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At the Mountains of Madness | 
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| Artist: Dark Adventure Radio Theatre
Label: Microcinema
Category: Music
Buy New: $19.49
New (3) from $17.50
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 27395
Format: Special Edition, Digital Sound
Media: Audio CD
Running Time: 74
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 895741001016
EAN: 0895741001016
ASIN: B000NFWGCW
Publication Date: 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 10 to 14 days
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| Tracks:
| • | Opening | | • | Worldwide Wireless News | | • | Lake's Camp | | • | The Elder City | | • | The Abyss | | • | Closing |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
"An expedition to the ends of the earth resulting in death and madness..."Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: At the Mountains of Madness brings Lovecraft's tale to life as it might have been adapted for radio during his lifetime. In the style of The War of the Worlds and The Shadow, Dark Adventure Radio Theatre dramatizes HPL's story with a cast of professional actors, exciting sound effects and original music by Troy Sterling Nies (composer for The Call of Cthulhu). Relive the excitement of 1930s radio with one of HP Lovecraft's most exciting and fascinating stories: At the Mountains of Madness.In addition to the full 75 minute radio drama, the CD packaging includes clippings from a 1930s newspaper chronicling the expedition's progress in the Antarctic and reproductions of photographs of the ancient city taken by Danforth and Dyer which corroborate their findings. There's even a reproduction from Danforth's sketchbook, depicting the Elder Things and their fantastical murals. And of course it's beautifully produced and packaged with the same deranged attention to detail that you'll find in other HPLHS products.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Lovecraft joy in radio style December 2, 2008
Picked this up for a road trip (along with the other release). One of my favorite Lovecraft stories done well in the style of 30s radio dramatization. Creepy and intense for the most part. The first 20 minutes are rather annoying with the mock shortwave radio interviews of the expedition in the story, you can barely hear it, though that may be because I was listening to it while traveling. After that moment though, it is quite engrossing and well told. Lovecraft stories are notoriously hard to put into scripted drama, but these radio styled performances have done it quite well, and not surprising, it is done by the Lovecraft guild (or whatever the group is called). I think these people also did the fantastic silent film "Call of Cthulhu" that recently came out). Besides the opening few moments, a well done pieces of radio fun.
Lovecraft meets modern OTR September 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a lifelong fan of both H.P. Lovecraft and the genre of Old Time Radio plays (especially Suspense, X Minus One, and Quiet Please), this modern retro radio play-style adaptation of 'Mountains of Madness' is a real gem.
Capturing the feel of the old radio plays perfectly, the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society delivers a dramatic, suspenseful version of one of the master's greatest achievements in sci-fi horror. There are moments (like when the characters are on an aeroplane) that the dialog is hard to hear, but that's perfectly in keeping with the OTR feel.
Even the charmingly tongue-in-cheek 'advertisement' for the bogus Fleurs-de-Lys brand of cigarettes is a hoot. It's all about attention to detail, and what old radio play ever had no annoying advertising?
Excellent voice performances, terrific sound effects, and a solid adherence to Lovecraft's story make this a must-add to any Lovecraft fan's collection. An added bonus are the inserts for the CD, which include a newspaper cutting from the Arkham Advertiser, photos of the City of the Elder Things, and a page from Danforth's sketchbook.
The HPLHS has also released a 'Dark Adventure Theatre' adaptation of 'The Dunwich Horror'.
Voices in the dark August 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Now this is how it should be done!
Adapting the stories of HP Lovecraft to other media has always been a thankless & mostly futile task. But the creators of this adaptation have succeeded wonderfully, because they had the sense to recreate the times & atmosphere in which Lovecraft wrote, setting his tale in context.
How?
By recreating the glory days of radio drama, right down to the static & commercials & slightly over-the-top acting style of the 1930s. You can practically hear the vacuum tubes warming up when you put this CD on to play! The attention to detail & authenticity is truly astounding, from beginning to end. You'll swear that you're listening to something contemporary with Orson Welles' famed "War of the Worlds" broadcast.
At the same time, they don't focus so much on details that they lose sight of the story. Everything is in service to Lovecraft's vision of an ancient, titanic city in frozen waste of the Antarctic mountains, created by weird alien beings & their monstrous servants, now long dead ... or are they? The hapless expedition of mere mortal men will discover the horrifying truth before long!
So settle down in a cozy chair, turn the lights down low, and enter the theater of the imagination. But be prepared for some chills! For both horror & classic radio fans, this is a treat. Highly recommended!
The Mountains of Madness whisper in your ear! June 29, 2008
The stories of HP Lovecraft still haunt us years after his death and despite the fact he is still relagated to general obscurity. Ask your average person who he is, and you'll likely get no response. When I was younger, in my teens, it was popular to read his works. They were a taste of the wierd and horrible and it was chic to know names such as Cthuhlu and make references to Miskatonic University or the writings of certain mad arabs.
Years later I went back to his work and found it all the more thrilling and horrific. My younger mind couldn't pick up the subtle terror of the unknown that I believe Lovecraft mastered.
When I discovered one of his greatest works and one of his view 'novels' had been turned into a Radio Drama, I leapt at the chance. This is not just a 'reading' of the Mountains of Madness, it is an honest to goodness radio drama done in the style of the 1930's when radio was king and cigarettes were just darn good for ya! The voice acting, music and sound effects work to take the Mountains of Madness to where modern film could not go. The radio drama leaves much for the listener to imagine, the same as the written work. While film often destroys imagination by 'showing' you horror, the radio drama simply guides you into your own nightmareish visions.
Is the radio drama perfect? No. The beginning is a bit repetative with a series of 'World Wide News' stories which set the backdrop of the tale. A listener might get a bit frustrated hearing the morse code and musical jingle of the radio station over and over. However, once Professor Dyer begins his tale in earnest, listeners are left with the frozen wastes of Antarctica, the wonder of a forotten city, and the horror of what truly happened to Professor Lake.
What lies beyond the Mountains of Madness await and I strongly reccomend you let Dark Adventure Radio take you there!
Wonderful experience... April 15, 2008
that takes you to the long lost days of "wireless" and serialised dramas. OK I wasn't born when radio had its heyday but I've heard enough here and there to know what an authentic, yet innovative, adaption of HPL's masterpiece this is. Its radio drama authenticity is unquestionable (check out the way the guys at HPLHS package and receipt their stuff to know how authenticity INSANE they are!!!) but there are enough self-reflexive nods and quiet in-jokes to situate this adaption firmly in our post-modern 21st century. But don't get me wrong, there's nothing at all jokey or camp about this CD and some of the audio chapters stand alone as superb drama in their own right. Gripping character dynamics and voicing, fascinating sound effects, music and faux-advertising and a grimly imaginative adventure put together with exceptional production standards. TEKELILI!!!
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