welcometonightvale
patreon
Director's Notes: 182 - It Sticks With You
🕑 Added 2021-02-16 19:31:26 +0000 UTCSomeone on Twitter asked me the other day if co-hosting Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9 w/Cecil Baldwin has changed how I write for Night Vale. It's a good question, in that it's hard to answer but it makes me think.
Until last summer when Cecil and I started that show, I could probably count on two hands the number of horror films I've watched in my life. I've always been horror movie-averse, even though I read a ton of Stephen King as a kid. And I kind of like scary things. And after about 35 episodes of our show, I'm actually pretty excited to watch horror films these days. Victory.
But that also means I've watched about 3 dozen horror films in as many weeks and even taken in a few more as extracurricular activity. Percentage-wise that's a huge part of my entertainment/arts intake. So naturally, it has influence how I write for other projects, such as Night Vale.
This episode, I think, unintentionally reflects the part of horror movies I find more intriguing and compelling and frightening: intellectual disconnect, or disorientation. I had fun describing what owls sound like, and then repeating the description of that sound using terms that don't at all capture what an owl sounds like. Or Cecil Palmer playing a cassette that he cannot hear which reveals repeated actions that he cannot remember.
Lynchian horror, I guess, you can call this. And it's the type of horror that can easily lean toward comedy. Absurdity, like birdwatching, goes both ways.
But more than anything this episode is about fatherhood. (who is Esteban? when did Cecil and Carlos have a son? Great questions!) We've never really addressed Cecil's father on the show, and it's a story I'm interested in developing, but I don't just want to say "here's a dad we never mentioned." I'd rather explore what it means to love or miss or resent or forget your father. And what it means for a father to not be present at all. And honestly, in the case of Cecil's story, does that matter?
The missing father trope is well-trod ground, so what makes this special? That's a lot to think about, and it's difficult to do with all the creaking shouts of all these owls.
-Jeffrey Cranor
February 15, 2021
Comments
Lenjamin
I really liked this episode, especially with the deviation form the usual format. I was so expectant that things would be resolved right after the weather, and when they immediately weren't I found it so gripping!
Allison Hastings
This was a really cool episode. I'm probably going to listen to it again today.
Welcome to Night Vale
The origins of Esteban are in this show, most specifically in track 18: https://nightvale.bandcamp.com/album/a-spy-in-the-desert-live -Joseph
Lindsay Willett
I’m glad I didn’t miss Esteban being born/adopted/appearing/originating, and there’s more to the story here...
Juniper Viernes
Incredible mood setting on this one. I've always treasured the horror-leaning episodes of NV and I'm definitely adding this one to that list.
Nash B.
This episode upset me so much but like... I think that was probably the entire point. Horror is supposed to be deeply upsetting. It was excellent though! I'm so curious to learn more about what this episode implies.
HangryAuntie
This one ... BOTHERED me, so very much. It's beautiful and I spent the 5 minutes after shaking my head to clear the chills.
Ana Ennis
Guess the owls are never what they seem.
Adam Eaton
I loved the style of this episode. I too have been rather horror movie adverse, though I have always liked to read it. I just don't like gore or body horror. You definitely threw me with the reference to Estaban. I was getting ready to google when they had a son, when I thought to check the director's notes to see if you mentioned it. Keep up the good work!
