The Genius That is the War of the Worlds Broadcast

If you don't know about the War of the Worlds Broadcast, then it is safe to say you haven't been in this world for very long. For you see, this broadcast is infamous. Anyone who has any interest in art history has heard of this broadcast at one point or another. You can't talk about audio dramas without bringing this piece up, nor can you talk about the history of many popular internet genres such as analogue horror and ARGs without bringing this broadcast up. Without this broadcast, Welcome Home would not exist as we know it. Without this broadcast, your favorite audio play on Spotify would be vastly different.

But people don't remember it as the innovative piece of storytelling that it is. People remember it for the mass hysteria surrounding it. When you hear about the broadcast, it will be about how people at the time believed aliens were actually attacking the eastern United States. How people would try to watch New York City's destruction, climb onto their rooftops, and flood police stations with phone calls all along with other unusual behaviors coming from a sense of panic and doom.

If you see a disclaimer on a piece of media telling you that the events are fake, you can thank this very broadcast for those disclaimers becoming the standard. There are chances that people will get hurt if that disclaimer is missing. There is historical precedent for it.

However, we are not here to talk about the mass hysteria itself. We are here to give the broadcast well-deserved appreciation. For even without a disclaimer, making your story immersive and believable enough to cause a panic is a genuine accomplishment. It is a testament to how well-done the production is. Horror is tricky in that you can easily turn your horror story into an accidental comedy, as the lines between fear and funny are extremely slim.

What Makes This Broadcast So Special?

Needless to say, there are multiple unique factors that caused this panic to happen, and the biggest factor is its presentation. The play presents itself as a real-time news report documenting this alien attack as it is currently happening. This right here is the bread and butter of the broadcast, and it is what makes it work so well. Even though I knew it was fiction listening to it, it still left that rare kind of impact that will stick with me the rest of my life thanks to the way it was presented.

Hearing a fictional tragedy presented in a way that is real hits in a different way. The War of the Worlds is the first story to do this, and I highly doubt any story that follows this same format will ever hit the same. It's one of those things that can be only made once, and a worthy spiritual successor will never come along. Sure, artists all around the world are trying. Oh boy, they sure are trying! And you know what? People should keep trying! The efforts all these artists are making are turning out to be great experiences that people tend to love. They are all unique stories that can only come from this format of storytelling that can only come about thanks to modern technology. And if someone manages to make something that has as big of an impact as this broadcast did? Well, congratulations, let's hope there won't be looting, deadly car crashes, or people trampling each other to death in the process!

From here on out, this will pretty much be a summary of what happens in the broadcast based on vague memories. So, if you don't wish to be spoiled, then please listen to it before reading on. You can easily find it on sites such as Youtube and Archive of Our Own. If you are the type who loves owning physical media, you can find a physical copy of it pretty cheaply on second-hand sites such as Ebay.

The Buildup of Act 1

The broadcast does not immediately start with aliens attacking. No, instead, a mysterious object falls onto some rinky-dinky farm in the middle of nowhere. Scientists are investigating the object and keeping constant updates as they observe and poke at it until it eventually opens.

While this may seem like a bunch of nothing, especially in the modern age where stories must always be on the move due to binge culture and short attention spans, this slow buildup is vital for making the attack seem believable. It is how every tragedy begins. They all start with a beautiful sunny day, cookies baking in the oven for the kids currently playing outside, or perhaps cuddled up with a book under candlelight with some tea. They may not always be calm or quiet, but they are always mundane. Perhaps there is a red flag or a warning sign, but it is brushed off as "not a big deal" if it gets noticed at all.

Alright, sure, you can hardly call a mysterious object falling from space mundane, nor can you say it's a warning sign people ignored. People trying to figure out what the heck this thing is and reporting about it on the news is nowhere close to ignoring. But is it handling the situation properly? In all honesty, that is a different question entirely and it's not something that I would not know.

But given the circumstances, it is pretty normal. The news would be covering the weird thing as they try to figure out what the mysterious object is. They would all be huddled a little too close until the alien comes out of its pod, and everything starts happening fast. And in the middle of the chaos and the confusion, the report cuts for the first time.

This is just the beginning.

The Doom of Act 2

Here it is. The meat of the story. The aliens are attacking Earth for reasons only known by them. The detail that I remember the most is the fact that the aliens would chase humans into the river, for the humans to jump in and drown. It's not the only method of slaughter used, but this particular one stands out to me in some way. This entire act is fast and chaotic. The US military tries to fight back but all efforts get swiftly destroyed, people are dying, and the situation is absolutely hopeless.

If you tune in to this point, as many people likely did, then it is reasonable to believe that something terrible is going down. Perhaps it is not happening in your neighborhood specifically, at least not yet, but maybe a loved on is in danger. Perhaps you have a job you go to where you believe the attack is happening. Maybe you are in the setting itself during the time, and you have no choice but to figure out a way to survive. Well, until you look right out the window, see a notable lack of fighting-machines, and realize the radio is spitting out nonsense.

Then, the freakiest cut-off happens at the climax of the story. One that has you worried if anything is going to turn out okay.

The Calm of Act 3

Well, there is some good news: there are survivors. The world didn't end, although it is still devastated, and there may not be enough remaining humans for a population recovery. The individual is taking a walk in the aftermath due to no longer having a studio, reporting his adventure and what his area is like after the Martians came and attacked Earth. Martians who are thankfully now dead due to Earth's bacteria. There is destruction everywhere he went, and it takes him a while before he finds another person. They talk for a bit before they eventually part ways. I don't quite remember much from this character other than the fact he wasn't exactly okay in the head. Which, I'm sure that if an alien attacked Earth and killed a bunch of people, most survivors would not be personable or even stable.

It is the slowest and quietest part of the story. It is also heavy. Not in the way it's emotionally straining nor condense. Heavy is the best word I can think of for the atmosphere. The host of our adventure of horrors is isolated, with not even the chirping of birds to keep him company. The most horrifying part is that this atmosphere of an apocalypse can be real. There can be a massive tragedy that brings the world's population drastically down to the point of other people or witnessing animals becoming a rare event. Where you have nothing to do but walk on until you find something, and narrate your journey with the technology you still have.

Conclusion

It's been a while since I listened to my copy of the broadcast, and the summary is based on memory, so not everything is going to be accurate. I hope I at least got the broad strokes of the story.

But either way, this play is an amazing listen. I'm not a normal consumer of proper horror, as a lot of the genre is simply not for me with the gross-out body-related "horror" that is far too common. When I find something that wants to target your mind and is not heavy with wanting to make you vomit, then I tend to adore it. It is why I love Five Nights at Freddy's so much. It touches other spooky things and is capable of being scary, and it typically does not touch body horror. That element has been reserved for the books or pixelated depictions so far, which is a far different experience than seeing a real person having something come out of their stomach or getting a improvised amputation.

So, I implore you to learn about this broadcast. Listen to it, read up the history behind it, and learn from it. Making an impact is what art is all about, and this broadcast definitely got something right. Perhaps a little too right.