View from Valhalla

originally published October 25, 2010

Title: Dead Hunt
Author: Kenn Crawford
Genre: Horror
Released: 18 March 2010 – 2 June 2010
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks, Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast
Rating: R for violence, gore and adult language

I have stated (repetitively) that I don’t normally listen to horror podcasts. I don’t avoid them, I just don’t seek them out. I much prefer dark fantasy. The horror elements are similar in both without what I would call the “shock elements” as prevalent in dark fantasy. So, as I prepared to conclude this October horror series of reviews I consciously went looking for a horror story. Strange territory indeed. I had heard Dead Hunt mentioned on more than one occassion and I knew many of the voices included in the cast, so I decided to give it a shot.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Off the coast of Nova Scotia on a remote island, a lonely scientist, a powerful computer, a simple mistake. Unleashes a new threat, somewhere in the hills of Margaree.

“Dead Hunt” is Kenn Crawford’s chilling tale of a desperate father’s undying love, a daughter frozen in time, and the small group of teens trapped in the aftermath.

“Everyone makes mistakes. Some are small, some are bigger. My father’s mistake, born of an innocent heart and fueled by sadness, was the greatest mistake. Some thought the death of his little girl drove him to the point of insanity; some thought he was trying to be God. But, this is not how it happened. The truth is, he wanted to save me. To give me life. And, in doing so, everyone was doomed.” ~Robin  (Stolen from the author’s site.)

Production: The production of Dead Hunt is really top notch. Seriously. Thinking back on it now, I can’t remember a single incidence where production interfered with the story being told. This is a full cast audio, so this fact is even more impressive.
A-

Cast: As I stated this is a full cast production  and you should recognize some of these names.

Dead Hunt is narrated by R.E. Chambliss (Dreaming of Deliverance), and features the voice talents of: Kimi Alexandre, Brian Brown, Ry Stevenson, Melissa Bartell, Erk and Kim Butler with special guest appearances by Andrew Ball, Arlene Radasky, Judy, Kristopher Lamont, Lindsey Burns, Lisa Tobias, Neil Stringer, Nobilis Reed, Randall Carruthers, Tom Storms and Featuring Rick Stringer of Variant Frequencies as the voice of Professor Patrick Heslin, and introducing “Robin” as herself (again, stolen from Podiobooks).

The performances these individuals put in are excellent. I was very impressed with the seamless quailty on the performances. Very nice work. And I have to comment, although this is a production issue, with voice actors not being in the same room, the editing sure made them seem like they were.
A+

Story: If you decide to give Dead Hunt a listen, you should know that it is really only 15 episodes long, regardless of how many eps are in the feed. (The rest are feedback, etc.) Dead Hunt is a zombie story, pure and simple. And simple might be the best way to describe it. There is really nothing new or noteworthy in the first 13 episodes. Don’t get bitten? Check. Don’t get eaten? Check. Run away from shuffling zombies? Check. Watch as the party slowly is devoured? Check. Hit the zombies in the head to kill them? Check.

Does it matter that there is little original in this story? Well, that is really up to the listener. It did to me. In fact, there are parts of the story that I felt I had heard before. Maybe just deja vu as I can’t place where it would have come from.

The last two episodes do offer a bit of a departure from the norm. Is it enough? Hmm… good question. Not for me. Conversely however, I would probably give the sequel (if it happens) a shot just to see where it’s going. Maybe not the whole podcast, but an ep or two.
D+

Verdict: Dead Hunt is far from the worst thing I’ve ever listened to. I must state that I am not a huge fan of zombies. Even in horror, I like a thinking intelligent preditor. This doesn’t seem to cross into the zombie subgenre of stories. If you’re a zombie fan, you’re going to love Dead Hunt. If you’re not, no nead to run, zombies never move at a gait faster than a shuffle.

Disclosure: I’ve never met Mr. Crawford or chatted with him on Twitter. I have with several of the cast members and regularly converse with Ms. Chambliss. I was not promised anything in return for this review but am now hoping there are no zombie hoards heading in my direction.

~ by odin1eye on 9 January, 2020.

Posted in Podcast Reviews