In memory of Frightinsville. 2023-2023. R.I.P.
Frightinsville was a first-of-its-kind drive-through Haunt, which asked guests to tune their car stereo to a War-of-the-Worlds–style radio broadcast to catch world-building narrative context for the unnerving scenes within.
In anticipation of Halloween 2024, and in memory of Frightinsville, we have released this radio broadcast to the public for the first time.
PG-13.
WRVN logo designed by Arlo
Things to think about as you listen...
This 45-minute broadcast played as a loop over the course of each 4-hr production, and was designed to be tuned into starting at any point in the broadcast, so that every guest's journey was unique. But you won't miss anything if you choose to start at the beginning.
Close your eyes as reality unravels into odd dimensions. Imagine your car creeping through the twisted creations of world-class interdisciplinary-artists, with special effects, pyrotechnics, gorey makup, fire spinning, choreographed dancing, sound & lighting design, sculptures, projection art, custom costumes, murals, woven together by a writing team that thrives on spinning up terrifyingly-realistic satire.
Backstory...
In the days leading up to Halloween, unprecedented electromagnetic storm activity following solar flares wreaks havoc on radio waves, wifi, and lifesaving medical equipment, inspiring the typically-sleepy town of Whitinsville, MA to instate a 9:00pm curfew. As residents attempt to tune in to the news, interference scrambles the signals, channels keep changing, picking up police radio, 911 calls, and what seems like something... stranger.
Officer Clyde Blackwell (Ron Vargas) and Chief Timothy Graves (Jersey Clark) from the Northbridge Police Department are called to investigate the long-vacant Oakhurst Manor in Whitinsville, as residents from Boston to Worcester to Providence (Sam Potter, Betsy Morris, Abel Silva) phone in to the Notably Northbridge Nightly News to report unusual and unnerving bird activity. A local ornithologist, Dr. Jamie Kestrel (Sam Perry), is interviewed by host Sydney Savage (Aleesha Bake) in attempts to quell the worries of listeners, but this quickly backfires with new the arrival of new information that spooks the expert and host alike.
Meanwhile, we catch glimpses of an episode of the audio documentary series, People Magazine Investigates: Cults, in which host Peyton Lane (Trev Allen) matter-of-factly speaks of the sudden and unsolved disappearance of a California cult, The Order of the White Raven, drawing listeners on a deep dive into the twisted mind of cult leader Athena Winter, through the first-hand reports of one of the cult's anonymous survivors (Serena Lehman), and the insights of an esteemed sociologist and cult expert (Rosie Cochrane).
The local 911-calls intensify as callers (Stina Pham, A Norton, Ron Vargas) report increasingly horrific scenes to the dispatcher.
What became of The Order of the White Raven? What has gotten into our feathered friends in Massachusetts? And what exactly is going on in Whitinsville's abandoned Oakhurst Manor?
Tune in now to find out!
Can't get enough?
Listen to the Frightinsville Original Score EP. We've released all the original music on Soundcloud!
We worked so hard on this!
The radio narrative was just one of the many, many, many wonderful works of art that went into creating Frightinsville. The exacting attention to detail and precision that went into this production created a universe so realistic, yet so surreal, it's too elusive to capture or explain, but we are so excited to be able to share the audio with you.