Deadwax

Did You Know?

• The show's title refers to the space between a record label and the final track, where no audio can be recorded.
• Inspiration came from the record technique of backmasking, where hidden messages are believed to be recorded backwards on a track.

Synopsis

A college radio DJ named Tuck Weston mentioned on air that his station had once owned a vinyl record called the Lytton lacquer. It was created by sound engineer Lyle M. Lytton, who died while making it. The record supposedly captured the sound of Lytton moving into the afterlife—the sound of death itself. Hearing the whole thing can kill a person, though a listener joked that playing it in reverse might undo the effect. After the show, a woman named Lily Child got in touch and asked Tuck to hear the record for a collector she called 'null and void'. Tuck gave in and listened to just a split second. He described what he heard as 'null and void' and soon went insane from strange events. Years later, an old man played the Lytton lacquer and was found dead the next day, mummified. A police officer named Len took the record as evidence, listening to part of it before bagging it. His partner Daryl thought the record had nothing to do with the death. When Len went out for coffee, he started experiencing the same weird phenomena as Tuck and passed out. He woke up to find Daryl killed in a horrific way. Detective Kenny Rhodes questioned Len but let him go after checking security footage. Meanwhile, a record hunter named Etta heard from a client about three Key records and the Lytton lacquer. If all four are played at once, the Key records supposedly make sounds no living person has ever heard. These records can be spotted by strange marks etched into the deadwax, the area between the grooves and the label. Despite warnings from her girlfriend Lana and her mentor Ian, Etta started looking into it.

Reception

/Film praised the sound and visuals of Deadwax but criticized a lack of engaging character development. Bleeding Cool noted in a video review that the character Etta was a generic grizzled detective seen many times before, and while the premise and actress were liked, the character needed more rounding. Bloody Disgusting reviewed the first four episodes more positively, feeling the characters were developed enough for viewers to care and that the story and visuals were well done.