man who can't help but do this for his wife.</p> This was a great story. I love the woe of the exasperated man who can’t help but do this for his wife.

]]> By: Loz http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-328 Loz Sun, 17 Dec 2006 17:46:21 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-328 <p>Short and sweet, a story you can enjoy without ruining your appetite. Unless you have a thing when it comes to naming body parts.</p> <p>Penguin books released a free reading of 'A Christmas Carol' by Geoffrey Palmer last Christmas on their podcast/blog. Unfortunately they've now deleted it but it was a very good reading, I've always felt the various films missed the nature of Scrooge that you get from the book in favour of some cartoon grotesque.</p> Short and sweet, a story you can enjoy without ruining your appetite. Unless you have a thing when it comes to naming body parts.

Penguin books released a free reading of ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Geoffrey Palmer last Christmas on their podcast/blog. Unfortunately they’ve now deleted it but it was a very good reading, I’ve always felt the various films missed the nature of Scrooge that you get from the book in favour of some cartoon grotesque.

]]> By: Joseph http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-327 Joseph Sun, 17 Dec 2006 17:05:41 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-327 <p>I like that the narrator is a victim too.</p> I like that the narrator is a victim too.

]]> By: JustaJ0e http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-321 JustaJ0e Sat, 16 Dec 2006 21:35:52 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-321 <p>Short, sweet, horrifying.</p> <p>I think what really make this "horror" for me is a killer that can't be bargained with (because he doesn't want to do it in the first place) and the seemingly randomness of who gets to be a victim.</p> <p>I also thought the 2nd voice was a good dramatic touch. For those of us who haven't had to deal with other voices in our heads (yet) it really underscored his predicament.</p> Short, sweet, horrifying.

I think what really make this “horror” for me is a killer that can’t be bargained with (because he doesn’t want to do it in the first place) and the seemingly randomness of who gets to be a victim.

I also thought the 2nd voice was a good dramatic touch. For those of us who haven’t had to deal with other voices in our heads (yet) it really underscored his predicament.

]]> By: Spork http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-320 Spork Sat, 16 Dec 2006 21:04:54 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-320 <p>A simple story with an easily foreseeable conclusion. The irritating audio tricks that are so distracting didn't help much, either.</p> A simple story with an easily foreseeable conclusion. The irritating audio tricks that are so distracting didn’t help much, either.

]]> By: Dave T. http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-318 Dave T. Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:28:22 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-318 <p>This reminded me of the movie Memento some at the end. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not at first, but by the end I realized this wasn't the first time and that horrible thought stuck. I also liked how compact this story was.</p> This reminded me of the movie Memento some at the end. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not at first, but by the end I realized this wasn’t the first time and that horrible thought stuck. I also liked how compact this story was.

]]> By: Gabriel http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-317 Gabriel Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:15:22 +0000 http://pseudopod.org/2006/12/15/pseudopod-016-medicinal/#comment-317 <p>Another good one. Something that you said in your intro really got me thinking. When it comes down to it isn't death what makes horror scary. I get that we all know we are going to die, but I think it is the fact that it can happen suddenly and for no reason that freaks us out.</p> <p>I think The Christmas Carol kind of explores that. It isn't that Scrooge finds out he is going to die. I think he realizes that he is going to die soon, and even that he thinks he is going to die before he has the chance to act on the lessons that he has just learned. It is that internal struggle with death that makes it scary, not just Scrooge realizing that he is going to die.</p> <p>That is all. Keep up the good work I love the show!</p> Another good one. Something that you said in your intro really got me thinking. When it comes down to it isn’t death what makes horror scary. I get that we all know we are going to die, but I think it is the fact that it can happen suddenly and for no reason that freaks us out.

I think The Christmas Carol kind of explores that. It isn’t that Scrooge finds out he is going to die. I think he realizes that he is going to die soon, and even that he thinks he is going to die before he has the chance to act on the lessons that he has just learned. It is that internal struggle with death that makes it scary, not just Scrooge realizing that he is going to die.

That is all. Keep up the good work I love the show!

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