The Signalman (2023) Review

By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

This review is spoiler-free.

For me, Charles Dickens’ The Signal-Man is the perfect horror story and one of my all-time favourite tales! So when Audible released a new adaption of this timeless classic piece of prose, I jumped at the chance to check it out.

This faithful retelling of the story is enhanced not only by exceptional sound effects and editing but a phenomenal narrator, coming from the unlikeliest of people! Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes (Skyfall, 1917) lends his voice to this Audible Original and I was simply blown away at how exceptionally good he was! Not only is he a master filmmaker, but clearly he was also born to be a narrator! He delivers an incredibly chilling and atmospheric performance, sucking you into the story and placing you right in the middle of the horror.

In terms of the production elements, to go alongside the great sound design, that I previously mentioned, the audiobook makes use of Audible’s 3D Sound system. When you have such an atmospheric tale as this, you really need the sound to match, and they more than deliver in that regard! This is the kind of audiobook you would want to listen to on a long walk through the country lanes and woodland – a perfect setting for this perfect rendition.

Finally, after giving this audiobook a go, I urge you to seek out the 1976 adaption of The Signalman, which was part of the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas series – you will not regret it!

Narrated by Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, The Signalman is a faithful, atmospheric and chilling adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic tale of terror.