Dark Adventure Radio Theatre® - Imprisoned with the Pharaohs

Interesting take on this one. I felt they rushed the scenes under the pyramids with Houdini but the set up was really well done and flushed out. Good atmosphere and the soundtrack added much to the story.

I must say this is now my favorite Dart edition. And as a German I am thankful that the German archeologists actually speak German and not a German sounding gibberish. Absolutely fabulous production. Thank you very much for this experience.

Ancient Egypt’s great monuments and elaborate burial practices have cast long shadows over one strand of Western horror tales, notably after the rediscovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter in 1922, and the “Mummy’s Curse” tales the media helped circulate subsequently. Lovecraft’s foray into this region in 1924 (and despite being ghost-written for Houdini, the story always felt more Lovecraft than Houdini to me), captures nicely the mood of the horror options here, with his own twist, naturally. This DART adaptation necessarily expands upon the one-person narrative of the story considerably. Those changes work well in the main, except where much of the Cosmograph variety show segment takes too long, and adds little to the whole. Moving the timeline up to the eve of the Great War in July-August 1914, from Lovecraft’s 1910 setting, adds an extra note of suspense, possibly influenced by the Indiana Jones pulp-style movies. The props in the full CD version are of the normal HPLHS high-quality, including a handy map in “The Egyptian Gazette” newspaper. I was intrigued to spot that old perambulator, Mr. Ardath Bey, listed as a guest at the same hotel as Prof. Nate Ward in the same news cutting, although I thought his Egyptian travels had begun only in 1921, as reported on film in 1932. A letter, Cosmograph tickets, and a set of Egyptian postcard props are available to freely download from the main HPLHS website for this DART episode too, don’t forget. Splendid fun!

Okay so its not Lovecrafts best story nor a mythos tale but for me at least the original text oozes charm, atmosphere and pulp adventure. So enjoyable, its a delight from start to finish.

DART's adaptation possibly even improves on the original story and just works perfectly in this format!

The story and cast additions and changes never detract from the story and the radio / audio format is perfect for that final act ramping up the atmosphere and conveying the isolation of the characters 'Under the Pyramids' (so to speak...).

The whole package wth the props is just so much damn fun.

Settle back in the armchair. I'd reccomend bourbon (on the rocks) as your sole travelling companion........

I love the mix of history and the fantastical! Harry Houdini and Bess were fun characters...and I really enjoy the continued inclusion of Professor Nate Ward and Charlie Tower. It really makes these radio dramas seem like a living breathing world.