The Lesser Dead
4.8/5
Critic Rating
THE LESSER DEAD is an immersive audio drama about a disparate group of vampires living in the wild-and-wooly world of 1978 New York City. Our narrator Joey Peacock (Jack Kilmer) — an irreverent, eternally-young 19-year-old — introduces us to his unconventional family and its formidable leader, Margaret McMannis (Minnie Driver), who has built a home for all of them under the subways of the city. Margaret’s strict rules have kept them safe and secure for decades... Until one night when Joey's discovery of three little kid vampires turns their world upside-down forever. Cast: Jack Kilmer, Minnie Driver, Danny Huston, Saul RubinekWritten by: Christopher B...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4
Adi Tantimedh • Bleeding Cool News • Jun 2, 2023
"The Lesser Dead is a vampire story that takes no prisoners and makes sure the listener knows that this is real horror, not a light bit of escapism with jump scares but a deep dive into tragedy, loss, and despair. Minnie Driver has an equally complex character to play, fierce, equally flawed, and wounded by past tragedy and loss...atmospheric and gritty recreation of 1970s New York City, filled with star performances that elevate the story as it dives deep into real horror, not the comforting, escapist feel-good horror of mainstream Hollywood movies."
Score: 5
Gregg Stockdale • The Podcast Geek • May 26, 2023
"I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. There is none of the usual clichés that are so beloved of this particular branch of horror recently. Jack Kilmer as Joseph is somewhere between a young Henry Hill in Goodfellas, and Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale in Catch Me If You Can. He has that youthful charm and exuberance that verges on being cocky, yet stays just the right side of annoying. You know that every word that comes out of his mouth is delivered with a smirk. Vampire stories tend to be very trope led, which is why I don’t like them, however this is a nice change. It’s part gangland thriller, and part murder mystery."
Score: 5
Lucy White • Irish Independent • Apr 9, 2023
"Minnie Driver’s dulcet tones are used to entertaining effect... Her no-nonsense governance has enabled a group of immortals to live discretely in an unused subway network – until a clatter of voracious child vampires arrive to usurp them....just a few episodes in, is already a keeper, with its immersive sound design and – pardon the pun – fully-fleshed characters.…"
Score: 5
Hannah Verdier • The Guardian • Mar 30, 2023
"The life of a vampire in 1978 is a good one...enthralling, atmospheric..."
