Havoc Town – Episode 7 | “Lore”
Podcast: Havoc Town
Publisher: iHeartPodcasts
Episode Date: September 23, 2025
Episode Overview
Episode 7, titled "Lore," delves into the eerie resurgence of a mysterious, deadly sickness in Abbesstown, NH—an outbreak that eerily echoes the infamous Vampire Panic from 200 years earlier. The episode deftly weaves together past and present: as the town reels from blood-soaked attacks and panics over the spreading plague, Corinne Abbess—the last of a disgraced legacy—finds herself reluctantly drawn into unraveling Havoc Town’s dark history, particularly the suspicions around the enigmatic Jury Havoc and his family’s role in both past and present calamities.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Tragedy, Rumor, and Small Town Angst
- Timestamps: 02:01–06:05
- The episode opens with news of Jimbo Horne’s death and an emotional voicemail to Corinne from Barbara Horn, highlighting the deeply personal effect the outbreak has had on townspeople.
- Quote (Barbara Horn, 02:27): "He loved you like a daughter. I hope you knew that."
- Corinne reflects on how disasters ripple outward in small communities, breeding rumors and conspiracy theories—everything from super rabies to government cover-ups and aliens.
- Quote (Corinne, 04:18): "This is how tragedy unfolds. In a small town. An act brutal and swift. Echoes reverberate, the effects ripple outward. And then the talk begins.”
- The show satirizes the escalation of misinformation and emphasizes the town’s underlying anxiety.
2. The Return of the Old Legends
- Timestamps: 06:05–10:00
- Gossip swirls around the cause of the outbreak, but certain taboos—vampires—remain unspoken despite the town’s dark history.
- Sarah Beth Spalding, leader of the Havoc Historical Society, awkwardly confronts Corinne. She voices concern about Jury Havoc’s arrival and the terrifying parallel with the 19th-century plague.
- Quote (Sarah Beth, 08:56): “The disease came with him, at least at the same time. Like it did before with his great, great, great grandfather. And it seemed to go when he did.”
3. Public Health Crisis and Lockdown
- Timestamps: 10:00–13:40
- A tense broadcast details hospital lockdowns and CDC intervention as the mystery illness spreads. The authorities recommend classic quarantine measures—distance, masks, hand-washing—heightening the sense of an escalating emergency.
- Quote (Dr. Andrew Bradley, CDC, 10:46): "If you are showing symptoms...fever, cough, lightheadedness, mood instability or traces of blood...please report to the local medical center here in Havoc immediately so as to halt any further spread."
- Corinne decides to close her bar, prioritizing community safety despite resistance.
- Quote (Corinne, 13:36): "Don't give me shit, Bill. I'm trying to keep you alive. Dead men don't drink."
4. Complicated Alliances and Suspicions
- Timestamps: 13:46–16:38
- Sarah Beth pleads with Corinne to reach out to Jury Havoc for answers. Despite their fraught relationship shaped by old family grudges, Corinne agrees—acting partly out of empathy and partly due to her own simmering suspicions.
- Quote (Sarah Beth, 14:11): "What could it hurt to ask?...Please."
- Quote (Corinne, 14:19): "Maybe start with being a little less of an enemy, and we'll go from there."
- Corinne debates the odd timing of Jury Havoc's arrival, the resurgence of the sickness, and the weight of family histories.
5. At the Havoc Estate: Confronting the Past
- Timestamps: 19:01–33:51
- Corinne visits Jury Havoc at his imposing family manor. The setting exudes historical gravity and wealth, signifying the entrenched legacies at play.
- The two have a charged, probing conversation mixing old wounds with present day concerns:
- Art and Ancestry: Corinne is transfixed by a portrait of Sophia, murdered in the original panic. Jury recounts the tragedy and how both families suffered and survived.
- Quote (Jury, 24:00): "Jacques Louis David, 1814...He painted the coronation of Napoleon and the death of Socrates."
- Quote (Jury, 28:23): “After the good Reverend Abbas murdered his son, he marched up the hill to this very house...then he murdered Jury Havoc, the eighth’s wife, Sophia...and after that, he went and hung himself in the church, leaving no note.”
- Grudges & Legacy: Discussion of diaries, unsent letters, and whether their families are doomed to repeat the sins of the past.
- Quote (Corinne, 30:41): "Hmm. I mean, you could also say that it ended when your grandfather left and started right back up the week Havoc returned."
- Quote (Jury, 30:53, playfully): "Ms. Amice, are you accusing me of vampirism?"
- Quote (Corinne, 30:59): "I. No, of course not. I mean, you're fucking with me."
- Art and Ancestry: Corinne is transfixed by a portrait of Sophia, murdered in the original panic. Jury recounts the tragedy and how both families suffered and survived.
- The conversation oscillates between tension and tentative attempts at understanding, but is interrupted by urgent business—leaving much unresolved.
6. Cliffhanger Ending: The Dead Return
- Timestamps: 33:51–34:26
- Corinne returns home, lost in thought—but is interrupted by a chilling encounter: Jimbo Horne, previously announced as dead, appears on her porch, alive but changed.
- Quote (Corinne, 34:06): "You're... You're dead. They said you were dead. I was—"
- Quote (Jimbo, 34:12): "I'm not now."
- This haunting moment signals that the true horror may just be beginning.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Barbara Horn’s Voicemail, (02:27): “He loved you like a daughter. I hope you knew that.”
- Corinne on Gossip, (04:18): “This is how tragedy unfolds. In a small town. An act brutal and swift. Echoes reverberate, the effects ripple outward. And then the talk begins.”
- Sarah Beth’s Paranoia, (08:56): "The disease came with him, at least at the same time. Like it did before with his great, great, great grandfather."
- CDC Press Conference, (10:46): “If you are showing symptoms ... report to the local medical center..."
- Corinne Closes Bar, (13:36): "Don't give me shit, Bill. I'm trying to keep you alive. Dead men don't drink."
- Tension with Jury, (30:53): "Ms. Amice, are you accusing me of vampirism?"
Corinne’s Answer, (30:59): "I. No, of course not. I mean, you're fucking with me." - Jimbo’s Return, (34:12): "I'm not now." (after being presumed dead)
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Segment | Time | |-------------------------------------|------------------| | Grief & rumors | 02:01–06:05 | | Sarah Beth’s family appeal | 06:31–10:00 | | CDC/NG press conference | 10:08–13:14 | | Corinne & Sarah Beth bargain | 13:46–16:38 | | Corinne at Havoc Estate | 19:01–33:51 | | Jimbo’s supernatural reappearance | 33:51–34:26 |
Episode Tone & Style
The episode masterfully combines folk horror, tense mystery, and acerbic small-town wit—oscillating between the poetic melancholy of Corinne’s narration and the snappy, sometimes biting repartee among townsfolk. Enigmatic, unnerving, and darkly funny, the episode’s style is rich with atmosphere and frequently laced with pathos.
Summary
“Lore” deepens the mythology of Havoc Town, skillfully twining generational trauma, folklore, and a new wave of terror. The reappearance of the sick—and possibly undead—Jimbo closes the episode on a chilling note, reinforcing that in Havoc, the line between legend and lived reality is perilously thin. As Corinne finds herself at the crossroads of past grievances and current horrors, her next choices—and alliances—may shape the fate of the entire town.