The radio drama has been rediscovered in this new age of podcasts and digital technology in the brand new podcast Return Home by Bamber Productions. The series tells a sort of Serlingesque tale of a young man (HorrorBuzz writer, Jeff Heimbuch) who begins to receive cryptic messages urging him to return to his home back east. What ensues is an unfolding mystery of monsters, shadow people, and mental possession that is consistently entertaining and well produced.
Split into five ten minute segments, the first “episode” tells the story of Jonathan Barker, an east-coast guy now relocated to California. Barker returns to his home of Melancholy Falls, NJ, after five years away, because an unknown entity beckons him back to unravel the mystery of what his home town has become. Once back in New Jersey, Barker is reunited with his best friend, Buddy (Forrest Orta), and they begin to unravel the mystery of Melancholy Falls. More importantly, the two attempt to figure out why Jonathan was told to return home.
There are some lovely twists and turns as the story progresses. The story definitely has some autobiographical shades as Heimbuch fashions his tale around his own experiences, having himself been a west-coast transplant from Jersey. What he addresses here is that peculiar need to return to that which is familiar, despite being, very obviously, bad. If not bad then, at the very least questionable. As Jonathan returns to his hometown, forebodingly named Melancholy Falls, there is a rainstorm. Then, as if the weather wasn’t enough of an omen, he encounters a creature in the road. I am speaking in generalities here so as not to spoil too much. Suffice it to say that Heimbuch and team are fully capable of telegraphing a mood and a sense that things aren’t right in this sleepy berg.
Heimbuch has also surrounded himself with a very capable cast and crew. Co-star Forrest Orta is a nice counterpart to Heimbuch’s more analytical, problem solving character. We also have performances by Cleve North, Alyssa Rittorno, Russell Eaton, Rossco SoleTrain, Taylor Thorne, that populate the passive characters with substance, without upstaging what is happening.
One note, however is a certain temptation that lingers to be comedic. As the story plays out and plot points are revealed, Heimbuch can’t help but pepper the proceedings with irreverent bits of dialogue meant to break the tension. Some come off fine, in particular the moments between Orta and Heimbuch as old friends catching up. Then there are more tense moments where the comedic dialogue feels forced. In the interest of remaining spoiler-free I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but it’s there. This is a minor quibble to a nicely executed story and is hardly a deal-breaker.
Partnering with producer Andrew Taylor was a smart move as Taylor coats the soundscape with a believability and dimension that allows the listener to picture the world the characters exist in. Kori Celeste does a beautiful, very reserved job in composing all of the original music. We highly recommend getting in on this story as it has just begun. The radio drama has returned in fine form and we are ecstatic. Now, download the first episode, put on your headphones, and turn out the lights.
Return Home is available now on iTunes, Stitcher, and where ever else you can find podcasts. For more information, contact Jeff Heimbuch at [email protected] or visit www.returnhomepodcast.com.
