The Patient Files

It’s an interesting enough concept, but since I’ve listened to a LOT of spooky indie podcasts, this one feels a bit like someone took The Magnus Archives and put a new outfit on it. It doesn’t mean I won’t listen, but what I’m supposing is the inspiration for this pod is just a *much* stronger offering. The acting is decent, but there’s a lot of weird over-enunciation that’s just not how most people speak (pronouncing the article a as “ay” and not “uh,” for example). There are also a lot of strange line readings that oddly stress words that don’t really convey the meaning of the sentence. I know recording dialogue on your own instead of acting opposite another person can be tough, though. One ongoing issue I’ve noticed throughout the eps: real people use contractions when they speak. For the love of god, please use more in your scripts. Using them infrequently makes the dialogue come off as stilted and wooden, and not in a way that seems like an intentional artistic choice for a particular character. After listening to the first 20 episodes, I definitely plan to keep listening. I think there’s a lot of potential/opportunity for growth and learning here that could really take this pod up a notch.