Podcast Review: The Holmwood Foundation, episodes 1 – 3

TAGLINE: A Secretive organisation. Two antagonistic colleagues. Dracula’s severed head…

DESCRIPTION:

The Holmwood Foundation is a bi-weekly Found-Footage Horror-Fiction Podcast created by Fio Trethewey (Big Finish: Gallifrey War Room, 18th Wall Productions) and Georgia Cook (Big Finish: The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles, Gallifrey War Room, BBC Books, The Dracula Daily Sketch Collection). It is a modern-day sequel to the gothic novel Dracula.

We follow Maddie Townsend (Rebecca Root) and Jeremy Larkin (Seán Carlsen), two co-workers at the Holmwood Foundation: a secret organisation that has been maintaining and studying the remains of Count Dracula over the last 130 years, as they are possessed by the ghosts of Jonathan and Mina Harker, and embark on a road trip across the country in an effort to achieve the Harker’s wish: stop Dracula once and for all.

This is a story about identity and self-discovery, family loyalty and devotion, wrapped around a nightmare of a road trip with a rejuvenating severed head, incredibly sincere Victorian ghosts, and an analogue recorder.

EPISODE DETAILS:

Each Episode is approximately 40-50 mins long. Content Warnings are provided, as well as a Transcript available for free on the website.

Episode 1: Across the Moors (Pilot)

Ep 01 Content Warnings: swearing, themes of possession/removal of bodily autonomy, depictions of violence, including implied violence to animals, and brief sounds of vomiting.

Episode 2: Train Fiend (Available to Patreon June 9th/ Public Release June 10th)

Ep 02 Content Warnings: swearing, brief discussions of alcohol addiction, themes of possession/removal of bodily autonomy, and implied violence to animals.

Episode 3: Convalescence (Available to Patreon June 23rd / Public Release June 24th)

Ep 03 Content Warnings: swearing, themes of possession/removal of bodily autonomy, implied violence to animals (including implied violence to a dog), and brief depictions of dangerous driving/vehicular danger.

Full Season Title List:

Episode 1: Across the Moors

Episode 2: Train Fiend

Episode 3: Convalescence

Episode 4: Freezer Food

Episode 5: Wildlife

Episode 6: Database

Episode 7: To The Lighthouse

Episodes released every two weeks.

The Holmwood Foundation Podcast © 2024 by Georgia Cook and Fio Trethewey is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

My Review

One of the writers, Fio Trethewey, reached out on the BFS Discord to see if anyone would be willing to review the first three episodes of their new podcast. I agreed, and received them on Friday. I’ve been asked not to share any spoilers before the release dates, so I’m going to talk in general terms, about the story quality and how entertained/invested I was, and production quality.

I have plans to review other podcasts at a later date. Currently I have Hero Owen’s podcasts, Monstrous Agonies and Travelling Light, and Ella Watts’ Camlann: An Audio Drama, and the BFS Podcast Long Story Short, on my list.

The first three episodes of The Holmwood Foundation introduces us to the main characters, Maddie and Jeremy, and their passengers, Mina and Jonathan. They travel from Whitby to London, on foot and by train, in an effort to get the head of Dracula back to the Institute. Along the way they must avoid attack by monsters, and the head itself, while they struggle to get in contact with family, friends, and allies. It doe not go well.

I was really engrossed listening to this, and now I’m going to have to wait until July for the next episode. I found the relationships between Maddie and Mina, Jeremy and Jonathan, and between Maddie and Jeremy, as they struggle towards their destination, to be the main draw of the story, as they work through their fears and baggage in the process of confronting monsters. The references to an established literary work, and consideration of how a Victorian would react to the modern world was well thought out.

The trans rep is wonderful and unexpected. More please.

The voice acting is excellent. There are distinct differences Maddie and Jeremy, and the Victorian ghosts they are carrying. The sound effects are quite jarring and atmospheric, from the analogue tape to the monster attacks.

The recording quality is really good, like an audiobook from one of the big publishers. In fact I found myself forgetting that it was episodic and not chapters, and that I would have to play each episode separately.

I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of the series

FULL SERIES CAST:

Rebecca Root as Maddie Townsend / Mina Harker
Seán Carlsen as Jeremy Larkin / Jonathan Harker
Basil Waite as Tom Van Helsing

Michelle Kelly as Henri Martin

Samuel Clemens as Arthur Jones

Andrew Biss as Jonathan Harker 3rd

Jackie Calistaah as Elena

David Ault as Dr Timothy Lake

Candace Marie as Magdalena Swift

Robyn Holdaway as Cam / Finn

Karim Kronfli as Dave / Pub Landlord

Anusia Battersby as Francesca Royale