PseudoPod 707: Crybaby

[Bdoomed]

PseudoPod 707: Crybaby

Author: P.R. Dean
Narrator: Scott Campbell
Host: Alasdair Stuart
Audio Producer: Marty Perrett

PseudoPod 707: Crybaby is a PseudoPod original.


Show Notes
Per the author, “I watched several Michael Haneke films, back to back, one evening. A brilliant director, but not exactly light entertainment. The bleak, disturbing world of the director was hard to shake. I felt like I was trapped inside the films. What if someone was, I thought.”


The lights came up abruptly. Audience members shifted in their seats and whispered in shocked voices. No one laughed. After a moment someone stood up, and then one by one people rose to their feet, adopted a neutral expression, and waited patiently for those in front of them to move. 

Leon felt oppressed by the harsh fluorescent light. The world of the film, with its deep shadows and French vowels, still clung to his sensibilities. 

He hunched down in the seat and shaded his eyes against the glare. His hand was shaking.

He’d wanted to leave the moment the credits began to roll but Hayley had glared at him as though he was transgressing some long-standing film festival behavior code. What did it matter? Dozens had walked out during the screening. 

Part of him wanted to curl up into a ball and not think about anything, the other part just wanted to get out of the cinema and go somewhere else. He was being ridiculous. He knew that. Overreacting. Just tired, probably. His eyes felt gritty. He’d been out five nights in a row, he had to work in the morning, and he had an overdue assignment. Had he even had a shower this morning? He couldn’t remember.


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[Languorous Lass]

After Alasdair’s multiple warnings about how especially horrifying this story was, I was surprised to find that the story itself was no worse than other material I’ve heard on PseudoPod, and certainly didn’t haunt me the way, for example, that Final Girl Theory or the more-recent Resilience did.  Just shows how mileage varies, I guess. 

What did others think? 

[Scuba Man]

I had to nope-out from this episode. Weird, huh. I’ll try it again in the morning.

[Languorous Lass]

Interesting.  Maybe it’s a gender thing?  I didn’t particularly identify with the main character. 

[JDuckworth]

After Alasdair’s multiple warnings about how especially horrifying this story was, I was surprised to find that the story itself was no worse than other material I’ve heard on PseudoPod, and certainly didn’t haunt me the way, for example, that Final Girl Theory or the more-recent Resilience did.  Just shows how mileage varies, I guess. 

What did others think?

I felt the same way. I guess it's just the consequence of overselling the discomfort, but I honestly didn't think it was that scary or uncomfortable. Yeah, it's always frightening when you're walking in a strange part of a town at night, but this story didn't really do anything with that to accentuate that fear.

I did like how it played with questions of prophecy and free will, and the protagonist fussing over whether he should take his jacket off or keep it on was a nice touch.

[Scuba Man]

I fired up this episode (again), and got through about 3-5 minutes.... and shut it off... again. No can do for me (pity) 

I didn’t enjoy the relationship between the guy and his... what... casual GF? Partner? I couldn’t engage with it. Again, that’s my problem - not the story itself.

[JDuckworth]

I fired up this episode (again), and got through about 3-5 minutes.... and shut it off... again. No can do for me (pity) 

I didn’t enjoy the relationship between the guy and his... what... casual GF? Partner? I couldn’t engage with it. Again, that’s my problem - not the story itself.

So was it the relationship dynamics that made you "nope out?"

[Scuba Man]

I fired up this episode (again), and got through about 3-5 minutes.... and shut it off... again. No can do for me (pity) 

I didn’t enjoy the relationship between the guy and his... what... casual GF? Partner? I couldn’t engage with it. Again, that’s my problem - not the story itself.

So was it the relationship dynamics that made you "nope out?"

He made me cringe (so, in its own way, it was effective [good?] horror).

[JDuckworth]

What if the true horror of the episode was going on a date and saying everything wrong?

[Languorous Lass]

Nice try, Jonathan.