Podcast
Illinois Hell Hole
"A 'movie for your ears,' with immersive soundscapes, music and the kind of
engaging performances that would be at home in a big-budget theatrical
release." — Illinois Times
HORROR COMEDY | FULL-CAST AUDIO DRAMA | NEW EPISODES EVERY SATURDAY THROUGH OCTOBER 24 — START WITH EPISODE 1
A snarky, entitled emo musician inherits his parents' farm and discovers a
bottomless pit that grants wishes — but only when suckers are chucked in. Now
his WILDEST DREAMS are just a few "accidents" away.
Today, Ned Fischer's precious little life pretty much crapped the bed: Dumped by his girl, booted from Mothers of Misery, and let go by his boss who is a "Dickless dick." "Could this day get any worse?," he moans. RING RING. – Mom and Dad's plane went down. No survivors. Everything is upside down.
Back in the Midwest to settle his affairs (ugh), he finds a liminal creepy farmhouse, a cousin with golden retriever energy, oh... and a BOTTOMLESS PIT to HELL in the middle of the corn field! At least drinks are cheap at The Busted Bottle.
Things go from bad to PLEASE STOP. After a freak "accident" involving the hole, (YIKES) a dark wish comes true. That's when an old-timey stranger in a vintage suit turns up with advice Ned didn't ask for. Ned rekindles some sparks with his old crush, Lenore... who just happens to have a boyfriend the size of a tank. Drowning in sorrows and not afraid to tell everyone, Ned turns to the town psychic. Moonglow doesn't have enough sage to ward off this Emo boy's DEMONS... which are freaking REAL and stalking him at night.
Can atheists go to hell? Ned's probably going to find out.
Darkly funny and viciously satirical, ILLINOIS HELL HOLE is a supernatural
fable about ego, and the price of getting something for nothing.
Nine episodes. Full cast. Immersive soundscapes. Best on headphones.
"This is in my top 10 audio dramas. It's such a good story, you will not be
able to put it down." — Dylan from Horror.Kult
For fans of What We Do in the Shadows, Beetlejuice, Tucker & Dale vs Evil,
Army of Darkness, and The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror.
Originally broadcast on NPR Illinois 91.9 FM.
Contains strong language and occasional violence.
CAST & CREW
Written and directed by Matt Brookens
Corey Burton — Narrator (Count Dooku from Star Wars, Transformers, Disney)
Daran Norris — Rabin (The Fairly OddParents, Team America)
Matt Brookens — Ned
Reggie Guyton — Moose
Meghan M. McDonough — Lenore (The Ice Harvest)
Keith Compton — Rucker
Kassandra Escandell — Moonglow
John LaFlamboy — Bill / Satan (Hell's Gate Haunted House)
Nitin Sil — Hortense Goodbody (Flashpoint History)
Maria Libri — Sheryl
Doug Lussenhop — Gary (Tim & Eric, Office Hours)
Jeska Bailey Forsyth — Sheena / Buella
Guy Forsyth — Roberto / Fred
Mindy Turano — Mother / Macy / Nora
Jeff Williams — Bathrobe Guy / Driver
Patrick Russell — Ned's Dad / Banker
Gina DeCroix Russell — Ned's Mom / Wendy
Brian Magrum — Sound Mixer
Adam Kunselman — Editor
illinoishellhole.com
- Comedy Fiction chart
- #73
- Episodes
- 10
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 17 min
- On air since
- 2026
- Latest episode
- 1 week ago
Episodes
10 episodes, from the first
-
2 min
Illinois Hell Hole - Trailer
Show notes
HORROR COMEDY | FULL-CAST AUDIO DRAMA PODCAST
Something wicked is coming to Illinois.
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few "accidents" away!"A 'movie for your ears,' with immersive soundscapes, music and the kind of
engaging performances that would be at home in a big-budget theatrical
release." — Illinois TimesNine episodes. Full cast. Sound Design and Score. Best on headphones.
Written and directed by Matt Brookens. Starring Corey Burton (Star Wars,
Disney) as the Narrator and Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents) as Rabin.As heard on NPR Illinois 91.9 FM.
Contains strong language and cartoon violence.
ALL THE LINKS on LINKTREEhttps://linktr.ee/mattbrookens
ILLINOIS HELL HOLE OFFICIAL SITE:https://illinoishellhole.com/
MATT BROOKENS DIRECT YOUTUBE CHANNELhttps://www.youtube.com/@MattBrookensDirect
CONTRIBUTE ON PATREON https://www.patreon.com/MattBrookens
TIKTOKhttps://www.tiktok.com/@luke_warm_1
FOLLOW ON FACEBOOKhttps://www.facebook.com/mattbrookensfilm/
INSTAhttps://www.instagram.com/luke_warm_01
DIRECT CONTACT
IllinoisHellHole@gmail.comIllinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com
Season 1
-
15 min
Totally an Accident
Episode 2
Show notes
Illinois Hell Hole is a nine-episode supernatural horror comedy audio drama, originally broadcast on NPR Illinois 91.9 FM.
All nine episodes are complete. New episodes every Saturday through October 24, with the full feature-length Movie Cut on Halloween.
IN THIS EPISODE: Ned runs into Lenore Brooks at the Busted Bottle, the crush he never had the stones to ask out. She has a boyfriend now. He has a farm he's about to lose.
Out in the corn, Ned finds a hole. Twenty feet across, perfectly round, and no bottom. When the bank sends a man to repossess the farm, Ned makes a wish out loud — and that night, under a super blood moon, something climbs back out.
In this episode: Corey Burton as your Narrator. Daran Norris as Rabin. Matt Brookens as Ned. Reggie Guyton as Moose. Meghan M. McDonough as Lenore. Keith Compton as Rucker. Maria Libri as Sheryl. John LaFlamboy as the Bill Collector.
Written, directed, and produced by Matt Brookens. Sound mixer: Brian Magrum. Editor: Adam Kunselman.
Website — https://illinoishellhole.com/
Support the show — https://patreon.com/MattBrookens
YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@MattBrookensDirect
Everything else — https://linktr.ee/mattbrookens
Contact — IllinoisHellHole@gmail.comRate and review wherever you're listening. It's free, it takes a minute, and it's what gets new listeners to take a chance on an independent show.
Illinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com -
18 min
Welcome to Hell
Episode 1
Show notes
1939. A blood red moon, a gusty farmhouse and a man asleep at a table covered in miracle elixir vials and cash. Someone or something is coming for him and out in the corn field, a bottomless pit has opened.
Modern day, Los Angeles, Ned buys a Korg synth in hopes it'll do his playing for him and save his band. Too bad he's about to get kicked out. And his girl has left him for the lead singer AND his boss just fired him. Could things get any worse? You betcha!
Now, Ned's back in Illinois to take care of his deceased parent's creepy farm. He's got a cousin crashing on a couch and a whole bunch of lore about the family curse to deal with. Luckily for Ned, alcohol comes cheap in Springfield, Illinois.
Episode 1 CAST: Daran Norris as RABIN, (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) as NARRATOR, Matt Brookens as NED, Mindy Turano as MOTHER, Jess Bailey as SHEENA, Guy Forsyth as ROBERTO, Reggie Guyton as MOOSE.
Illinois Hell Hole is a nine-episode supernatural horror comedy audio drama, originally broadcast on NPR Illinois 91.9 FM.
All nine episodes are complete. New episodes every Saturday through October 24, with the full feature-length Movie Cut on Halloween.
Written, directed, and produced by Matt Brookens. Sound mixer: Brian Magrum. Editor: Adam Kunselman.
Website — https://illinoishellhole.com/
Support the show — https://patreon.com/MattBrookens
YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@MattBrookensDirect
Everything else — https://linktr.ee/mattbrookens
Contact — IllinoisHellHole@gmail.comRate and review wherever you're listening. It's free, it takes a minute, and it's what gets new listeners to take a chance on an independent show.
Illinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult
nG1GjwH283w84zFu8Oyx
Illinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com -
16 min
Stranger From Another Time
Episode 3
Show notes
IN THIS EPISODE:
Ned finds his debt miraculously erased and himself cleared of any connections to Bill the Bill Collector's demise. A mysterious stranger comes out of the hole and enters town seeking news and learning about all the new technological doohickies beyond comprehension. Ned speaks to Bill's widow who doesn't buy his innocence act.Cast: Corey Burton as your Narrator. Daran Norris as Rabin. Matt Brookens as Ned. Reggie Guyton as Moose. Maria Libri as Sheryl. John LaFlamboy as the Bill Collector, Mindy Turano as Macy and Nora.
Written, directed, and produced by Matt Brookens. Sound mixer: Brian Magrum. Editor: Adam Kunselman.
Website — https://illinoishellhole.com/
Support the show — https://patreon.com/MattBrookens
YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@MattBrookensDirect
Everything else — https://linktr.ee/mattbrookens
Contact — IllinoisHellHole@gmail.comRate and review wherever you're listening. It's free, it takes a minute, and it's what gets new listeners to take a chance on an independent show.
Illinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com -
18 min
The Shadows Will Come to Collect
Episode 4
Show notes
IN THIS EPISODE: Ned takes his problems to Moonglow, a witchy psychic giving tarot readings in the woods. Hell is real, part of the collective unconscious. No more wishes, and nothing is free. That night Ned tells Moose everything and together they form an Emo band!
We get a glimpse of Ned's troubled dirtbag teenage years in a flashback.And later, alone in his parents' bedroom, Ned gets a terrifying visitor who has been waiting for an introduction.
In this episode: Corey Burton as your Narrator. Matt Brookens as Ned. Reggie Guyton as Moose. Kassandra Escandell as Moonglow. John LaFlamboy as Satan. Gina DeCroix Russell as Wendy and Patrick Russell as Ben.
Illinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com -
17 min
Just a Common Mega-Hole & Dreaming of Bananas
Episode 5
Show notes
Ned and Moose enlist a scientist to take a look at this bottomless pit. Lot's of off-putting screaming from down there, but it's probably a wayward badger or a red tail hawk. I mean are we not men of science?
Then Ned meets Lenore at the Illinois State Fair. Sparks fly as they play the hammer swing. Running into Ned coincidentally again, Rabin encourages him to do the WRONG thing... again. It's like he's intentionally trying to lead Ned down the road to hell or something.Illinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com -
16 min
Whoopsie
Episode 6
Show notes
At dawn, Ned joins Rucker, Lenore's new "alpha male" fiancé, in the cornfield to hunt the giant Hogzilla. With the pit to hell waiting deep in the corn, nothing good is going to happen. By nightfall a storm brings a beautiful visitor to the farmhouse door, and Ned has a family question Rabin doesn't want to answer.
CAST
Corey Burton as the Narrator
Daran Norris as Rabin
Matt Brookens as Ned
Reggie Guyton as Moose
Meghan M. McDonough as Lenore
Keith Compton as Rucker
Jeska Bailey Forsyth as Buella
Guy Forsyth as FredWritten and directed by Matt Brookens
Sound mixer: Brian Magrum
Editor: Adam Kunselman
Originally broadcast on NPR Illinois 91.9 FMShout-out to Keith Compton: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2593787/
New episodes every Saturday through October 24. The full Movie Cut drops Halloween.
Listen free: https://illinoishellhole.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MattBrookensDirect
Patreon: https://patreon.com/MattBrookens
All links: https://linktr.ee/mattbrookens
Email: IllinoisHellHole@gmail.comIllinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com -
20 min
Hell, Michigan
Episode 7
Show notes
Illinois Hell Hole, Ep 7
Fall arrives, and the town psychic Moonglow shows up at the farmhouse with a dusty old tome: The Illustrated Guide to Hell Holes. Ned swears he'll "totally skim it," but its pages lay out the rules of the pit in the cornfield: who it takes, what it costs, and what it means when a stranger from another time shows up with endless money and golden bracelets.Ned confronts Rabin at the Busted Bottle and finally gets the truth about the man in the vintage suit, and it's closer to home than Ned ever imagined. Back at the farmhouse, someone finds Rucker's hog caller on the mantel. And the book is sitting right there on the couch.
CAST
Corey Burton as the Narrator
Daran Norris as Rabin
Matt Brookens as Ned
Reggie Guyton as Moose
Meghan M. McDonough as Lenore
Kassandra Escandell as Moonglow
Maria Libri as Sheryl
Nitin Sil as Hortense GoodbodyWritten and directed by Matt Brookens
Sound mixer: Brian Magrum
Editor: Adam Kunselman
Originally broadcast on NPR Illinois 91.9 FMSHOUT-OUTS
Nitin Sil, Flashpoint History: [link]
Jeska Bailey Forsyth: https://jeskaatx.comTwo episodes left. The finale drops October 24, and the full Movie Cut drops Halloween.
Listen free: https://illinoishellhole.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MattBrookensDirect
Patreon: https://patreon.com/MattBrookens
All links: https://linktr.ee/mattbrookens
Email: IllinoisHellHole@gmail.comIllinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com -
21 min
Springfield Is Hell-Adjacent
Episode 8
Show notes
Episode 8 of Illinois Hell Hole, the full-cast horror comedy audio drama, where a cursed cornfield in central Illinois collects its debts with interest. Over a pair of ten a.m. whiskeys at the Busted Bottle, a reformed Rabin Masterson sets out to save his great-great-grandson's soul. Life is precious, he swears. There is still hope. There is wifi! And so, with the best of intentions, he asks Ned the most dangerous question in the county: what do you wish for?
Out in the corn, Lenore stands alone at the lip of the bottomless pit, demanding answers from the dark. But the dark has been listening, and something down there has grown very, very curious about her.
Elsewhere, Ned's wildest dreams begin, at long last, to come true. But in Illinois Hell Hole, nobody gets something for nothing, and every wish is paid for in full.
Then winter falls like a funeral shroud over Springfield. The jack-o'-lantern rots beneath the snow. And the town psychic comes knocking, carrying a premonition that cannot be unsaid.
One episode remains. The pit is patient. The pit is hungry. And it is coming for its due.
CAST
Corey Burton as the Narrator
Daran Norris as Rabin
Matt Brookens as Ned
Reggie Guyton as Moose
Meghan M. McDonough as Lenore
Kassandra Escandell as Moonglow
Maria Libri as Sheryl
Jeska Bailey Forsyth as Sheena
Jeff Williams as the Garbage ManWritten and directed by Matt Brookens
Sound mixer: Brian Magrum
Editor: Adam Kunselman
Originally broadcast on NPR Illinois 91.9 FMSPECIAL THANKS
Daran Norris, our Rabin Masterson
Jeska Bailey Forsyth: https://jeskaatx.comThe finale drops October 24. The full feature-length Movie Cut arrives on Halloween.
Illinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com -
27 min
You are Going to Hell... TONIGHT!
Episode 9
Show notes
THE EXCITING CONCLUSION!
Illinois Hell Hole
A Movie for Your Ears
A snarky, entitled Emo musician inherits his parents' farm, discovering a bottomless pit that grants wishes… but only when people are chucked in. Now his wildest dreams are just a few dead bodies away!
A feature-length horror/comedy full-cast ASMR immersive audio extravaganza by Matt Brookens — starring Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents), Corey Burton (Star Wars, Disney) and Meghan McDonough (Dark Matter).
As featured by
NPR Illinois, Illinois Times, Horror.Kult, The Podcast Geek
CONTACT: illinoishellhole@gmail.com
www.illinoishellhole.com
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