Unwell (podcast) explained

Show Name:Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery
Other Names:Unwell
Country:United States
Language:English
First Aired:October 3, 2017
Num Series:5

Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery is a drama-dark fantasy horror podcast produced by Hartlife NFP. It premiered on February 19, 2019, and concluded on September 13, 2023, with the end of its fifth season.

The story follows a woman named Lilian "Lily" Harper (voiced by Clarisa Cherie Rios) returning back to her native remote town of Mt. Absalom, Ohio to look after her semi-estranged mother Dorothy "Dot" Harper (Marsha Harman), who runs a boarding house and recently suffered an injury; as strange events multiply, Lily and boarding house residents Abigail "Abbie" Douglas (Kathleen Hoil) and Rudolphus "Rudy" Peltham (Joshua K. Harris) start suspecting that Mt. Absalom -and its residents- are hiding many secrets. The podcast won a 2021 Audio Drama Award from the BBC.

Background

The podcast began on February 19, 2019.[1] [2] [3] The podcast is produced by Hartlife NFP.[4] The show was inspired by Gravity Falls and House of Leaves.[5] The premise of the show is that the protagonist, Lillian Harper, has returned home to her mother who owns an old boarding house in the Midwestern United States where strange things have been happening.[6] Lily and her mother have been estranged for a long time, but her mother injured herself and needed someone to care for her while she recovered.[7]

Reception

Phoebe Lett wrote in The New York Times that the show might be horror but is also "goofy, romantic, funny or heart warming."[8] Wil Williams commented on Polygon that the podcast uses silence to make the audience unsettled rather than jump scares.[9] Scott Beggs wrote in Thrillist that the podcast "has the highest quality sound production."[10] Toni Oisin wrote in Collider that the podcast is an "enticing and fresh listen."[11] Digital Trends included the show on their best of 2022 list and said it had "impeccable audio and a quirky sense of humor."[12] [13] The podcast won a 2021 Audio Drama Award from BBC.[14] [15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Williams . Wil . April 2, 2019 . The 9 best podcasts of 2019 (so far) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200414061054/https://www.polygon.com/podcasts/2019/4/2/18271468/best-podcasts-of-2019-spring . April 14, 2020 . May 17, 2022 . Polygon . en-US.
  2. Web site: February 20, 2019 . First Impressions: Hartlife NFP's "Unwell" Delivers on Midwestern Gothic . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220517125035/https://wilwilliams.reviews/2019/02/20/first-impressions-hartlife-nfps-unwell-delivers-on-midwestern-gothic/ . May 17, 2022 . May 17, 2022 . Wil Williams Reviews . en.
  3. Web site: March 30, 2021 . The Best Scary Podcasts To Keep You up All Night . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220517125024/https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-scary-podcasts/ . May 17, 2022 . May 17, 2022 . Digital Trends . en.
  4. Web site: February 20, 2019 . Unwell: Midwestern Gothic Mystery Podcast Strikes Great Balance . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220516120637/https://www.themarysue.com/unwell-midwestern-gothic-mystery-horror-podcast-review/ . May 16, 2022 . May 17, 2022 . The Mary Sue . en.
  5. Wacek . Michele Pariza . May 2020 . Olsher . Steve . Unwell: A Supernatural Metaphor . live . Podcast Magazine . en-US . San Diego, CA . 1 . 4 . 48–51 . 2690-4608 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221002211108/https://podcastmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/PodcastMagazine_May2020_FINAL.pdf . October 2, 2022 . October 9, 2022.
  6. Web site: September 28, 2021 . 20 Horror Podcasts That Will Scare the Bejesus Out of You . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220215042338/https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2021/09/20-horror-podcasts-that-will-scare-the-bejesus-out-of-you/ . February 15, 2022 . May 17, 2022 . Lifehacker Australia . en-AU.
  7. Web site: Liptak . Andrew . April 7, 2019 . Unwell is a fantastic gothic horror podcast set in midwest America . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210224212417/https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/7/18294227/unwell-gothic-horror-podcast-midwest-america-listen . February 24, 2021 . March 26, 2022 . The Verge . en.
  8. News: Lett . Phoebe . March 8, 2020 . Podcasts Worth a Listen: 'Fiasco,' 'Unwell,' 'In Those Genes' . en-US . The New York Times . live . March 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220326020017/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/arts/podcasts-worth-a-listen-fiasco-unwell-in-those-genes.html . March 26, 2022 . 0362-4331.
  9. Web site: Williams . Wil . December 23, 2019 . The best podcasts of 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220326020017/https://www.polygon.com/podcasts/2019/12/23/21035018/best-podcasts-of-2019 . March 26, 2022 . March 26, 2022 . Polygon . en-US.
  10. Web site: These 13 Horror Podcasts Will Scare the Sh*t Out of You . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210818121615/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-scary-podcasts-horror . August 18, 2021 . May 17, 2022 . Thrillist . April 11, 2017 . en.
  11. Web site: December 7, 2021 . 7 Horror Fiction Podcasts to Check Out While You Wait for the Next Episode of 'Dark Woods' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220318003932/https://collider.com/horror-fiction-podcasts-like-dark-woods/ . March 18, 2022 . May 17, 2022 . Collider . en-US.
  12. Web site: August 20, 2021 . The Best Podcasts You Should Listen To in 2022 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20220405090702/https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-podcasts/ . April 5, 2022 . May 17, 2022 . Digital Trends . en.
  13. Web site: February 5, 2021 . The 10 Scariest Horror Podcasts . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200506130608/https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/best-horror-podcasts/ . May 6, 2020 . May 17, 2022 . Digital Trends . en.
  14. Web site: March 27, 2021 . News: BBC Audio Drama Awards 2021 – Full Results . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220517125024/https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/10303/audio-drama-awards . May 17, 2022 . May 17, 2022 . Beyond The Joke . en.
  15. Web site: BBC Radio 4 – BBC Audio Drama Awards – Audio Drama Awards 2021 – The Winners . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210902210340/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2FwQLMfjvLTX54NLxpFwLWm/audio-drama-awards-2021-the-winners . September 2, 2021 . May 17, 2022 . BBC . en-GB.