Off Book #20 – Petrified, with Peter Dunne
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What is Petrified and why is it a standout horror audio drama?
Hello and welcome to Talking Scared Off Book. I'm your host, Neil McRobert, and we're venturing into a new medium, for me at least, anyway. Audio drama. Scary stories whispered directly into my earholes. It's not a thing I can usually get on board with, alas, because it would save me a lot of reading time when I'm out running, but I have found one show that keeps my attention. and keeps it well and makes my dog walks much creepier. Petrified, the award-winning podcast of Tales from a Darker Island. Each week, a full cast acts out a freshly horrific scenario from possession via call centre to haunted lighthouses, serial-killing families, monsters in the mountains, and curses that infect the audience themselves.
Peter Dunn writes and directs every single episode, making him surely one of the hardest working and most prolific creators in all of horror. But despite that, he still found time to join me for a conversation about Petrified's history, weaponising sound, breaking the fourth wall, handling religion as a topic, and working with some of the biggest cult names in horror. I implore you, listen to Petrified. It's properly wonderful. But do keep listening to this show and if you enjoy it, please leave a review wherever you listened. And for ever more extra stuff and ad-free episodes and Discord access, you can become a Patreon subscriber and support my work in the bargain. I've just uploaded some extra chat with recent author guests including Marcus Cleaver talking weird conspiracies and disturbing things seen online and Kylie Lee Baker relating her most fearful memory.
That's all at patreon dot com slash talking scared pot. But now come with me to a book strewn dining room somewhere on the edge of Dublin. Join hands around the table and think your most frightening thoughts. Let's talk a different kind of scared.
Hi Peter, happy Friday. Welcome to Talking Scared Off Book. Thank
you very much, Neil. I've been looking forward to it. Made sure to get everyone out of the house so my attention could be just focused on this.
Yeah, I mean uh listeners can't see this, but I I'm looking at at Peter right now, literally sitting at a desk surrounded by like stacks of paperback books. Um not just shelves, but like literal stacks. And they all look suitably macabre, so yeah, this should be a good conversation. Yeah.
And and just to point out, this is just one set of stacks. There are more. I've I've
slowly
taken over the house. Yeah.
Yeah, it's rare someone has more books than me, but y you've done it. But listen, I I don't know how you have even time for this conversation, right? 'Cause as we'll explore In the next hour, you write more stories than pretty much anyone I know or can think of. Because you write and direct every episode. of the Petrified podcast. And by the time this episode goes live, season five will be just about underway. Yeah? Yep, yep. It should be out a
couple of weeks, yeah, when this goes live, yeah.
Have you already written all the episodes or is it a more by the seat of the pants sort of thing?
There's one that we're still working on because it requires a little bit more um Than one rider. I don't want to give the surprise away, but there's a little a a special little episode. But but otherwise it's already. Yeah. I you're right. I just I kind of churned about. I just love it. Um if it goes too long without me writing something, I start to feel antsy. So yeah, I I also run um a night called The Ghost Story Gathering, where I commission writers to write little fifteen minute ghost stories. And I've done sixteen of them, but I also write a ghost story for every one of them. So yeah, that's another sixteen that I've done of those too.
I kinda hate ya.
try and and trying to write books and and do this stuff. And I basically like essentially beg people for money so to keep me afloat. But I'm not doing anything close to the work you're putting out. So I feel like kind of a fraud now. I don't know how you I mean, let let me ask you to first of all introduce Petrified for for those who maybe aren't yet aware of it, right?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Petrified and why is it a standout horror audio drama?
0:12–9:34
2
How did Peter Dunne turn a hoax audio tour into the award‑winning Petrified podcast?
9:34–18:32
3
What techniques does Peter use to write, direct, and produce a new episode every week?
18:32–27:41
4
How does the show use sound design and naturalistic acting to make listeners feel the horror?
27:41–36:10
5
Which episodes does Peter consider his darkest or most memorable, and why?
36:10–44:28
6
How does the Irish folklore and setting influence the storytelling and audience reach?
44:28–53:10
7
What are the future plans for Petrified – live shows, adaptations, and connected storytelling?
53:10–1:01:51
8
What episodes should new listeners start with to get the full Petrified experience?
1:01:51–1:11:34
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Talking Scared
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The Dark Tower Deep Dive #10 – Wolves of the Calla
288 – Danielle Giles & A Spoonful of Skulldust (Makes the Medicine Go Down)