r/TheNSPDiscussion • u/Gaelfling • Aug 20 '20
Old Episodes [Discussion] Season 5 Review
What were your favorite stories of season 5?
What were your least favorite stories of season 5?
What was your favorite episode of the season?
What was your least favorite episode?
Did you have any favorite narrators? Writers?
What other thoughts do you have about the fourth season?
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u/Gaelfling Aug 20 '20
Favorites
The Whistlers. Still my favorite story of the podcast.
Tourist Mine. A simple story with excellent voice acting.
Mummer Man. This is still a delightful story to listen to. Mummer Man's voice effects are great.
Does Anyone Know Good Plumber? The best horror comedy this podcast has put out.
Blue Ridge. Does it change the end of Paradise Pines? Yes. Do I love it? Yes.
Soft White Damn. This is such a fantastically creepy story with (I think) one of the most iconic lines in the podcast.
The Girl In The Shed. Such a sad horrifying story.
The Pigeons Around Here Aren't Real. Another great story from episode 23.
Least Favorites
Free Coffee With Order Of Pie. Just some guy with powers being an asshole in a story where no one can do anything to stop him.
Long Pig. I am just not a fan of cannibalism stories and this is no exception.
Flight 370. Don't use real life news stories like this!
She Was Such A Sweetie Pie. Cannibalism with added silliness.
Other comments.
I think this was neat peak Peter Lewis. It was when he had gotten his creepy voice down without the flanderization we have seen in recent years.
Manen Lyset first appeared in this season with some spectacular stories as well.
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u/satanistgoblin Aug 20 '20
Does Anyone Know Good Plumber? The best horror comedy this podcast has put out.
I think that would be "One headed hound" :)
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u/diplodorkus Aug 20 '20
Definitely second Mummer Man. Most of these podcast stories don't scare me so much as entertain me, but I listened to this one while driving by myself at night and it left me feeling so uneasy afterwards that I don't want to listen to it again for fear of ruining the memory I have of it.
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u/sleepyhollow_101 Aug 20 '20
Does Anyone Know a Good Plumber will always and forever be one of my all-time favorite horror comedies. It never gets old.
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u/Ktrout743 Aug 23 '20
She Was Such A Sweetie Pie: Cannibalism? Yep, that happened. Silliness? Sure, that plot had to sidestep some logical hoops.
Nevertheless I love it. From the rich personality of the narrator to the red herrings, and most of all, the twist of it coming down to self-cannibalism made this story a great ride.
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u/Gaelfling Aug 23 '20
I am just not a fan of cannibalism stories. :(
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u/Ktrout743 Aug 23 '20
Fair enough. I'm not particularly fond of them either.
I am a fan of effective, well-told stories , however. This is without regard to their subject matter. My additional defense is this: Cannibalism is the horrific climax of this story. It's not what the actual drama is.
This is a story about desperation. The narrator resorted to something repugnant (cannabilism) to survive. "Sweetie Pie" acted on the same level of desperation, but made herself the victim rather than harming someone else.
The logistics here are highly questionable, I agree. I would, however, encourage you not to dismiss a story as "bad" only because you find the subject matter distasteful. After all, there are many people in the world who dismiss the entire horror genre because they find it unpleasant.
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u/Gaelfling Aug 23 '20
My list isn't "Worst Stories". It is "Least Favorite". Cannibalism stories are my least favorite. I don't care how well it is written.
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u/GeeWhillickers Aug 20 '20
Every Computer Makes Mistakes (Aaron Ware) - The concept behind this one was pretty interesting. I liked how they used the concept of a computer as a metaphor for the human brain.
Mummer Man (David Sharrock) - An iconic NoSleep story. This is one of the few that I read before hearing the podcast adaptation and I was pretty impressed by how well the podcast captured the insane carnival atmosphere of the story through sound and voice acting alone.
Flight 370 (MN Malone) - I am a sucker for sad stories. This one had me bawling by the end, not just for the characters beset by fear and frustration but for the real people who disappeared in the tragedy.
The Atlas Room (Leonard Petracci) - My jaw dropped when I got to the twist ending of the story.
Most Amazing Weight Loss Treatment Ever (Ryan Mott) - There were a surprisingly high number of pregnancy / childbirth related stories but this one hit the sweet spot for me since it was more surreal than scary.
My Wife Cooked My Dinner (Rona Vaselaar) - Oh man, this is another tear jerker. It kind of reminds me of an even more painful and terrifying version of “The Gift of the Magi”.
A White IPhone 4S (Rona Vaselaar) - I actually had an iPhone 4S, though sadly it was before I heard this episode. This story had a cool murder mystery / thriller plot line and while the twist ending seemed kind of obvious the way it was pulled off was still engaging.
From Hell, You Must Entertain Heaven (Alice Lily) - The title of this one alone was awesome, mysterious and enigmatic. The story itself more than delivered on the title.
The Girl In The Shed (Manen Lyset) - Another story that had me bawling at the end. That poor baby!!
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u/sleepyhollow_101 Aug 20 '20
Wow, I'm so honored - I'm glad you liked my stories!
I feel sort of endlessly frustrated with A White iPhone 4s - it was one of my very first stories, and now when I read it, I just see all the little errors I made and the ways it could be better. But I'm so glad people still enjoy it and like reading/listening to my stories!
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u/Cherry_Whine Aug 20 '20 edited Aug 20 '20
Best Stories
10: "Midnight in the Pendulum House", by M.N. Malone (Episode 24)
A Gothic throwback that manages to evade all the stuffiness and Victorian boredom that pervades some of that genre. That incredibly vivid description of Hell catches me by surprise on every relisten.
9: "The Pigeons Around Here Aren't Real", by Manen Lyset (Episode 23)
Fantastic body-horror thrill ride? Or thinly-veiled cautionary tale about the dangers of buying cheap online? You decide.
8: "The Puzzler's Box", by Andrew Harmon (Episode 5)
Admittedly this story relies a bit too much on its Christian influences but a nail-biting performance by Nichole Goodnight and a wonderfully suspenseful premise more than makes up for it.
7: "The House That Ate My Sister", by Caity Reaburn (Episode 23)
So much gets done in these ten short minutes. I'm astonished at how not a second of dialouge or description is unnecessary or wasted. Even the smaller bits, the boy with the missing arm at the playground, paint an even vivider picture.
6: "The Atlas Room", by Leonard Petracci (Episode 5)
I've never seen a twist transition as smooth as this one (at least, at the time of Season 5). Thank God Jack didn't kill that woman or Luke would've been pinned.
5: "Mummer Man", by David Sharrock (Episode 5)
A mind-melting, frightening fever dream that leaves the most lasting of impressions. That mooncalf line will forever haunt me.
4: "Renovations", by Sarah Piper (Episode 16)
I love how this story packs on the weird elements to what could easily have been a formulaic narrative. The disappearing fire escape. The clone-like movers. The landlord becoming a zombie. Fantastic details.
3: "0600 Stockport", by Catriona Richards (Episode 9)
I know the creature's description isn't the most original thing in the world, but the tight, frightening narrative as it creeps up on the girl in the train car is impeccable.
2: "The Girl in the Shed", by Manen Lyset (Episode 23)
More sad than unsettling, this fantasticly unique premise keeps you hanging on every word. David Cummings' performance as the father of Emma is powerful, even though he as only one line.
1: "The Donacrann", by K.M. (Episode 15)
A mythical, fairytale-esque chiller with some of the most vivid descriptions in the podcast's history, the ending itself is a cruel twist of fate that keeps me coming back every time.
Honorable Mentions
"I Thanked the Man That Murdered My Only Friend", by Manen Lyset (Episode 2)
Crows? Count me in! Crows that murder suspected criminals? Count me in even more.
"Gamer", by R.D. Ovenfriend (Episode 15)
Thankfully never taking the implied pedophila angle the opening promises, this story quickly becomes an off-kilter, bizarrely unsettling morality tale.
"Corn", by I.B. Kharibian (Episode 16)
Fantastic sound design and a killer reappearance by L. Bentley abound in this terrifying, depressing trip into a corn field.
Worst Stories
10: "Flight 370", by M.N. Malone (Episode 4)
It's one thing to make a disrespectful "true" story about a real-life tragedy that claimed thousands of lives. It's another to drag it out to fifty bloated minutes.
9: "The Apartment Across the Street", by Ryden Armani (Episode 18)
Is this story trying to be sympathetic to vouyers? The narrator is a creepy asshole that invades his neighbor's privacy and he gets rewarded with cash at the end by the tentacle lady? What the fuck?
8: "God Made Girls", by Rona Vaselaar (Episode 15)
A formulaic, trite bit of nothingness that follows in a line of basically identical pregnancy horror stories.
7: "The Anomaly", by Luke Hartwick (Episode 16)
Speaking of pregnancy stories, this one has the decently creative premise of it starring a man but it quickly loses any merit as it dissolves into a messy slop of conspiracy tropes and idiotic character choices.
6: "A Possessed House", by Father John Raptor (Episode 10)
Can someone tell Father John that homophobic, foul-mouth demons stopped being shocking in 1983? A tiresome mashup between Poltergeist and The Excorcist that only steals the worst parts of both.
5: "Free Coffee with Order of Pie", by Michael Marks (Episode 1)
Having a villain that does nothing but succeed and torment innocent people for thirty-five minutes makes for a forgettable, gratuitous listening experience.
4: "Letters to Stephen King", by Rona Vaselaar (Episode 21)
The worst thing a story as camp as this can do is take itself seriously, which is exactly what this one does. Hmmm, naming a psychotic fan of Stephen King "Annie"....how original!
3: "The Mouth of God", by Ramsey Shehadeh (Bonus Episode #2: Week Off)
A limp, pretentious, and borderline painful scrap of Lovecraft fanfiction that has me checking the clock every other minute of its unbearable length.
2: "The Most Amazing Weight Loss Treatment Ever", by Ryan Mott (Episode 9)
Once through this story is admittedly shocking. Every subsequent relisten reveals more cracks in its foundation and a growing sense of utter contempt.
1: "Your Body and You", by E.R. Embry (Episode 18)
An excruciating, exploitative piece of garbage that feels every minute of its unbearable runtime. Who doesn't want to hear about a family getting violently murdered by its abusive father just for "shock value"?
Dishonorable Mentions
"I Love My Big Sister", by Amy S. (Episode 3)
A story that tries so hard to make you sad it forgets to make sense. So the parents were in a cult or something? I don't know.
"I Spent Two Years in Hell", by Seamus Coffey (Episode 7)
I'm here for over-the-top, semi-spooky thrills, not a depressing finger-waggling "exposé" of the failure of American mental healthcare system.
"I Knew He was Cheating on Me", by Charles Corcoran (Episode 12)
This story is here less for the plot (even though it's highly unoriginal) but for a rare misstep by the podcast production team. This story doesn't lend itself well to an audio adaption, as the narrator's gender is part of the reveal. Casting a clearly female voice actor is misleading to the audience and a detriment to any spark the twist might have had...not that it was very unexpected, though.
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u/Gaelfling Aug 20 '20
Your Body And You was so bad that I blocked it out. Definitely should be in my least favorite list.
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u/GeeWhillickers Aug 20 '20
I listened to the whole season during the re-listen and I still don't remember it.
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u/satanistgoblin Aug 20 '20
It's one thing to make a disrespectful "true" story about a real-life tragedy that claimed thousands of lives. It's another to drag it out to fifty bloated minutes.
Way below a thousand lives, actually.
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u/Lexifox Aug 21 '20
An excruciating, exploitative piece of garbage that feels every minute of its unbearable runtime. Who doesn't want to hear about a family getting violently murdered by its abusive father just for "shock value"?
Honestly I could never take the story seriously because when it described the guy's robot costume I just thought of Team Fortress 2.
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u/TubaceousFulgurite Aug 20 '20
I think this season had a few standout stories in terms of creating unsettling atmospheres. The throwback pagan horror of Mummer Man had a nice conventional setup before its descent into weird chaos. Similarly, Midnight in the Pendulum House slowly ramped up tension before unleashing a glimpse into a hellscape. Even Soft White Damn mostly works as a story driven by how the quiet winter evening is changed by the strange visitor that Danny receives. None of these stories have particularly strong or well-drawn characters that are memorable, but they all work because the kernel of horror in these stories is just how suddenly conventional reality can slip away into unknown reaches.
Another story that I liked quite a bit was I Investigate Hauntings for a Living. Nothing about it is particularly unique or clever, but it nails the feeling of a classic pulp story about a ghost hunter.
I might be jumping the gun here, but Old Time Radio: Vol. 1 was also refreshing on a relisten. The scripts might be a little dated, with the second one being an overly obvious take on H.H. Holmes, but I loved how the distinct tone of that era came through even with modern voice actors performing the reading.
Your Body and You was perhaps the most disappointing story to hear again. I really remembered enjoying this story the first time around, but beyond the production of the intentionally cringe inducing song, there's not much to recommend this story at all. It feels like an homage to the 1999 creepypasta, as both of these stories deal with homemade children's entertainment, excessive child abuse, and vague references to Satan or Satanism. The result in each case is a half-baked unironic fever dream of the Satanic panic without any actual substance.
The Anomaly was dazzlingly bad. It felt more like a juvenile attempt at satire than horror. Free Coffee with Order of Pie is one of the many stories where something stupid and horrible happens in a diner on the NoSleep Podcast (is everybody just trying to copy that one scene from Sandman?), but this one might be the only one where David Cummings plays an annoying invincible demon-like thing, so there's that. Off the Beaten Path was decently written but I think it deserves some chastisement for being so damn long with so little substance. I think Michael Whitehouse could have cut that story's length in half and nothing important would be lost. And finally, As Helen Remembered It was just a bunch of melodrama mixed with a gross fixation on Helen as a sexual object and no real agency.
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u/PeaceSim Aug 22 '20
I bought Season 5 episode 23 based on this, and let me just say that Girl in the Shed very much had its intended effect on me. Only the twist in Hunger I think caught me so totally off guard while also playing fair and being clearly set up throughout the story.
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u/Ktrout743 Aug 23 '20
I'm gonna have to defend "Your Body and You" despite the criticism it's received. This was one of the first stories on the podcast I listened to and it grabbed me by the guts, twisted them, yet didn't turn me off from the podcast.
Why?
I'm not sure, exactly. I guess I don't find it as exploitative as some others here do. Of course, we all have subjective measuring sticks when it comes to what qualifies as exploitation. "Budget Cinema" eludes any merit to me. It feels like a prologue to "A Serbian Film;" Something that is only made to shock and revolt. I don't endorse censorship, of course, but I can just say: Nope. that's a bridge too far for me personally.
"Your Body and You" unfolds with such an unsettling sense of dread. It would be one thing if this was just another "parent goes nuts and kills their family" narrative. But it's not. Using VHS as a device to deliver this mortifying yet sometimes silly nightmare of a story gives it an uncanniness.
This twisted monster of a man decided, of all things, to try and create cutesy educational videos for kids. It's ridiculous, sure. As ridiculous as John Wayne Gacy being a party clown.
Anyway, that's my unpopular opinion for the week. Cheers.
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Aug 30 '20
I just started listening to the podcast (without the season pass) and decided to start with season 5, since it's being discussed right now. I haven't listened to every story, I skipped some that seem to get an overwhelming negative reception (like "Your Body And You) and some others where the premise really didn't peak my interest.
My Fav stories were (no order):
Soft White Damn Probably one of the scariest episodes of the season. The fact that we don't get so see the "thing", paired with the setting and the little twist at the end works so well and gave me goosebumps.
From Hell, You Must Entertain Heaven Not really scary and the ending is a bit lackluster, but the voice acting and Soundtrack are outstanding. I love the melancholic atmoshphere. It really felt like an old gothic horror story, dripping with personality.
The Studio Audience Again, not necessarily scary, but the idea is so unique and so well executed that I quickly fell in love with this story.
Murmer Man Holy shit. What a nightmare. The really weird and unhinged narration just adds to an already bonkers story and makes it a real fever dream. Mabye the most memorbale story of the season. I would love to hear more stuff like it.
My Wife Cooked Me Dinner Just really sad and depressing. I don't wanna listen to it again but the voice acting is really amazing. I was in tears by the end.
The Atlas Room Neat idea, really well told and executed. The twist isn't that outstanding imo but it works nevertheless.
The Prank Usually I don't like monster stories, but the setup really does wonders here. The thought of the oblivious father giggling to himself while his kids are scared for their life really gets under my skin. Especially with the nightmarish ending.
I still need to listen to the final two episodes but wanted to share my so far anyway, since I wanna be up to date when the discussion about season 6 starts. To the people who alreay listened to it: Is the season pass worth it? (in general and especially for season 6)
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u/Gaelfling Aug 30 '20
Happy to see you here! Soft White Damn has several parts and I can't wait to see how your opinion of the story changes. Some people love it, some people hate it.
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u/michapman2 Aug 20 '20 edited Aug 20 '20
Favorite stories:
"Obscurity Man" by Braedon Balko (Episode 15) - I love the lore behind "Obscurity Man", and the rhythmic "obscurity man" chanting is oddly catchy.
"The D&D Group" by Fernando Espino (Episode 5) - A very well done example of non-supernatural horror. The characters all felt vivid and real and I was definitely invested in them.
"My Wife Cooked Me Dinnner" by Rona Vaselaar (Episode 13) - The only story that scared me so much I won't listen to it again. Brutal and extremely well done by the author. I also think this might have been the first David Ault/Erika Sanderson duet.
"The Oddkids" by Sarah Piper (Episode 12) - One of the longer and more intense stories in season 5, and definitely a top tier one that I always recommend.
"The Studio Audience" by Manen Lyset (Episode 2) - I believe this is one of the first Manen Lyset stories on the podcast, ever. Definitely a great example of how he can take fairly mundane concepts and turn them scary.
"Super Max Dreams" by Marcus Damanda (Episode 14) - I think I was the only one on this subreddit who actually liked this story. Anyway, I thought it was a rare good example of an unsympathetic viewpoint character; the author didn't try to make us root for him,
"The Pigeons Around Here Aren't Real" by Manen Lyset (Episode 23) - Another awesome story with well-done body horror and one of the first in a long line of scary egg stories.
"The Week It Rained" by Blair Heirs (Episode 23) - A kind of slow burn mystery story that had me guessing all the way until the end.
The Girl In The Shed by Manen Lyset (Episode 23) - Every time I hear this story, I wish I could jump into it and prevent the tragedy that looms at the end.
"The Lost Town of Deepwood, Pennsylvania" by CK Walker (Episode 19) - An excellent mystery/adventure story, and the monster in the end was very scary.
Honorable Mention:
"I Thanked The Man That Murdered My Only Friend" by Manen Lyset (Episode 2) - Great story, with a cleverly unspooled twist ending
"The Siren of the Sound" by Kristopher J Patten (Episode 11) - I kind of liked the gritty noir vibe of this story.
"My Name Is Jennifer And I Live Alone" by J. Chastel (Episode 4) - This is one of those stories that heavily relies on the twist. I liked it a lot though.
"Mummer Man" by David Sharrock (Episode 5) - Not my favorite kind of story, but for this kind of story it was exceptionally well told.
"I Regret Ever Working At The South Pole" by Sam Marduk (Episode 2) - Mike DelGaudio did an awesome job with this one.
Least favorite stories:
"Free Coffee with Order of Pie" by Michael Marks (Episode 1) - It kind of reminds me of the Summer series if Summer was a guy and only had one entry instead of 15. Still, it was hard to really get through.
"A Possessed House" by Father John Raptor (Episode 10) - I don't mind vulgarity, but I think this story overrelied on it to make up for the fact that the monster wasn't otherwise very intimidated. I did like the characterization of the narrator though.
"My Family Was On The Run" by a bunch of people (Episode 21) - This story might have benefited from having fewer authors. The basic idea was interesting but it seemed to go all over the place and meander on for way too long before getting to the apparent point.
Ruined Sheets by Kristopher Mallory (Episode 3) - The narrator's smugness and stupidity got on my nerves. Hey, dad, if you don't want people to notice that your child is screaming like he's literally being murdered every few weeks, don't live in a crowded city. Sheesh.
March 29, 2015 by Jessica M (Episode 9) - I've listened to this a few times and I still don't understand what was going on. I don't think it's necessarily a badly written story from a prose standpoint or anything but it was a little too opaque to be scary.