David Tennant is part of an all new full cast recording of
the erotic vampire classic Carmilla, just released by Audible Originals. First
published in serial form by J. Sheridan le Fanu between 1871-2, the story
centres on an account by the teenage Laura of her relationship with another
young woman who is not all that she appears. The story is one of the first works
of vampire Gothic fiction, predating Bram Stoker’s Dracula by several years,
and has inspired many a romantic horror tale since. The writer was thought to
have based his work on historical collections of European folk tales and legends
of the supernatural.
“You are mine now. I shall have you all. I shall drink you
up like wine. I shall suck you up. I shall eat you.”
The story takes the form of a case study, introduced by Dr.
Hesselius (David Tennant), centring on an account by a girl called Laura (Rose
Leslie). A lonely teenager staying with her father (James Wilby) in Austria,
Laura becomes close to another young woman called Carmilla (Phoebe Fox) who is recuperating
with them following a carriage accident. Soon after, the local community is
plagued by a spate of mysterious illnesses and deaths, while Laura herself is
haunted by visions of a stalking black creature in her room. Meanwhile, the
attraction between Laura and Carmilla grows, but while Laura succumbs to
illness herself, Carmilla seems to grow more powerful and hypnotic.
Carmilla is the perfect Gothic horror to get you in the
Hallowe’en mood, and this new cast recording draws you in as smoothly as a
silky-tongued vampire seduces their prey. Rose Leslie conjures a fresh-faced ingénue
in her protagonist Laura, whose eye-witness account we follow. Her performance
contrasts sharply with the sensual breathy voice of Phoebe Fox as the malevolent
and manipulative Carmilla, the demonic figure at the centre of the tale. The
world of Laura and Carmilla becomes increasingly more entwined and stifling.
Their initial companionship develops into touches and embraces, blushes and
kisses, and as Laura weakens, her dependence on her companion makes her even
more vulnerable. Through Laura’s careful, matter-of-fact descriptions of terrifying
and erotic events the overall sense of unease quickly deepens. It doesn't take
too long to establish that there is something not quite right about Laura’s friend and house guest, but the attempts of other characters to dismiss curious
and disturbing events with greater and greater stretches of rationality only intensify
the sensation that before long something terrible will happen.
It has to be said that David Tennant does not have a huge
role in this recording, opening the tale and then not reappearing until well
into the second part. However, his role as the mere curator of the horrifying tale
of Carmilla has been bumped up somewhat, now merging with the original
story’s Baron Vordenburg to become something of a vampire hunter. Dr. Hesselius
is the only character to use an accent and his curious Germanic voice marks him
as someone distinct from the other characters in his knowledge, experience and beliefs. Even
his arrival makes an impression on Laura: “The strangest figure, slim, with
high shoulders, dressed in black, wearing a tricorn hat with a broad brim and
gold spectacles. His face was turned up
to the sky and wore a strange smile. A little weary but somehow very wise.”
The cast work well together to conjure a world of paranoia
and shadows within which the terrified protagonists are stalked by monsters. Laura’s story includes an account of another vampire
attack, experienced by a family friend, and from this moment the pieces of the
puzzle of Carmilla start to fall into place. The imagery of the final scenes in
the ruined chapel is pure and classic horror and has fed into vampire mythology ever
since. Carmilla is already acknowledged
as an extremely important piece of work in the history of Gothic horror and
happily this new cast production does it the justice that it deserves.
Carmilla was adapted from the original novel by Robin Brooks
and directed by Fiona McAlpine of Allegra Productions for Audible Originals.
Cast
Dr. Hesselius - David Tennant
Carmilla - Phoebe Fox
Laura - Rose Leslie
Father - James Wilby
General Spielsdorf - David Horovitch
Milady - Lucy Robinson
Madame Perrodon - Susan Wooldridge
Katherine - Hannah Genesius
Beppo, Doctor, Labourer - Michael Shelford
Little Laura - Kitty Peterkin
Maria - Mia Hall
Order your download of Carmilla here. Alternatively you can stream it for FREE until November 30th via the same link.
Comments
Post a Comment