Author Topic: Pseudopod 498: The Only Ending We Have  (Read 3620 times)

Bdoomed

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on: July 09, 2016, 02:54:45 AM
Pseudopod 498: The Only Ending We Have

by Kim Newman.

“The Only Ending We Have” was first printed in Psycho-Mania! in October 2013, edited by Stephen Jones, then in a Year’s Best edited by Ellen Datlow. Have a biscuit (US: cookie) every time you clock a reference to an Alfred Hitchcock title.

Kim Newman is a novelist, critic and broadcaster. His fiction includes the Anno Dracula series, Life’s Lottery, Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D’Urbervilles and An English Ghost Story; his non-fiction includes Nightmare Movies and BFI Classics studies of Cat People, Doctor Who and Quatermass and the Pit. He co-wrote the comic miniseries Witchfinder: Mysteries of Unland and the plays The Hallowe’en Sessions and The Ghost Train Doesn’t Stop Here Any More. He is a contributing editor to Sight & Sound and Empire magazines. His latest novel is The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School. He is on Twitter as @AnnoDracula.

Your narrator – Christiana Ellis is an award-winning writer and podcaster, currently living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her podcast novel, Nina Kimberly the Merciless was both an inaugural nominee for the 2006 Parsec Award for Best Speculative Fiction: Long Form, as well as a finalist for a 2006 Podcast Peer Award. Nina Kimberly the Merciless is available in print from Dragon Moon Press. Christiana is also the writer, producer and star of Space Casey, a 10-part audiodrama miniseries which won the Gold Mark Time Award for Best Science Fiction Audio Production by the American Society for Science Fiction Audio and the 2008 Parsec Award for Best Science Fiction Audio Drama. In between major projects, Christiana is also the creator and talent of many other podcast productions including Talking About Survivor; Hey, Want to Watch a Movie? and Christiana’s Shallow Thoughts.



“The windshield wipers squeaked … like shrilling fiddles, scraped nerves, the ring of an unanswered phone. Another reason to trade in her ‘57 Ford Custom. For 1960, she’d like something with fins. Not that she could afford next year’s showroom model.

Unless Hitch coughed up the ransom.

For the thing it was all about. The mcguffin.

The thing the audience doesn’t care about, but the characters do.

‘Good eeeev-ning,’ Hitch said, every goddamn morning … like in his TV show with that nursery/graveyard tune burbling in the background. ‘Funeral March of the Marionettes’. Dump-da- dumpity-dump- da-dump…”






Listen to this week's Pseudopod.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


H.I McDunnah

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Reply #1 on: July 10, 2016, 06:17:30 PM
I absolutely LOVE the podcast. It's been the highlight of my week ever since I heard my first story (Sack race to the river) and I highly recommend it to my friends. Here comes the "But" and a harsh comment....The Alfred Hitchcock impression and repetitive "Do YOU swallow JANE??" every few lines nearly caused me to check out of this story several times. I understand the reasoning behind the impression, and I'm not speaking ill of the voice actor, it just annoyed me to the point of being torturous. If I'm the only one that feels that way I will apologize for my comment. I just had to ask....Is it just me?



Fenrix

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Reply #2 on: July 10, 2016, 11:52:59 PM
Normally don't chime in with my opinions on PP stories because of my co-editor role, but this one was solicited by Shawn, so this was my first encounter with it.

I really enjoyed this one, story and narration. Lots of fun. I'm a fan of Hitch's work, and I recently just finished the novel Psycho by Robert Bloch, as well as rewatching the film. Both are pretty much perfect minus the clumsy expositional info dump at the end. The novel is excellent and draws a much stronger parallel between Ed Gein and Norman Bates. That was something I had always heard but never really got from the film.

The parallels between this story and Psycho were nicely drawn. This sets up our expectations and modifies and subverts them. I enjoyed all the characters, and the awful "Norman" reminded me exceptionally of GRRM's Pear Shaped Man.

So the references I picked up on included:
  • Psycho
  • Birds
  • Rear Window
  • Strangers on a Train
  • North by Northwest
  • Rope
  • The 39 Steps
  • Frenzy
  • Torn Curtain

What did I miss?

I absolutely LOVE the podcast. It's been the highlight of my week ever since I heard my first story (Sack race to the river) and I highly recommend it to my friends. Here comes the "But" and a harsh comment....The Alfred Hitchcock impression and repetitive "Do YOU swallow JANE??" every few lines nearly caused me to check out of this story several times. I understand the reasoning behind the impression, and I'm not speaking ill of the voice actor, it just annoyed me to the point of being torturous. If I'm the only one that feels that way I will apologize for my comment. I just had to ask....Is it just me?

Glad you love it and share it. Thanks for listening.

I think the repetition was supposed to annoy you. His words frustrated her enough to steal weeks of work in retribution. It helps put you in the place of the protagonist. Telling us she was really frustrated wouldn't convey the same impact.

I just recently also finished reading I Am Legend, and the annoying vampire neighbor would not have been nearly as annoying without the reminder of his shouts every night "Come out, Neville!"
« Last Edit: July 10, 2016, 11:58:10 PM by Fenrix »

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bounceswoosh

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Reply #3 on: July 12, 2016, 03:24:07 AM
I'm not a Hitchcock aficionado - not sure I've ever seen one of his movies - but am relatively familiar with his reputation of treating actresses ... poorly.

Interesting story. It didn't end in any of the ways I anticipated. Instead of someone's grisly death, it ended with despair as she realizes how her experiences have dragged her down and made her resort to actions even worse, arguably, than those of the men around her. I like the actual ending way better than the presumed slasher ending.

And I give full points to a male author for I think capturing a female perspective perfectly. I was never at any point pulled out of the story due to "voice conflict." Similarly I think the narrator did an excellent job with distinguishing male and female voices. A lot of times, narrators reading opposite gender voices sound ... off. This wasn't.

I liked it! And it worked even for someone who's not familiar Hitchcock's work aside from cultural references. Well done!




Kaa

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Reply #4 on: July 12, 2016, 08:33:22 PM
I eventually liked this, but I have to say, it sure took its good, sweet time getting around to something resembling a plot, didn't it? I was pulled in and kept listening mostly due to Christiana's narration.

Finally, a bit over halfway through, I did like it, including the trope-defying ending.

I'll probably never view Hitchcock the same, again, though, assuming his lechery as presented here is accurate. Ew. I do love his films. Rear Window is one of my all-time favorites.

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Dwango

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Reply #5 on: July 13, 2016, 08:43:32 PM
I fear being a Hitchcock fan may have made this one a difficult listen.  Part of it is the portrayal of Hitchcock, which is rather disturbing.  But, strangely enough, the many references to his movies didn't really work for me more than everything else.  They were a bit too in my face for my liking.  The obvious 'Strangers on a Train', 'Psycho', and 'Birds' references were over-the-top, and it seems to me the body double should have noticed a bit more of the similarities.  I mean, she read the book but only noted in passing the fear people would have of motels after the movie comes out.  If I were her and got to the motel where a boy and his mother were the proprietors, I'd get the hell out of there, storm or no, especially having played the part of the shower scene.



Dwango

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Reply #6 on: July 13, 2016, 08:54:28 PM
I absolutely LOVE the podcast. It's been the highlight of my week ever since I heard my first story (Sack race to the river) and I highly recommend it to my friends. Here comes the "But" and a harsh comment....The Alfred Hitchcock impression and repetitive "Do YOU swallow JANE??" every few lines nearly caused me to check out of this story several times. I understand the reasoning behind the impression, and I'm not speaking ill of the voice actor, it just annoyed me to the point of being torturous. If I'm the only one that feels that way I will apologize for my comment. I just had to ask....Is it just me?

The problem was probably not the impression, which I think was a good one.  I think it was more of those lines would be better read in my head, as I can hear his voice saying those words.  The voice your mind can produce is going to end up far more sinister one than anybody can emulate, maybe even more than Hitchcock himself could say.  Horror is in the imagination.

edit: Added the post I was responding to.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2016, 08:57:26 PM by Dwango »



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Reply #7 on: July 14, 2016, 08:26:50 PM
Okay... Strange comments on this one. I thought that this was excellently executed. A great slow-burn horror, getting deep into the victim's psychology, and probably the best story on the objectifcation of women that I have heard on any of the three podcasts.

One tiny, tiny niggle. The North by Northwest line was a tad forced.



Unblinking

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Reply #8 on: August 12, 2016, 05:53:18 PM
Wow, I guess I hadn't hear about Hitchcock's reputation with his women actors.



I found it really hard to stick with this story.  I can see what the story was going with the constantly repeating Hitchcock imitations but...  it's main effect for me was looking at the iPod timer to see when I can stop hearing them.  It was a GOOD impression mind you, the voice actor did a splendid job, it's just that I don't find constant annoyance to be conducive to an immersive story experience. 

I also did find it much harder to immerse in knowing that she actually acted in Psycho and somehow didn't notice the similarities of her scenario with the overbearing mother and creepy son and etc similarities. 

The similarities to Psycho felt TOO strong too, I guess, so that it felt like it wasn't really its own story but was just bits and pieces balancing on the framework of Psycho, too close to just be an homage.



Sgarre1

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Reply #9 on: August 12, 2016, 06:17:14 PM
Quote
I also did find it much harder to immerse in knowing that she actually acted in Psycho and somehow didn't notice the similarities of her scenario with the overbearing mother and creepy son and etc similarities.

Well, she was only a body double - I doubt many body doubles actually read the full scripts of the films they are in, just the specific scene they need to shoot (and I don't imagine they vary that much, so maybe not even then)

Quote
The similarities to Psycho felt TOO strong too, I guess, so that it felt like it wasn't really its own story but was just bits and pieces balancing on the framework of Psycho, too close to just be an homage

I call it more of a deconstruction of PSYCHO than an intended homage - in the end it's about the poisonous worldview of the time period, where the damaged boy and his mother are really only window dressing on that poison.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2016, 01:51:47 AM by Sgarre1 »



cwthree

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Reply #10 on: September 20, 2016, 02:50:10 PM
This one was lots of fun. Great buildup, sympathetic yet imperfect protagonist, plenty of references to the source(s) without merely being a retelling of any one of them.

The ending was perfect - no bloody murder in the shower, severed head in the bag, just some blackmail material and a  creepy but harmless dude.