Scary’s Voices – Spotlight
A Trip to The Toy Factory
Welcome back fiends! It’s been a while, I know, but hopefully my Scary’s Voices archive has been keeping your earbuds haunted with plenty of great podcasts.
While I’ve been a recluse in my tomb, I’ve still been listening to many great shows that send shivers down my spine, and hope to be sharing recommendations with you again on a regular basis soon. But I couldn’t leave you all at the spookiest time of year with nothing to make your skin crawl, so let me tell you about a phenomenal audio drama event that should absolutely be part of your Halloween activities.
The fantastic production team of Hawk & Cleaver LTD invites you to join The Other Stories podcast in an urban exploration of “The Toy Factory,” a six-part series beginning October 27 with new episodes released daily until Halloween.
Synopsis:
There’s a toy factory, long since abandoned, sealed up and left to rot for over twenty years. And yet… when young podcaster, May, arrives looking for answers about two missing urban explorers, she only finds more questions.
Why can she hear laughter echoing through the empty halls?
Why can she hear toy commercials playing on TV’s that nobody is watching?
And why are there still toys here, as if waiting for somebody, anybody, to play with them?
First and foremost, why is there a brutally murdered body on the floor?
Forced to venture deeper inside, she will have to uncover the mysteries of the toy factory, the magic and ancient horror at its core, and come face-to-face with the toymaker himself.
I was lucky enough to hear an advanced release of “The Toy Factory” and it was a heart-racing experience. As with all presentations of The Other Stories podcasts, narrator Luke Kondor guides the audience into the tale, but unlike other episodes this one really makes you feel part of the story, an uneasy and unsafe part, almost as if you’ve discovered the audio equivalent of the real tape from The Ring.
The series begins as you, the listener, come across an audio file thread called “Podcast Girl Goes” on Reddit. The first file introduces May who is about to leave her hometown to start university, but first wants to have a little adventure before settling into a harsh routine of studies.
With a few supplies in a rucksack, May heads to the abandoned toy factory at the edge of town, the last known location of a pair of urban explorers, and she hopes to find something that will shed light on their mysterious disappearance. But once you and May enter the toy factory, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be able to leave.
The setup reminded me of “Candle Cove,” the first season of the TV series Channel Zero, and things only got more intense from there. The description of Master Chancy’s Toy Emporium feels so real, like somewhere you’ve been or a place you’ve seen somewhere else. As May explores the grounds which were part amusement park, part toy factory, there’s almost a sense that you’ve been here with her before, like revisiting a favourite scary movie. However, the story twists and turns quickly, putting you off balance and chips away at your security with the familiar.
To avoid spoilers, I don’t want to get much more into the plot, but I will say if creepy dolls, creepier trees, and dark magic sound like a fun time, you’re in for a real treat.
Georgia Cook is an absolute star with her audio performance as May. Her expression covering the range from cheerful explorer to being terrorized beyond belief was incredible, and I hope to discover more of her work soon. Additional excellent performances were delivered by Justin Fife, Josh Curran, Manny Realguy, and Luke Kondor as narrative lead.
“The Toy Factory” was written by Luke Kondor and Daniel Willcocks; Karl Hughes was Audio Lead and Composer; Ben Errington was Graphics Editor; Matt Seff Barnes was Cover Designer.
From the brilliant story-line to the top-notch audio quality, everything about “The Toy Factory” is incredible and truly an event you don’t want to miss.
Beginning October 27, you can listen to “The Toy Factory” by searching for The Other Stories podcast on your favourite listening app, or by following the links on the Hawk & Cleaver website www.hawkandcleaver.com
J.A. Sullivan
J.A. Sullivan is a genderqueer horror writer whose short fiction has appeared in several anthologies, including A Silent Dystopia (2021, Demain Publishing). As a dedicated member of the Kendall Reviews team, they regularly contribute horror book reviews, as well as writing “Scary’s Voices” a weekly column of horror podcast recommendations.
Sullivan has spent years as a paranormal investigator, has an insatiable appetite for serial killer information, and lives in Canada with their incredibly supportive husband. Updates on their writing journey, additional reviews, author interviews, and original fiction can be found on their blog.
You can follow J. A. on Twitter @ScaryJASullivan
Check out her blog https://writingscaredblog.wordpress.com
Find her on Instagram www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan
Find her on Instagram www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan
From the plot summary—it sounds like a great story, thanks.