The Stars Aren't Alright: The Peak of the Elusive Horror-Comedy Genre in Audio Form

One day, I recall seeing in the Anthologies Seeking Submissions group on Facebook a quite striking open submission opportunity. The magazine was asking for horror-comedy.

One advantage of finding listings through a Facebook group is it is often the editor/publisher posting these themselves. Allowing me to directly interact with the person as I commented: "What even is horror-comedy? The serial killer forgot to put gas in his chainsaw and is now stuck in line at the gas station?"

The editor replied: "Write that!"

Fast forward 1.5 years, and "Running on Empty" still has yet to find a home. Turns out, just because the publisher likes the concept/pitch isn't a guarantee of anything.

Which is not to cry pity for me, but instead meant to give you a sense of the landscape for horror-comedy. In short, it's hard to land. I rarely find a venue that I think will seriously consider "Running on Empty." Too light for the horror pub, too dark for the humor pub.

All that to say, though, when it works, the outcome is sublime.

And I believe I have found such a rarity of the genre in audio form with The Stars Aren't Alright.

Gushing About Someone Else's IP

As I described the genre overall and the show in particular to a friend this past weekend, it's the laughs that draw me in, and it's the darker story beneath that keeps me engaged. Perfect combination of wanting to uncover the awful truth but also not living in constant tension. A delicate balance, but one that is maintained well in the show—for the most part.

Since The Stars Aren't Alright is an actual play podcast centered on a game mechanic (i.e. the players are making dice rolls to determine if they succeed at certain actions), that is praise to the brains of the operation for constructing a cool world and storyline. While equal recognition is due to the voice actors whose improvisational skills produce great moments of levity and magnificent moments of clarity in equal measure. You never quite know what they’ll do next.

And let's take a moment to appreciate the world of The Stars Aren't Alright, which is constructed both through the characters as they interact with their environs as well as in advertisements* and news reports sprinkled throughout the show to build on the lore. The host fully produces every episode with background ambience, sound effects, and even his own original music, enhancing the immersion.

*Nothing is actually being sold to you, don't worry.

So what is that world? A future dystopia where corporations are running rampant while the Galactic Navy squashes internal dissent. The novelty of a Cthulhu mythos-based story that wasn't set in Massachusetts was what originally drew me in. You might wonder where the horror element comes into play in this very science-fiction-centric setting. Let's just say that much of the infrastructure supporting deep space travel and habitation is not what it seems on the surface.

Not to mention all the horrors perpetrated by other humans.

Between the dice and the individual agency of each character represented by an actual person with their own backstory, agenda, and skills, there is an unpredictability element that keeps it engaging, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes incredibly tense. I knew I was hooked when it appeared all but certain my favorite side character was going to die because of the shifting agenda of one of the main (human) characters and I could not fall asleep because my heart was racing.

To the point I then said, "Okay, no more of this show before bed."

And I started making the conscious decision to only indulge when I could listen with my full attention.

And even with those restrictions, I still crushed the 50-60 hours that make up Season 1 and Season 2 in less than a month.

If that's not a glowing endorsement of the story, the talent, and the overall production, I don't know what is.

Putting My Faith in a Creator into Monetary Terms

As established, I loved the product. But what inspired me to take my support beyond leaving a 5-star rating on Spotify? (Not that any podcaster will complain about that level of support.)

Many reasons, but chief among them is that the one-man army behind the show, Brian, is a fellow independent creator producing a fantastic product all for the love of creating a good story. Something I sympathize with on a deep level as an independent author.

Sure, we're not saying no to compensation that comes our way, but we're not waiting on making professional-level money to produce professional experiences. And I don't have even half the skills that Brian is bringing to bear on his podcast, from producing his own original music to mastering and mixing every episode to creating a fascinating premise to writing fake ads to accelerate worldbuilding.

So strong is my belief in this project that The Stars Aren't Alright has joined the distinguished company of now the second podcast I back on Patreon. Along with the OG Weeping Cedars, which I don't consider any less diminished now that it's no longer the only podcast I put actual dollars behind.

You can check out that review here:

Case in point, I just threw out $160 to back the upcoming audiobooks Weeping Cedars creator J.W.G. Wise is funding on Kickstarter. Another independent creator producing another high-quality product that I both enjoy as a listener and admire as a writer. Just more to love.

But Is It for Me?

As established right at the outset, horror-comedy is not for everyone. Like the publishers, some people prefer straight horror. Others want nothing to do with dark content. And it's a hard line to thread between those two camps.

The Stars Aren't Alright leans a bit more toward humor than horror, but that is my preference. After all, these days I find myself writing more humor than horror. Enough darkness in this world as it is.

Also, if you don't like the idea of listening as people roll dice/riff and only want straight story, there are many other podcasts and audiobooks out there for you. The Town Whispers is a good one written and narrated by another independent author.

Me, I enjoy that element of unpredictability and, as a writer, seeing how the mastermind of this fictional world adapts to the twists and turns the dice + his players' own agency introduce. A very unexpected death at the end of Season 1 opened up a whole new plot arc for my favorite side character that was fascinating to follow in Season 2. Makes you think a lot about your own storytelling and how to remodel your plot if something like that were to happen to one of your characters.

Also, there's vulgarity, sexual jokes, and other dumb humor. I don't always love that, mostly when the jokes take us out of an otherwise serious/tense moment, but it's a small qualm in an ocean of positive feedback. But worth mentioning, different strokes for different folks, etc.

Plus, there's violence. A lot of it. Some of it graphic.

Has this section become one long content warning?

It's like they always say: one man's content warning is another man's sizzle reel.

And to that end, did I mention there's romance?

If you made it through that list and like the idea of ancient horrors blending with future Sci-Fi tech in a dystopian capitalist society in deep space, then you could do a whole lot worse than The Stars Aren't Alright.

And it's free to sample for yourself:

And if you like it, leave a rating/review. It only takes a few seconds to a minute and does wonders for the longevity of the show.