Further blissful binaural hauntings.... yay!

So, who enjoyed series 10?

I thought so. Nice lovely little mix of episodes. One in particular I found good was Knock Knock. Remember that one? The one with the creepy house, Poirot, Harry Sullivan’s grandson and a better representation of tree people than the ones we got in the Narnia Christmas Special? Yeah, that one. And all the creeks and groans being done in 3D sound! Even sounded that way on the telly! That was bloody well done…

What’s that? Big Finish’s newer Fourth Doctor Adventure does that too? In a haunted house? WITH ARTHUR DENT?!?! TAKE ME MONEH!!!

Indoor voice, Jack….

DOCTOR WHO FOURTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES REVIEW

6.05: THE HAUNTING OF MALKIN PLACE

By Jack Ryan

BEWARE: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

The current run of Fourth Doctor Adventures we’re having are on a ruddy roll aren’t they? We’ve had the glorious return of Jago and Litefoot, a damn fine unique Sontaran story, a trip to the golden age of Hollywood, and a mad jaunt through space in a flying submarine with a talking monkey! But now, we’re returning to that which made the Fourth Doctor’s era stand out in so many young’un’s minds: when they go full on gothic horror. And what could be more gothic horror than a haunted house?

The Doctor and Romana are of on a journey. A journey to answer another of the Doctor’s little trivial questions. Or they would be, if it weren’t for Mr Talbot, a noted spiritualist who’s on his way to help solve a haunting at Malkin Place. The Doctor, of course, decides to tag along to show Mr Talbot that there are no such things as ghosts.

Then they come across some ghosts… And then the Doctor vanishes… Things are going well aren’t they?

Bloody hell, Phil Mulryne’s getting about the place, ain’t he? Churchill Years, Classic Doctors/New Monsters, The Contingency Club and this! Just a couple of releases in and already he’s proving himself to be an amazing writer, and this is no exception. The Haunting of Malkin Place shows just how capable Mulryne is of adapting to any kind of story and delivers a belter of a haunted house tale that is not only on par with the proper gothic era of the Tom Baker years, but also on par with Series 10’s Knock Knock. Despite being a good bit different, both are similar yet unique and deliver some very good scares. The main advantage of Malkin, however, is that all the scares truly are in your head. And out dear director, Mr Briggs, knows that all too well. Remember, he wrote and directed The Prisoner’s Your Beautiful Village…. Those Fazbear-esque screeches still bloody terrify me….

But a good ghost story also needs to rely on one other thing: a good cast. Be invested in the characters so that the writer can emotionally torment you with their possible demise. Well, our regulars are not only good this time, they’re bloody brilliant. Baker and Ward give a brilliant take in their immortal roles, especially the occasions where they start to doubt their own reality and think the supernatural might be real. Other than that, the rest of the cast, comprising of Denise Black, Gunnar Chautry, Fiona Sheehan, Rikki Lawton, Benedict Briggs, Mulryne himself, and the incredible Simon “Arthur Dent” Jones, are brilliant, believable, and a damn fine group of actors to boot.

I usually ramble on about how brilliant Jamie Robertson is at his music and sound design, and it’s the one time I do start to get repetitive. This time however, not only does he deserve my praise, but this can officially go down as his best work ever. There’s a reason I made a whole load of allusions to Knock Knock, as this release is also done in a very similar way. 3D Binaural sound, making every knock and creek sound like it’s happening right in your vicinity. His soundtrack for this shouldn’t go unnoticed, however, as it is also extremely effective and very atmospheric, but the sound design for this, I believe, will go down as one of his best, and masterful, accomplishments.

A while back, I learned of what makes a good haunted house story, from a Mr Doug Walker (AKA the Nostalgia Critic), speaking about one of his favourite classic films, Peter Weiss’ The Haunting: it’s making you do a double take, making you question your reality, making you unsure if what you are experiencing is real, all in your head, or if there is some other explanation for it all. The efforts here, of Messrs Mulryne, Briggs, Robertson and the cast, showcase another example of a good ghost story, one that can even transcend into our own reality through Mr Robertson’s sterling work. Quite simply, this is now not only an amazing release, it’s an essential one.

VERDICT: 10/10 A truly terrifying and engaging release, with some perfectly amazing sound work. ;D

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Haunting Of Malkin Place is available to purchase on CD and Download from the Big Finish Website here, or from all good stockists

Cover © Anthony Lamb and Big Finish