The Rats in the Walls - Dark Adventure Radio Theatre

I can only echo the previous reviewers in praising this latest Dark Adventure Radio Theatre production of Lovecraft's "The Rats in the Walls" as another triumph. A story that was almost entirely monologue, with only one other supporting character for all intents & purposes, has been filled out dramatically in a way that's still faithful to the original, but is now skillfully expanded into a multi-character drama. It's so well done that I can easily envisage the scenes as I listen.Further, as the HPLHS has done in the past, the period & personal racism that afflicts much of HPL's work has either been eliminated or cleverly subverted in a way that doesn't harm the otherwise compelling power of the original story. Ironically, it was this visceral fear & revulsion towards The Other that gave HPL's stories so much of their implacable power. Here, we get that feverish storytelling power undiminished, yet with the ugly epithets removed -- epithets, that at this juncture, would only jar the listener out of the story's spell. Truly the best of both worlds!Of course, the HPLHS has outdone itself with their usual collection of appropriate props & artifacts, right down to the booklet art & the story-specific seal that closes the CD case. They have just the right approach, from setting the stories in their proper period (the 1920s-30s), to adapting them with such obvious love for the material ... and they also manage to have a sly sense of humor about it, too, just enough to let us know how much they enjoy what they're doing & encouraging the same in their listeners. As always, most highly recommended!

"The Rats in the Walls" is one of Lovecraft's earlier stories and until a week ago I would have sworn that it couldn't be dramatized. The story as Lovecraft wrote it really only has two characters, consists mostly of dense exposition and has some really awful language that was ugly enough in the 1920s but completely unacceptable today.What the Dark Adventure Radio Theater troupe has done in this radio play is correct every shortcoming in the source material while still remaining absolutely faithful to the themes and story beats. The result is an atmospheric, dramatic and thoroughly entertaining interpretation of the story that should be equally enjoyable to Lovecraft purists and modern audiences alike. Highly recommended!

This is amazing. I can’t wait to buy the cd version of it and get the props but the audio alone is super. Love it keep em coming HPL Historical Society.

This is a superb adaptation of this HP Lovecraft story in the style of an Old Time Radio Program. Through some selective editing of HPL's more noxious language from this story and the adding of a larger cast to produce at times an atmosphere of an Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot novel, the HPLHS has made The Rats in the Walls accessible to a far larger audience. Bravo is all that can be said about such work. (And, as usual, the supporting props that come with the CD version are brilliant.)

For the lovely food presented during the fancy feast. What a wonderful way to present the story. A fantastic telling of my 2nd favorite HPL story.