About This Episode
Blackwood is a fictional horror audio drama that premiered on Wednesday, October 24, 2018—strategically timed for the Halloween season. Produced by Skylark Media (under the Gnomish Hat creative brand) in partnership with Wondery, the podcast was written by Will Rogers and directed by Mark Freiburger.
The premise follows three teenagers—Molly Weaver, Bryan Anderson, and Nathan Howell—as they investigate "The Blackwood Bugman," a local legend in the fictional town of Blackwood, Connecticut. Their investigation uncovers a darker mystery: deaths, disappearances, and a conspiracy involving powerful people who are watching and threatening them. The narrative is presented as recordings the teenagers released five years after their investigation occurred.
The cast includes Ian Colletti as Bryan Anderson, Bekka Walker as Molly Weaver, Cameron Johnson as Nathan Howell, and Ken Kirby as David Acosta. Each episode averages approximately 26 minutes in length, with a combined listening time of roughly 2.6 hours across the entire series.
Blackwood sits at the intersection of several popular audio drama genres: paranormal investigation, cryptid mystery, and conspiracy thriller. The production quality and Wondery's involvement—the company is known for acclaimed true crime podcasts including Dr. Death and Dirty John—lent the fictional narrative considerable production polish and distribution reach.
The podcast is available on major streamingpodcast is available on major streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, making it accessible to international audiences. Wondery's promotion of the series ensured it reached listeners familiar with the company's true crime catalogue, though Blackwood itself contains no real crimes, verdicts, or actual individuals.
The October 2018 launch timing capitalized on Halloween listener habits, positioning the paranormal elements at the forefront of its marketing. The framing device of "released recordings" creates a found-audio aesthetic common in horror podcasts, blurring the line between documentary storytelling and fictional narrative—a technique that has become increasingly popular in audio drama production.
For listeners seeking supernatural mystery with puzzle-box conspiracy elements, Blackwood offers a self-contained narrative experience. The limited episode count and tight runtime make it accessible for binge-listening, while the production values reflect investment from established podcast producers with track records in prestige audio storytelling.
It's worth noting that despite its realistic presentation and conspiracy elements, Blackwood is explicitly fictional. No real people, events, or true crime verdicts are involved in the narrative.
Sources
https://podnews.net/press-release/blackwood-podcast
https://the-podcast-archives.fandom.com/wiki/Blackwood
https://www.theend.fyi/shows/blackwood
https://open.spotify.com/show/3jGQ5jmRuaIErSNQCbEvAz
