Modern horror realized in Lansdale’s “God of the Razor”

Well, I’m going to jump right into my audio theater reviews with a piece of modern horror that recently reached my ears: ‘God of the Razor,’ a grisly horror short story by Joe Lansdale realized by AM/FM Theater in Lowell, MA.

I had recently written on the radio drama digest (a mailing list for audio theater enthusiasts such as myself) bemoaning the lack of contemporary fiction stories told through sound. There’s no shortage of classic tales, whether it’s derived from the canon of American or British Literature, mythology, or folktales. Don’t get me wrong, such content is great, but my passion is in hearing the work of compelling living writers, and such content tends to be rare in the fully dramatized arena. That’s why it was such a treat to learn have Brian Price (from Great Northern Audio Theater, also the sound designer and director of ‘God of the Razor’) respond to my posting telling me to buy ‘God of the Razor’ from AM/FM Theater without asking questions.

I’m glad I did! Scott Hickey, who produced the piece, obviously has a great love of modern horror’not the hack and slash, teens screaming and dorky CGI monsters kind of horror’but the cerebral, psychological kind, ala HP Lovecraft or Edgar Allen Poe (two of the authors commonly dramatized in the ‘classic’ tradition of radio theatre). Joe R. Lansdale, accomplished thriller, horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy self-appointed ‘Mojo storyteller,’ is the epitome of the author whose work translate well to the audio realm. In ‘God of the Razor,’ the haunting environs of the dark tale are brought to life through stellar voice-acting, cutting-edge sound design, and unsettling music.

The story starts with an antique connoisseur checking out a creepy old house for any treasures that may have been forgotten in it. We are immediately placed in the uncomfortable, dark universe of the piece by carefully selected chords of music, effects, and dialogue that suggests something is going to happen without overstating too much.

The narrator, who’s also the main character, heads into the creepy house as the full moon comes and goes from behind clouds. As he heads into the basement, he sees a site that shocks him, and an unexpected voice from the shadows starts to recount a tale to chill his bones and yours: the story of an ancient evil accidentally revived, of a razor blade that demands blood sacrifices regardless of the wielder’s wishes’

While there are a couple of minor issues that drew me out of the piece (for instance, the story begins with a one-way cell phone conversation with a character that never comes back again), ‘God of the Razor’ succeeded in scaring me and that’s no small feat. It uses violence in a restrained, ‘less is more,’ manner, meaning that the moments of violence in the piece are that much more of a shock. And the ending will send a thorough chill up your spine!

If you really want to treat yourself to some good modern horror, produced by a great group of pros who really have a passion and sense of the art, check out ‘God of the Razor.’ If you order now, you get a poster signed by the cast, producer, director, and author, plus the CD comes with another treat, a short tale called ‘If You Take My Hand My Son.’

I haven’t heard the rest of the ‘Grist Mill’ catalog but ‘God of the Razor’ was enough to get me interested.’ Check out more audio horror stories at the AM/FM Theater SiteWell, I’m going to jump right into my audio theater reviews with a piece of modern horror that recently reached my ears: ‘God of the Razor,’ a grisly horror short story by Joe Lansdale realized by AM/FM Theater in Lowell, MA.

I had recently written on the radio drama digest (a mailing list for audio theater enthusiasts such as myself) bemoaning the lack of contemporary fiction stories told through sound. There’s no shortage of classic tales, whether it’s derived from the canon of American or British Literature, mythology, or folktales. Don’t get me wrong, such content is great, but my passion is in hearing the work of compelling living writers, and such content tends to be rare in the fully dramatized arena. That’s why it was such a treat to learn have Brian Price (from Great Northern Audio Theater, also the sound designer and director of ‘God of the Razor’) respond to my posting telling me to buy ‘God of the Razor’ from AM/FM Theater without asking questions.

I’m glad I did! Scott Hickey, who produced the piece, obviously has a great love of modern horror’not the hack and slash, teens screaming and dorky CGI monsters kind of horror’but the cerebral, psychological kind, ala HP Lovecraft or Edgar Allen Poe (two of the authors commonly dramatized in the ‘classic’ tradition of radio theatre). Joe R. Lansdale, accomplished thriller, horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy self-appointed ‘Mojo storyteller,’ is the epitome of the author whose work translate well to the audio realm. In ‘God of the Razor,’ the haunting environs of the dark tale are brought to life through stellar voice-acting, cutting-edge sound design, and unsettling music.

The story starts with an antique connoisseur checking out a creepy old house for any treasures that may have been forgotten in it. We are immediately placed in the uncomfortable, dark universe of the piece by carefully selected chords of music, effects, and dialogue that suggests something is going to happen without overstating too much.

The narrator, who’s also the main character, heads into the creepy house as the full moon comes and goes from behind clouds. As he heads into the basement, he sees a sight that shocks him, and an unexpected voice from the shadows starts to recount a tale to chill his bones and yours: the story of an ancient evil accidentally revived, of a razor blade that demands blood sacrifices regardless of the wielder’s wishes’

While there are a couple of minor issues that drew me out of the piece (for instance, the story begins with a one-way cell phone conversation with a character that never comes back again), ‘God of the Razor’ succeeded in scaring me and that’s no small feat. It uses violence in a restrained, ‘less is more,’ manner, meaning that the moments of violence in the piece are that much more of a shock. And the ending will send a thorough chill up your spine!

If you really want to treat yourself to some good modern horror, produced by a great group of pros who really have a passion and sense of the art, check out ‘God of the Razor.’ If you order now, you get a poster signed by the cast, producer, director, and author, plus the CD comes with another treat, a short tale called ‘If You Take My Hand My Son.’

I haven’t heard the rest of the ‘Grist Mill’ catalog but ‘God of the Razor’ was enough to get me interested. Check out more audio horror stories at the AM/FM Theater Site