Scoring a Jack the Ripper Audio Drama: RIP
There are few legends as enduring or as gruesome as the Whitechapel Murders. When I had the opportunity to score the music for the Campfire Radio Theater two-part special “RIP,” I knew the sound design had to be as sharp as the blade that stalked London in 1888. Producing a **Jack the Ripper audio drama** that stands out requires more than just scary violins; it requires a collision of the past and present.
The story follows Steven and Alma Hollander, an American couple on the last night of their honeymoon. While Steven is an enthusiastic tourist obsessed with standing on the exact spots where the horrors occurred, Alma is terrified. She senses that the streets remember the bloodshed, and as the script notes, “her last moments of feigned gaiety turn first to confusion and then to terror”.
Creating the Atmosphere for a Jack the Ripper Audio Drama
The script does a masterful job of blending modern London with the Victorian era. The action centers around the Ten Bells Pub, described as having the “warm sound of an English Pub” with laughter and glasses clinking. Here, the locals, including the mysterious “Old Jim,” regale the tourists with the grisly details of the Ripper’s victims, recounting the “five murders most foul”.
As a composer, the challenge was to mirror Alma’s descent into terror. The soundscape had to transition from the safety of the pub to the “street sounds of Victorian London at 3am”. We utilized sounds of hooves clopping on cobblestones and distant whistles to transport the listener back in time. The music needed to bridge the gap between a modern honeymoon and a waking nightmare.
A Violet From Mother’s Grave
One of the most chilling recurring motifs in this **Jack the Ripper audio drama** is the song “A Violet From Mother’s Grave.” In the script, it is hummed by the ghost of Mary Jane Kelly as a prelude to violence, singing the haunting lyrics: “But while life does remain, in memoriam I’ll retain this small violet I plucked from mother’s grave”.
I created a specific musical arrangement for this piece to capture that sense of tragic nostalgia turned deadly. Below, you can listen to an outtake of my interpretation of this song, which was allegedly sung by Kelly on the night of her death.
The Nightmare Unfolds in Part 2
As the story progresses into Part Two, the barrier between the tourists and the history they are observing shatters completely. The script takes us to the infamous Miller’s Court, described by Old Jim as a warehouse with “great green garage doors”.
Here, the psychological horror becomes physical. In a twist that anchors the horror in reality, Steven unearths a glass jar in the dirt containing a “shriveled heart” and a leather-wrapped knife. The sound design here is visceral, capturing the “zip of the knife” as the past violently overtakes the present.
It is a twisted take on the legend featuring impressive vocal talent and a powerful audio collage. You can listen to the full two-part saga below.
RIP (Part 1)
RIP (Part 2)
Listen to the Score
Listener Response
The reception to this retelling has been enthusiastic, with listeners praising the authentic atmosphere and the intensity of the production.
- “The music in this is so good. Adds so much.”
- “Excellent retelling.”
- “This one is very graphic.”
Cast and Crew
Part 1
- Written and Directed by: Blaine Hicklin
- Series Produced by: John Ballentine
- Music by: Kevin Hartnell and Kevin MacLeod
- Vocal arrangements: Lisa Greaves Taylor
- Produced in association with: Yap Audio
Cast: Rish Outfield, Gerti Steele, Alan Steele, David Ault, Caitlin Sneddon, Robert Cudmore, Matthew McLean, Wendy Bilton Arbuckle, and Jim Balfour.
Part 2
- Written and Directed by: Blaine Hicklin
- Series Produced by: John Ballentine
- Music by: Kevin Hartnell
Cast: Rish Outfield, Gerti Steele, Alan Steele, Robert Cudmore, Wendy Bilton Arbuckle, David Ault, Sasha Bibin, Caitlin Sneddon, Scott Zee, Matthew McLean, Jim Balfour, Helen Sykes, Fred Sykes, Mark Howard, Mino Rasic, Laurel Hicklin, and Blaine Hicklin.