Director Peter Strickland has an eye – and an ear – for the unsettling.
After commissioning Broadcast to soundtrack to his giallo homage Berberian Sound Studio (sadly was to be Trish Keenan’s final project before her death in 2011), Strickland has reunited with Keenan’s bandmate James Cargill for his latest project, a Halloween radio special for the BBC.
The Stone Tape is a reimagining of a 1972 TV movie written by the creator of the Quatermass series, Nigel Kneale. The original was known for its cutting edge sound effects from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and this time around the BBC has made use of cutting-edge sound technology to create an immersive-slash-terrifying 3D binaural mix designed especially for headphones.
Strickland’s version was conceived in collaboration with writer Matthew Graham (Life On Mars) and features sound design from Andrew Liles (Current 93, Nurse With Wound) as well as new music from Cargill. The impressive cast includes Romola Garai (The Hour, Atonement), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Green Wing), and Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh), with a cameo by the star of the original version, Jane Asher.
The Stone Tape will be broadcast on October 31 as part of Radio 4’s Fright Night, and afterwards will be available online or to download via the BBC iPlayer Radio app.
Read FACT’s interview with Cargill about scoring Berberian Sound Studio, and dig into The Essential… Broadcast.