Quiet Part Loud
4.5/5
Critic Rating
Disgraced radio host Rick Egan has finally found his chance at reinventing himself: by chronicling the cold-case disappearance of several Muslim teens from Staten Island—a group he himself disparaged—in the wake of 9/11. But Rick soon discovers this is no ordinary hate crime, as his ill-considered investigations bring him face-to-face with an ancient American evil that's ready to offer him a monstrous bargain. Executive produced by Jordan Peele <<Only On Spotify>>
Critic Reviews
Score: 3.75
Michael Bergonzi • Audio Drama Reviews • Dec 24, 2022
"The middle episodes have their standout horrific and gory moments, but nothing that makes it the scariest audio drama like Jordan Peele wanted. Making all hatred, bigotry and racist rhetoric might undermine the story’s overall themes. If all the evil in the world is an otherworldly force of nature, it almost gives the alt-right conservatives a get-out-of-jail-free card. At the very least it gives them an out for their words and actions."
Score: 4
Ximena Smith • Stuff NZ • Nov 26, 2022
"This is a terrifying new fiction series...The series is an immersive, engrossing auditory experience, and, with episodes all around the 20 minute mark, highly bingeable (I listened to all of it within a day or so). At times, the narrative of Quiet Part Loud got a bit confusing and I had to rewind, but overall, it’s a solid effort for Peele’s first foray into the world of audio. …"
Score: 5
Federico Furzan • Movie Web • Nov 21, 2022
"First, the social context that’s presented in the show is terrible enough to make us think of dark times when xenophobia was at its best in the aftermath of a horrific terrorist attack. However, it’s the sound design in Quiet Part Loud which stands out above everything else. This is a show that feels like nothing else out there. It sounds like a production where thousands of hours were implemented into making a sonic universe tangible enough to make audiences part of it. From sound effects to music becoming essential to the story, to sound engineering making spatial audio possible, this is comparable to Peele’s drive to include technology as part of his filmmaking."
Score: 4.5
Brendan Jesus • Horror Obsessive • Nov 17, 2022
"Now is this “the scariest podcast of all time”? No. Is it really well-done horror? Absolutely. The biggest downfall of this show is what I will tentatively call PSV, podcast sounding voice. The only other real issue I have is the overreliance on having the actors voice what is happening. Rick’s character arc is very interesting...Some of the sounds made by The Blank felt a tad overproduced, and a bit too much, the production quality of Quiet Part Loud is top-notch. One of the biggest aspects of horror fiction podcasts is to emphasize the little things. Something as simple as footsteps echoing in an abandoned building will sell the story just as much as dialogue. If you want us to feel the environment and atmosphere you have to create the sound."
Score: 5
Shannon S. • Nerds and Beyond • Nov 16, 2022
"Quiet Part Loud is an audio horror fable that explores the terrifying power of a violent, virulent, and unrelenting lie. It’s a haunting parable of monsters both human and otherworldly and a fictional but unflinching examination of the current animosity, fear, and divisiveness in America. With immersive audio and sound design, Quiet Part Loud stands out from other horror narrative podcasts."
Score: 5
Eve Edwards • The Focus • Nov 15, 2022
"With no visuals to aid the spooky atmosphere, the team behind Quiet Part Loud utilized immersive audio and sound design. And it’s clearly effective. Racial profiling and Islamophobia was rife in the United States following the 9/11 Attacks. The media commentary from Rick Egan heard in Quiet Part Loud was not uncommon in the wake of 9/11. This grounds the podcast further into reality, although its characters and storyline are fictional."
