Malevolent is set in 1930s Arkham, Massachusetts. Arthur Lester works as a private investigator. He has just woken up in his office, and he cannot see a thing. He hears a mysterious voice in his head that tells him it has commandeered his eyes. Arthur calls John for the sake of convenience. John says that he comes from a dark world parallel to our own. John says that eldritch horrors are forcing their way into Arthur’s world. Arthur and John must work together to investigate deranged cultists, terrors from beyond the stars, and revelations that will drive them to the brink of their collective sanity. Above all else, they will discover something truly malevolent.
I had been vaguely aware of Malevolent for a while. I usually saw it recommended alongside shows such as Sapceships, The Strata, Residents of Proserpina Park, and The Call of the Void. However, it only really came on my radar when Ivan Mirko S, creator of The Program Audio Series, recommended me to review it. IMS had previously recommended me to Kale Brown to review Kale’s series SINKHOLE. Harlan Guthrie, creator of Malevolent, was looking for someone to review the series. IMS recommended me, and here we are now.
Malevolent has been picked up for distribution by Rusty Quill. Amusingly enough, so has The Program Audio Series. Rusty Quill are the creators of show such as The Magnus Archives and Outliers: Stories From the Edges of History. However, in recent times, Rusty Quill has also been acquiring preexisting shows for distribution. This helps gets more attention on the shows, and introduces them to a wider audience.
Now, usually I wait for serialized show to have at least one complete season before I commit to a review. However, from what I’ve seen, Malevolent is intended to keep going indefinitely. So, I made an exception. Though, I do wonder how Harlan is going to be able to maintain a sense of suspense and purpose without a defined ending. It seems that Harlan is dividing the series into various arcs. We got an arc in the Dreamlands for several episodes, and before that we got an arc set in and around Arkham. I suppose that first one could be thought of as an introductory arc. I will say I have been greatly enjoying Malevolent thus far. Let’s see if it can maintain the momentum.
The first thing I should discuss is the voice acting. Now, on first glance, it might seem like Malevolent has quite the cast of voice actors. However, that’s not quite correct. You see, Malevolent is an entirely one-man show. Harlan Guthrie voices all of the characters. This is certainly no small feet, as there are a wide variety of accents and pitches that Harlan must juggle. Arthur speaks in a British accent, while his landlord speaks in a New England accent. Arthur has a higher pitched voice, while John has a very deep and resonant voice. Though, I suspect that voice filters and modulation help with that last one. John’s voice does have a noticeable echo and reverb to give it an otherworldly quality.
I was surprised to learn that Harlan is Canadian. He did such a great job with Arthur’s voice, and I assumed he must have been British. Needless to say, Harlan was quite successful with managing all of the roles he has to play. Thought, Harlan playing all of the characters does mean there aren’t really any women with speaking role. However, that’s also largely true for most of H.P. Lovecraft’s works. So, I guess it fits.
I suppose it fits that Arthur is British. Lovecraft was a massive Anglophile, and English people were one of the only groups of people he wasn’t scared of. And yes, English, not British. Lovecraft nearly had a mental breakdown when he discovered that one of ancestors was Welsh. He also wrote the date was it was 200 years prior, as he considered the American Revolution have been a mistake.
Malevolent has a pretty brilliant justification for being set in an audio-only medium. Arthur has been rendered blind because of John possessing him. As such, we are experiencing the story through Arthur’s point-of-view, or lack there of, as the case may be. The way John is always describing the scenes, and directing Arthur’s actions, brings to mind the Call of Cthulhu Tabletop RPG. It is a Dungeons & Dragons-style Tabletop RPG set within the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Usually, the goal is less about defeating the evil forces, and more about simply surviving them. Oh, and your sanity is one of your stats, along side stuff like strength, intelligence, and other typical RPG stuff. It always looked like it would be fun to play. I wanted to try Tabletop RPGs, but I never really had any friends to play with. Anyway, there are various time in Malevolent where you can hear dice being rolled. Those who support Malevolent on Patreon get to vote on how the story will unfold. The dice rolling sound indicates when an event was voted on by the patrons.
In a way, Malevolent gives me the feeling of experiencing the story of a Tabletop RPG campaign, but without the tropes of conventions of an Actual Play podcast. I find that to be a very nice touch. I must admit I’ve never been the biggest fan of Actual Play shows. Not really my cup of tea. But I do know that often produce some very fun stories.
As should be clear by now, Malevolent draws heavily upon the Lovecraft Mythos. Early on, Arthur and John investigate a cult dedicated to the worship of Shub-Niggurath. There’s a scene at a hospital where Arthur and John encounter an old woman. The way she’s described brings to mind “The Thing on the Doorstep.” Much later into the series, Arthur and John visit a town named Addison. It is located inland, but the inhabitants are described in a way that suggests they have the Innsmouth look. There are also several episodes where Arthur and John must traverse the Dreamlands. You don’t really see the Dreamlands turn up too often in Lovecraft-inspired fiction. Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle was a bit closer to fantasy than horror, so perhaps that plays a part. Oh, but don’t worry, Malevolent milks the Dreamlands for all the horror and dangers they can provide. So, hats-off for choosing one of the lesser utilized aspects of Lovecraft’s work. Arthur also visits a library and learns about Hastur, the King in Yellow.
Okay, I’ve put it off for as long as possible. We’re going to have to talk about to major spoilers. As such, if you don’t want any of that, turn back now.
Last chance, you sure you want to continue?
If everyone who wants out is gone, let’s get into it.
It was clear to me from the start that John was actually some sort of entity from the Lovecraft Mythos. My money was on Nyarlathotep, as I believe he’s been known to possess people from time to time. But no, it seems that I was wrong. John is actually the King in Yellow…sort of. He’s actual a fragment of the King in Yellow. At first, he wanted to become whole again, but spending time in Arthur’s body made him come to appreciate humanity. Hmm, okay, that’s an interesting choice. So, we have a Great Old One being humanized, and given a sympathetic treatment in the form of John. However, the King in Yellow remains and genuinely threatening antagonist, and doesn’t loose any of his street cred. That’s some very smart writing choices.
Some series that utilize the Lovecraft Mythos go completely silly and lighthearted. Other really lean into the darkness and nihilism of the original works. There’s nothing inherently wrong with either approach. It all depends on the sort of story you want to tell. However, I do find that Malevolent strikes a happy middle ground. We can have John depicted sympathetically, but also have the Great Old Ones be genuinely terrifying and menacing. In a way, John’s character arc reminds me of Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen. He was also a god-like being who eventually found meaning in humanity.
Oh, but we aren’t done yet. You see, Arthur’s hiding some secrets of his own. He used to be musician, and he had a daughter named Faroe. I learned that her name is spelled like that after reading the transcripts. I’d been mishearing it as Thoreau, as in Henry David Thoreau, but apparently it is Faroe, like the Faroe Islands. Anyway, Arthur got so into composing one night that he forgot Faroe was in a bathtub, and she drowned. I mean, technically that is something that can happen, especially with younger kids, but it kind of came across as unintentionally funny. Still, it is a testament to Harlan’s acting skills that he was able to sell those lines. It helps flesh-out Arthur as a character. The King in Yellow has certainly killed several people, but Arthur has blood on his hands too.
Speaking of blood on hands, I’d like to mention another showcase of Harlan’s acting talent. The scene where Arthur and John must decide whether or not to mercy kill a Dreamlands creature. I mean, wow, that was really powerful, and emotionally heart-wrenching. And to think it was all one guy playing all of the roles. Let it never be said that Malevolent isn’t capable of tugging at your heartstrings.
Arthur and John have their similarities, but they also provide an interesting mirror to each other. John grows more compassionate and human, but Arthur grows increasingly callous and at times even ruthless. In a way, Arthur becomes a bit more like the King in Yellow.
I suppose it fits that Arthur is British. Lovecraft was a massive Anglophile, and English people were one of the only groups of people he wasn’t scared of. And yes, English, not British. Lovecraft nearly had a mental breakdown when he discovered that one of ancestors was Welsh. He also wrote the date was it was 200 years prior, as he considered the American Revolution have been a mistake.
Malevolent has a pretty brilliant justification for being set in an audio-only medium. Arthur has been rendered blind because of John possessing him. As such, we are experiencing the story through Arthur’s point-of-view, or lack there of, as the case may be. The way John is always describing the scenes, and directing Arthur’s actions, brings to mind the Call of Cthulhu Tabletop RPG. It is a Dungeons & Dragons-style Tabletop RPG set within the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Usually, the goal is less about defeating the evil forces, and more about simply surviving them. Oh, and your sanity is one of your stats, along side stuff like strength, intelligence, and other typical RPG stuff. It always looked like it would be fun to play. I wanted to try Tabletop RPGs, but I never really had any friends to play with. Anyway, there are various time in Malevolent where you can hear dice being rolled. Those who support Malevolent on Patreon get to vote on how the story will unfold. The dice rolling sound indicates when an event was voted on by the patrons.
In a way, Malevolent gives me the feeling of experiencing the story of a Tabletop RPG campaign, but without the tropes of conventions of an Actual Play podcast. I find that to be a very nice touch. I must admit I’ve never been the biggest fan of Actual Play shows. Not really my cup of tea. But I do know that often produce some very fun stories.
As should be clear by now, Malevolent draws heavily upon the Lovecraft Mythos. Early on, Arthur and John investigate a cult dedicated to the worship of Shub-Niggurath. There’s a scene at a hospital where Arthur and John encounter an old woman. The way she’s described brings to mind “The Thing on the Doorstep.” Much later into the series, Arthur and John visit a town named Addison. It is located inland, but the inhabitants are described in a way that suggests they have the Innsmouth look. There are also several episodes where Arthur and John must traverse the Dreamlands. You don’t really see the Dreamlands turn up too often in Lovecraft-inspired fiction. Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle was a bit closer to fantasy than horror, so perhaps that plays a part. Oh, but don’t worry, Malevolent milks the Dreamlands for all the horror and dangers they can provide. So, hats-off for choosing one of the lesser utilized aspects of Lovecraft’s work. Arthur also visits a library and learns about Hastur, the King in Yellow.
Okay, I’ve put it off for as long as possible. We’re going to have to talk about to major spoilers. As such, if you don’t want any of that, turn back now.
Last chance, you sure you want to continue?
If everyone who wants out is gone, let’s get into it.
It was clear to me from the start that John was actually some sort of entity from the Lovecraft Mythos. My money was on Nyarlathotep, as I believe he’s been known to possess people from time to time. But no, it seems that I was wrong. John is actually the King in Yellow…sort of. He’s actual a fragment of the King in Yellow. At first, he wanted to become whole again, but spending time in Arthur’s body made him come to appreciate humanity. Hmm, okay, that’s an interesting choice. So, we have a Great Old One being humanized, and given a sympathetic treatment in the form of John. However, the King in Yellow remains and genuinely threatening antagonist, and doesn’t loose any of his street cred. That’s some very smart writing choices.
Some series that utilize the Lovecraft Mythos go completely silly and lighthearted. Other really lean into the darkness and nihilism of the original works. There’s nothing inherently wrong with either approach. It all depends on the sort of story you want to tell. However, I do find that Malevolent strikes a happy middle ground. We can have John depicted sympathetically, but also have the Great Old Ones be genuinely terrifying and menacing. In a way, John’s character arc reminds me of Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen. He was also a god-like being who eventually found meaning in humanity.
Oh, but we aren’t done yet. You see, Arthur’s hiding some secrets of his own. He used to be musician, and he had a daughter named Faroe. I learned that her name is spelled like that after reading the transcripts. I’d been mishearing it as Thoreau, as in Henry David Thoreau, but apparently it is Faroe, like the Faroe Islands. Anyway, Arthur got so into composing one night that he forgot Faroe was in a bathtub, and she drowned. I mean, technically that is something that can happen, especially with younger kids, but it kind of came across as unintentionally funny. Still, it is a testament to Harlan’s acting skills that he was able to sell those lines. It helps flesh-out Arthur as a character. The King in Yellow has certainly killed several people, but Arthur has blood on his hands too.
Speaking of blood on hands, I’d like to mention another showcase of Harlan’s acting talent. The scene where Arthur and John must decide whether or not to mercy kill a Dreamlands creature. I mean, wow, that was really powerful, and emotionally heart-wrenching. And to think it was all one guy playing all of the roles. Let it never be said that Malevolent isn’t capable of tugging at your heartstrings.
Arthur and John have their similarities, but they also provide an interesting mirror to each other. John grows more compassionate and human, but Arthur grows increasingly callous and at times even ruthless. In a way, Arthur becomes a bit more like the King in Yellow.
Even with all of the darkness, and everything that Arthur and John go through, there’s still flickers of light at the end of the tunnel. Malevolent has, when you get down to it, a somewhat optimistic tone. Yes, you may go through hell and back again, but you can get through it if you try. Well, that’s the tone so far. Let’s see how long that lasts.
I think that should cover just about everything. Harlan Guthrie said he wanted to be able to quote a critic about Malevolent, and call the show critically claimed. Well, here you go, Harlan. Malevolent takes desperate elements of Lovecraft’s works, and weaves them into a tapestry all its own. The story has no plans of stopping any time, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. Malevolent is great for horror lovers, and fans of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
I think that should cover just about everything. Harlan Guthrie said he wanted to be able to quote a critic about Malevolent, and call the show critically claimed. Well, here you go, Harlan. Malevolent takes desperate elements of Lovecraft’s works, and weaves them into a tapestry all its own. The story has no plans of stopping any time, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. Malevolent is great for horror lovers, and fans of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
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