by Molly McGill
The Magnus Archives is an audio drama podcast created by Jonathan Sims and directed by Alexander J Newall and his company Rusty Quill. Sims draws inspiration from the writing of horror masters such as M.R James and H.P Lovecraft but brings the tales into modern-day London. Historical figures and events are re-imagined with new esoteric angles, well-known cryptids are re-conceptualised into unique beasts and the familiar is twisted and made original and uniquely horrifying.
The staff at Rusty Quill take on several voice-acting roles themselves.
- Jonathan Sims, as Jonathan Sims, the Archivist
- Alexander J Newall, director and editor, as Martin Blackwood
- Mike LeBeau, Editor, as Tim Stoker
- Ben Meredith, Co-Creator of Stella Firma (another Rusty Quill Project), as Elias Bouchard.
- Other staff take on smaller roles throughout the series.
To those unfamiliar with The Magnus Archives, here is a brief summary of the premise.
Jonathan Sims is the sceptic new archivist for The Magnus Institute, an academic institution in London that studies the esoteric and the paranormal. The Institute has over a hundred years of statements of the public’s experiences with the paranormal that the previous archivist, Gertrude Robinson, left very disorganised. Jonathan is attempting to create audio recordings of the statements, some of which have to be dictated using an old tape recorder, as they are resistant to being recorded digitally…
As the narrative progresses, we notice patterns and recurring names in the statements. And what was the deal with Gertrude Robinson, and what happened to her?
Jonathan Sims, the writer of The Magnus Archives and the voice of our protagonist, started the audio drama podcast in March 2016. It ran for a whopping five seasons and 200 episodes before ending in March 2021.
At a time when horror films have arguably become oversaturated with unoriginal content, The Magnus Archives brings fresh spooks to the ears. By removing visual stimuli, The Magnus Archives relies solely on audio to spin the narrative, creating space for the listener’s imagination to fill in the gaps.
The ingenious sound design goes a long way to bringing the world of TMA to life. The producer and Chief Executive Officer of Rusty Quill, Alexander J Newall, worked with a team of sound designers to create intricate soundscapes to bring the setting to life. Static and audio distortions in the tape recorder are often utilised to clue the listener into supernatural occurrences we cannot see From the dead air of the archives to the supernatural settings, the listener is pulled fully into the setting that has been created.
The bulk of each episode is The Archivist reading aloud one of the Archive’s statements, and the subtle score elevates the podcast from a brilliantly unnerving campfire story to an astounding horror audio drama, with the gentle whirring of the tape recorder consistent through it all.
The Magnus Archives can be revisited multiple times, and each time the listener will discover more nuances and revelations in the story.
Moreover, when revelations of characters’ motivations have been laid bare, each narrative takes on an entirely new context.
Whether you think you are fearless, or however obscure you think your fear is, in one of these 200 episodes, Jonathan Sims manage will creep you out.
SPOILERS AHEAD
After learning the true identity of Elias Bouchard and comprehending his machinations, the listener is able to go back and listen again, now recognising his plan as it slowly comes together, and appreciating how the characters play right into his hands. The foreshadowing weaved through the early narrative indicates that Jonathan Sims, the writer, knew the framework of his story and ending from the beginning. Every plot point and character choice was written with the ending in mind. This is not as common as it should be. Often writers fall into the trap of changing their ending partway through or revealing a twist with no building blocks planted in the story to support that twist.
My personal favourite foreshadowing moments come in the earliest episodes. The first tape recorder in the archives is found covered in cobwebs, The static when The Archivist reads out “Can I have a cigarette?” in the first episode and the first appearance of the monster known as the ‘Not-Them’ in episode 3.
If you enjoy the audio genius of The Magnus Archives, I recommend other projects run/created/directed by Rusty Quill such as: The Magnus Protocol, Chapter and Multiverse, Outliers, Rusty Quill Gaming, and Stella Firma.
If you enjoy the writing of Jonathan Sims, he has written a few books: Thirteen Stories and Family Business. Check out his board game company MacGuffin and Co.
Molly McGill (She/her) is a writer from Country Derry in Ireland. She specialises in short horror fiction and folklore influenced work. Molly joined Sage Cigarettes Magazine as an Associate Editor after graduating from John Moores University in Liverpool studying Film Studies and Creative Writing joint Hons. You can find her on twitter @Night_TimeTea.
