Old Gods of Appalachia was recommended to me after I expressed my enjoyment of The Magnus Archives. It is another horror podcast that also has some cosmic horror elements.
Old Gods of Appalachia blends the traditional folklore of the Appalachians with some Lovecraftian horror. If you like Manly Wade Wellman’s Silver John stories, Old Gods will be right up your alley.
And given that the creators of Old Gods are very familiar with Appalachian folklore, they have to be familiar with Wellman’s work. With that said, Old Gods has its own darker, distinct flavor.
The core concept of the setting, which is pretty introduced at the start, is that the Appalachians are a cage for the Inner Dark, eldritch abominations. Humanity was never meant for the Appalachians but humanity came. And that isn’t good for humanity.
Old Gods of Appalachia is a patchwork quilt, moving from time periods and from different people and phenomena, often circling back around. The fact that this approach actually works really speaks to how well done the podcast is.
It can be argued how ‘Lovecraftian’ the podcast is. You don’t have to namecheck Cthulhu to be Lovecraftian and the Inner Dark definitely check off many Great Old One elements, being alien to humanity as well as beyond humanity. Old Gods of Appalachia’s rural Appalachia has some similar notes to Lovecraft’s rural New England. Well, they do depict Appalachians as human beings, unlike Lovecraft.
And, unlike many works of Cosmic Horror, there are some honest to goodness victories on the part of humanity. Despite the horror, some of which comes from the descriptions of actual historical events, Old Gods of Appalachia has strong elements of hope.
Old Gods of Appalachia blends hope, folklore and cosmic horror. Even if you only like two out of those three, you will get something out of it.
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