Popular Reviews of This House Will Devour You

Excellent, grounded but supernatural, horror podcast with high production values and a wonderful cast.

“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.

Wonderful story telling with a really great historical/nostalgia vibe. Fabulous voice acting, great sound effects that enhance the story without being intrusive. I really enjoy the slow burn spookiness, it's something that not many podcasts do these days.

You may be tempted to let your mind wander as you listen to this slow-burn horror series. Yeah, don't do that. You'll miss a lot, and a lot comes at you fast. And it's good stuff!

Really enjoyed season 1. It's a dark and melancholy slow burn, well acted, with a great setting and atmosphere. A well executed haunted house type story. Season 2 was still well paced and intriguing, but I didn't enjoy it as much. Elizabeth's reckless curiosity, which was so charming in season 1, came off as kind of grating, considering she was so enthralled with the idea of plundering an Egyptian tomb for the whimsy of it. I'd listen to a spin-off about Rookfield, though, especially if he was recast.

Great audiodrama! I wasn't sure about the main characters reading letters to each other as a framing device initially, but the quality of the story won me over completely. The details in the world make it feel real. It's reminiscent of Indiana Jones, even if the time period is off by a few decades.