The last episode of the audio drama, “Illinois Hell Hole,” dropped its last episode on Oct. 31 — Halloween. First I want to thank the creator, Matt Brookens, for the review copy and the donation. Donations do not affect the content of any review or its final rating. It is completely optional for the creator. With 2026’s “Obsession” still being talked about in some circles, monkey’s paw horror stories are seeing a bit of a resurgence.
Episode or Collection? That is the Question
While the story might start off slower, the pacing isn’t the problem here. The issue is how long it takes for the story to catch your interest. I listened to this 2 hour and 21 minute audio drama in two sittings. First time I stopped roughly an hour in and the remaining 1 hour and 30 minutes was done in one sitting. It is perhaps time I’ve listened to an audio drama for that long, without any sense of boredom creeping in. The fact this engagement comes so late is both impressive and a roadblock for a lot of people who don’t listen to it episode-by-episode as they come out. Unfortunately, it’s mostly me and other reviewers that have this problem.
For those who may be familiar with a “monkey’s paw,” it originates from a horror story in 1902 where a literal mummified monkeys paw has the power to grant wishes, but with a steep price. To use a recent example, in “Obsession,” it’s the autonomy of Nikki, who is brainwashed by the wish made by Bear that is the cost.
Monkey’s Paw Horror: Obsession’s Willow or a Demonic Hole to Hell
A major concept of “Illinois Hell Hole” is essentially the horror film “Obsession,” but without the underlying and powerful message about misogyny, consent and bodily autonomy. Both stories have an object that grants wishes. For “Illinois Hell Hole,” it’s a deep hole straight to you know where. The mechanics are a bit different. Where the one wish willow from “Obsession” has a direct cause and effect, the hell hole from Illinois is more about supernatural luck. The scene where the protagonist goes hunting with his crushes’ husband ends with the husband falling into the pit, thus fulfilling the protagonist’s desire after the magical sacrifice has been made.
One thing that bothered me were the logistics of the husband’s death. He fell in the hole, but his body was found dead somewhere else? It’s never really explained how that works. Nothing similar happens again. Needless to say it’s an oversight on the writer’s part that could’ve easily been fixed. I’m not sure why it wasn’t but it was distracting for a lot of the story once it popped in my head. In all honesty, the discrepancy is ignored as if the writer made changes halfway through and forgot to edit.
Professional and Nostalgic Voice Cast
Going into this audio drama, I knew one of the voices already. It was one of those moments in a movie where you recognize an actor from another project. First time this happened was with Frank Grillo in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” I couldn’t quite place him until I rewatched “Warrior” from 2011. The irony that character in the movie is also named Frank is not lost on me. Now I recognize him immediately in a movie and do the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme from “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
Like me in “Winter Soldier,” millennials may also recognize a voice early in the story, but perhaps can’t put their finger on where. He’s the voice of popular character from a cartoon called “The Fairly Odd Parents.” More specifically the characters of Cosmo and Jorgen, played by Daran Norris. Norris is one of those recognizable voices. Rabin —the character Norris voices — sounds more like early Cosmo before he became the comic relief for the Nickelodeon cartoon.
Sandman Similarities: A Monkey’s Paw and Ruby Amulet
While the first half of the story may be forgettable, the prologue is both frightening and memorable. The scene itself isn’t memorable by itself. As a listener, you forget about the scene until Rabin explains the origins of the literal hole to hell to the protagonist. For me, after a day or more of procrastination, remembered the opening scene immediately and the reason for its inclusion clicked into place. Before the scene was just out of place, jarring even. In short, harkening back to the opening scene unlocked the memory holding on to that bit of information. It created an all too familiar moment of learning the big twist, from any story that has one, right before it’s written on the page
Another element from a different story that could be considered a monkey’s paw is Morpheus’ ruby amulet from the Sandman comics’ universe. There’s certainly the slim possibility of a fan fiction out there, online or in the aether. One that combines both stories the same way scenes or even entire books can tell the same events from another character’s point of view and have it be different. The sections with Sandman similarities were minor in number, but powerful in their presentation. Issue six of the comic series — 24 hours — has a similar vibe in some scenes within the actual Illinois Hell Hole. I just wish I remembered the context. Overall this would’ve gotten a better score if the first part was more memorable. I almost stopped, but for the last hour and 30 minutes I was on edge for most of it. As it stands, my rating for “Illinois Hell Hole.”
Rating
High Internally Consistent (4.1/5 or 8.5/10 Stars)
