Gorgon: A Horror Story
In 2023, an acclaimed horror theatre production by Elf Lyons was reimagined as a fully immersive audio experience, transforming a visually intense performance into a sound-led narrative. The focus was on using audio to evoke the same emotional depth and atmospheric tension as the original production, building a thrilling and memorable experience for every listener through sound alone.
Summary
Role
Audio Producer
Sound Designer
Sound (+Dialogue) Editing
Foley Artist
Music Composer
Team
Elf Lyons, Director, Comedian, Writer
Performed by David Hoskin and Natalie Williams
Design by Sophia Pardon
Lighting Design by Lesley Talbot
Photos by Steve Gregson
Timeline
February 2020 (Live Production) 2020 - 2021 (Recorded Audio Experience)
A mild-mannered taxidermist.
Experimenting with the human form.
Female rage.
What happens when we are just pushed too far.
Guaranteed to delight.
You'll scream or be sick.
The project at hand
Originally written as a stage play by Elf Lyons, Gorgon is a horror story that delves into the psyche of a taxidermist unravelling amidst personal turmoil.
Goals
I aimed to transform the visceral intensity of Gorgon: A Horror Story from its live theatre roots into a powerful audio experience
01
Theatre without the lights
Reimagine a live horror theatre production as an immersive audio experience.
02
Sounding out rage
Create a soundscape reflecting themes of female rage and psychological horror.
03
Keeping the fear real
Ensure the audio adaptation maintains the intensity and impact of the original stage performance
04
Never lose touch
Keep the feeling and inspo from the Images from the original stage Production
With its foundation in psychological horror and black comedy, I needed to craft a sonic world that unsettled listeners as effectively as the live performance disturbed its audience. Using sound as the primary storytelling tool, I aimed to explore how atmosphere, tension, and emotional depth could be communicated entirely through audio.
The research
The creative direction from Elf Lyons was clear: make the listener feel like they’d been punched or wanted to vomit.
The sonic palette drew heavily from Italian Giallo cinema, known for its surreal, stylised violence. In particular, Blood and Black Lace helped shape the sound approach, shifting the focus from just what was heard to how it was felt - creating sonic moments designed to provoke visceral reactions and push the boundaries of horror in audio.
Binaural sound
I also explored binaural sound techniques to enhance immersion and tension, using 3D audio to place sounds with unsettling precision. Since the experience was designed to be heard through headphones, I used these techniques to fully deliver the psychological intensity and spatial realism of the sound design.
The planning
I meticulously planned every aspect of the audio adaptation to ensure it captured the full intensity of the original performance.
I created detailed Foley and recording lists, analysed scripts and production materials, and coordinated all equipment needs. From session schedules to shopping lists, I mapped out the workflow to streamline production and maximise creative experimentation during recording.
The Live Foley
Transitioning from live to recorded Foley gave me much more creative control and flexibility.
I was no longer limited to performing everything in real time, which meant I could layer multiple sound elements, fine-tune details, and experiment more freely. This approach let me build richer, more immersive soundscapes with greater precision and flexibility.
The key challenges
Creating a rich, immersive sound environment remotely, with limited access to traditional recording studios and equipment.
Coordinating a complex recording process completely remotely involving large file sizes, multiple layers of audio, and extensive track management.
Evoke visual horror through sound alone, capturing the raw emotion, physicality, and claustrophobia of the story to deliver a chilling, immersive experience.
My favourite moments
Final outcomes
Through bold creative choices and detailed sonic layering, I built a world that was as emotionally intense as it was unsettling, proving that horror can be just as powerful through sound alone.
Gorgon now stands as a strong example of how horror can thrive in audio form: raw, immersive, and disturbingly intimate.
Impact
Produced during a time when traditional theatre was on pause, Gorgon stood out for its innovative approach to audio storytelling.
The audio adaptation of Gorgon was met with positive reviews, with particular praise for its immersive and unsettling sound design. Critics highlighted the use of sound to build tension and evoke the play’s darker themes, proving that horror can be just as powerful, if not more so, when experienced through headphones.
I focused on enhancing the storytelling through carefully crafted sonic elements, layering Foley, dialogue, and original compositions to bring moments of horror vividly to life.
Gorgon was a thrill to work on, giving me an opportunity to push creative boundaries and refine my skills in immersive sound design and narrative audio, skills I’ve carried forward into many projects since.
The result was a listening experience that gripped audiences from start to finish, capturing the emotional weight and visceral fear at the heart of the story.
"Gorgon: A Horror Story is an evocative, terrifying play that meddles with the audience's perception of the genre turning the spook factor up to the max."
Broadway World UK
"“In the soundscape from Molly Isaac, the unsettling atmosphere is established from the start...most of the horror exists in our imaginations, conjured up by words and sound.
The result is sick, disgusting and as darkly funny as it’s possible to get, guaranteed to delight fans of classic horror."
British Theatre
"Sound designer and Foley artist Molly Isaac understands the necessity to push the boundaries of audio design, to challenge the expectations. If you haven’t felt ill or squirmed at least once – perhaps there’s a bit of the monster within you?"
Sci Fi Bulletin
"For all the parallels that film critics like to draw between the visceral aspects of comedy and horror, it’s rarely pulled off, or at least not in such a balanced way as Lyons manages here.”
Comedy to Watch
"Molly goes above and beyond what you imagine when it comes to sound design and collaboration. Her commitment and ability to create visceral, immersive sound designs that not only hit the brief but elevate the experience. I trust Molly implicitly with any brief."
Elf Lyons, Director, Comedian, Writer
My story