The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

This week we’re listening to “W is for Werewolf” from Dark Fantasy as part of our Monster Month! The story depicts a visit to a remote island where a troubled man’s only surviving son seems to be suffering from a strange condition. As a treat for theater fans in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region, the production features a performance by the Twin Cities’ own Don Stolz ! Can this father find a cure fo...

Monster Month continues this week and the Society is listening to an adaptation of “Frankenstein” from Suspense ! This version of Mary Shelley’s classic novel features the obsessed doctor confiding in a priest about his obsessive quest to conquer death. Can spiritual guidance provide a measure of redemption for the scientist? Can this story be crammed into half an hour? Is Johnny Plug Check the tr...

The Society starts out a whole month of shows themed around classic movie monsters. We begin with the Mummy, represented by this Quiet, Please episode entitled “Whence Came You?” The story features an archaeologist who finds himself being observed by a mysterious beautiful woman with a strange connection to the ruins he is excavating. What destiny awaits our hero beneath the sands? How much richer...

CBS Mystery Theater adapted Jacques Futrelle’s short story, “ The Problem of Cell 13 ,” for this week’s episode entitled “The Great Brain”! A brilliant mind hopes to prove the limitless potential of human intellect by allowing himself to be locked in a prison with a week to escape. Can he free himself from his cell in this short time or will his ego be his undoing? Why has the prisoner above him b...

Columbia Workshop presents Lucille Fletcher’s adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella “Carmilla”! A father takes in a young abandoned girl who befriends his daughter, but soon discovers that Carmilla is much more than she seems. Will a parent’s desire to make his child happy prove to be his family’s undoing? Could he possibly have known what evil lurked in Carmilla’s heart? Are Canadians secretly...

This week, The Mysterious Traveler takes the Society “Behind the Locked Door!” Two archeologists set out on an expedition into the Vermilion Cliffs but only one returns. Why does he want his fiancé to leave him forever? What has he locked away in his bedroom? What’s the maximum speed of a burro? Listen for yourself and find out!

It’s our 50th episode and to celebrate, the Society is listening to this beloved episode of Quiet, Please ! An oil-drilling roughneck encounters a terrifying mystery after his team digs up something unexpected from deep beneath the Earth’s surface. What greater horror lurks beneath the telling of this tale? How can Cecil Roy make such disturbing noises? How many pork chops can this guy eat? Listen...

More than one listener requested this particular episode of Nightfall and so the Society has been drawn to “The Porch Light!” Many thanks to both Rob and David for recommending this creepy tale from the popular Canadian series. On the night of a powerful snowstorm, a husband and wife wake up in their isolated home in the woods to find their porch light has inexplicably turned on. From this simple...

The Society continues with its Listener Library series! This week, we feature a suggestion from Laurie, who recommended “The Werewolf” from The Weird Circle ! The episode is based on “The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains,” a short story by Captain Frederick Marryat . In the forest, a father and his children find their family invaded and hunted by cruel, supernatural forces. How has the young narr...

Our Listener Library series is being put on hold this week because the Society is celebrating the birthday of H.P. Lovecraft by listening to his story “The Dunwich Horror” as adapted by Suspense ! (If you are a fan of the man, might we suggest checking out the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival ?) Dark sorcery is underway in the wild hills of rural New England! Can Professor Armitage thwart this profane...

We continue with our Listener Library series, catching up on recommendations from our listeners! This week, we check out “The Wardrobe Trunk” from NBC’s Radio City Playhouse , suggested to us by Jake! A small-time criminal finds himself in over his head and scrutinized by a threatening traveling companion. Can this desperate criminal elude the law? Does anything draw attention to yourself like not...

Our thanks to Keara who recommended this story from the series, Escape ! This unusual tale is based on a short story by Robert Smythe Hichens and the production features the singular talents of the Man of a Thousand Voices, Paul Frees as the parrot. After a psychologist strikes up an unlikely friendship with a priest, the doctor finds himself being tormented by a strange invisible creature, which...

This week the Society listens to a suggestion from Abby, who told us about an episode of Crime Classics ! This series blends dark comedy and historical tales of true crime. In this episode, a German ne’er-do-well finds himself accused of four murders and he may not want to prove himself innocent. During the discussion afterwards, Tim makes a ridiculous claim that he found a link to the actual stor...

Our Summer Serial concludes with the shocking resolution to “The Thing That Cries in the Night” from I Love a Mystery ! (Coming late to the series? Listen to Parts 1–3 , Parts 4–6 , Parts 7–9 , and then Parts 10–12 !) Jack claims to know who is responsible for terrorizing the Martin family, but he won’t reveal what he suspects until he has undeniable proof. Can you figure out the solution before t...

Things are looking dire for the Martin Family as the Society races toward the climax of “The Thing That Cries in the Night” from I Love a Mystery ! Join us for the penultimate episode of our Summer Serial! (Coming late to the series? Listen to Parts 1–3 , Parts 4–6 , and then Parts 7–9 !) After a second murder Jack, Reggie, and Doc continue their investigation into the inexplicable deaths! Who was...

It’s time for the next installment of our Summer Serial! Join us as we follow Jack, Reggie, and Doc into the heart of “The Thing That Cries in the Night” from I Love a Mystery ! (Coming late to the series? Listen to Parts 1–3 and then Parts 4–6 !) ! The Martin family are under siege by seemingly supernatural forces, and Jack gathers everyone for a shocking revelation! Why does grandma insist on ar...

“The Thing That Cries in the Night” continues! The Society’s Summer Serial is underway with these episodes from I Love a Mystery ! (Coming late to the series? Listen to Parts 1–3 !) Jack, Reggie, and Doc meet the rest of the Martin family and soon they again hear the strange cry of an infant, even though there is no baby in the house! Why would anyone think the burning personal letters in the midd...

The Society returns from our break to launch our Summer Serial, as we investigate all 15 episode of “The Thing That Cries in the Night” from Carleton E. Morse’s I Love a Mystery ! Jack, Reggie, and Doc fly into Burbank only to be swept up into another mystery involving an aristocratic family plagued by a creeping, unhealthy menace. What threat lurks in the home of the Martin family? Who is slashin...

Put your seats in the upright and locked position because the Society is ready to take off with this week’s installment, an episode of Dark Fantasy entitle “Spawn of the Sub Human!” A famed singer finds her flight haunted by memories of the past. Her ultimate destination will prove to be completely unexpected. Is her journey a powerful metaphor for anxiety? Is this episode more bizarre than Northe...

This week, the Society discovers the original found footage horror story, “Ghost Hunt,” recommended to us in an iTunes review! Our thanks to Filmbuf104! This episode of Suspense  features  Ralph Edwards , the creator of such classic shows as “Truth or Consequences” and “This is Your Life.” In the story, DJ Smiley Smith dares to record a night spent in a house known as the Deathtrap. Will he find a...

The Society pays a visit to Cabin B13 to hear one of Dr. Fabian’s dark mysteries! John Dickson Carr created the series and provided its ingenious scripts. In this story, entitled “The Sleep of Death,” a young suitor dares to spend the night in the deadly Tapestry Room to win the hand of his beloved. What horror kills those who dare to sleep in this room? Do all eccentric Hungarian counts play the...

The stage is set for this week’s episode, “Broadway, Here I Come!” Our thanks to Ryan who suggested that we feature another story written by Robert A. Arthur (we’ve already heard his work with The Good Die Young and his adaptation of Return Trip ). We’re happy to oblige with this creepy episode of The Sealed Book . Will the young lovers successfully get to New York? Will their crimes catch up with...

Have your ticket ready for a bus ride with madness! The Society has discovered Murder by Experts , in which an author recommends a story by a different different author which is then hosted by John Dickson Carr , yet another author! This episode, “Return Trip,” tells the story of four people on a bus, one of whom may be an insane killer! Can you guess who is not what they appear to be? Who will su...

Thank you to Keara who suggested that we listen to this episode of Suspense entitled “To Find Help,” featuring Ethel Barrymore and Gene Kelly. A woman hires a young man to clean her house, but soon discovers something strange and threatening about his behavior. Will she be able to survive his visit to her home? Did anyone mention how strong Gene Kelly’s hands are? Is there more to the ending than...

This week, the Society is listening to the nightmarish sound of “The Screaming Skull” from the enigmatic series, Theatre 10:30 . This adaptation of Francis Marion Crawford’s short story tells the tale of a husband and wife whose deaths leave behind a mysterious skull and a blood-chilling legend. Is that screaming sound just the wind? Can a dinner conversation go so badly that it leads to a lifetim...