It’s the end of the spooky season for another year. I mean, you could just roll with it for the whole 12 months like some of us (it’s always time for a horror movie in my house!), but, alas, that’s not for everyone. So, why not treat yourself by feasting your ears on a little horror story via a podcast format?
Dream Sequence is a ten-episode audio podcast from Blumhouse Television, Realm, and iHeartPodcasts. It chronicles a podcaster, Kay (Jessi Case), as she is invited by her estranged sister, genius scientist Sadie (Alice Kremelberg), to document her latest project. She promises it will change the world, and, you know what? It might just do that.
But maybe not for the better.
The Marionotte.
What is that, I hear you ask? Well, it’s an invention and process that will allow someone to eavesdrop on a person’s dreams… or nightmares. It could be used effectively in therapy to quell deep trauma. However, Sadie has found something else in the realm of sleep. There’s a pattern in the dreams. There’s a presence within the nightmares, and it knows we’re listening! Eeeeek!
Join Kay and Sadie as they try to uncover the truth behind the entity in our nightmares. Will they be able to determine its motivations before it’s too late? And what does it have to do with the tragedy that befell their parents all that time ago?
Most of all, though, IS THIS REALLY A JOB FOR A PODCASTER?!?!
Let’s start with the bad. I know podcasts have to make money, especially ones produced to this quality, but the quantity of ads in this show is obscene. There are around two to three minutes of ads at the beginning of each episode and over five minutes at the end, following the credits. It destroys any flow you may feel with the story. Despite official runtimes of over 20 minutes per episode, you’re lucky to experience 15 minutes of actual content. Be ready to press the 30-second skip button a few times!
Now that’s over with, let me talk to you about some of the good stuff.
The relationship between Kay and Sadie is the highlight of the show. Kay feels betrayed by her sister who she believes to be responsible for the tragedy of their past. Sadie, a borderline alcoholic, feels like Kay abandoned her when she needed her the most. Their strained working partnership is excellent, enhanced by the terrific acting of Jessi Case and Alice Kremelberg.
Dreams and nightmares are great settings for audio dramas. There is no frame of reference for an individual’s dreamscape so it lets your imagination go into overdrive. Just like on The Sound of Nightmares, as your brain works hard to picture the settings, it’s easier for the podcast to creep you out and often jump-scare the life out of you.
It’s not the scariest story in the world, nor is it trying to be. However, the show’s mysteries established throughout the ten-episode run are intriguing enough that I wanted to carry on. I really liked most of the characters, especially Kay and Sadie. The less we talk about the doctor with the distinctly European accent (not necessarily Swedish as he’s reported to be) the better.
Dream Sequence is a short horror narrative consisting of ten episodes available on all of your favorite podcast services. Each installment is around 15 minutes despite the actual runtimes you’ll see in your podcast feed, so in total this will take two and a half hours to hear to conclusion.
And, although it’s not the best show in the world, and you’ll maybe be tearing your hair out at having to skip large swaths of ads at the beginning and end of each episode, it’s an enjoyable time and the perfect way to end the spooky season.
Just don’t read too much into it and contract insomnia like me. It’s probably just a coincidence, right?
RIGHT?!!?!
