Scared to Death

It has proven to be extremely difficult to find any information about this radio play, except for that it takes a lot of liberties with the original story and that it was presented by The Weird Circle. The Weird Circle was a 30-minute mystery horror radio series that aired on NBC for four years, from 1943 to 1947. What sets The Weird Circle apart from other programs airing horror and ghost stories, or similar sci-fi fare, is that it focused so heavily on the works of classic, highly-revered authors. Many of the stories are intended to relate to people's fears of the unknown, of a past coming back to haunt one, of misdeeds being repaid in unexpected ways. This is a collection not to be missed, since the show is not as well-known or well-remembered as many of its counterparts. It is of high-quality, though, in no small part due to the greatness of the works on which it bases the episodes. This radio play originally aired on Sunday, February 20, 1944.

Tonight, I’m presenting a special “double-feature” episode in celebration for Halloween. The first episode is the original Mercury Theater presentation of Dracula. Produced, directed, written, hosted, and performed by Orson Welles, with the Mercury Theatre Company, this adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic horror story, "Dracula" -- recounted by various characters in the first person. This radio play originally aired on Friday, July 11, 1938. It stars Orson Welles , Ray Collins, Elizabeth Fuller, Martin Gabel, and Agnes Moorehead. You may recognize Agnes Moorehead from her role as Samantha’s mother, Endora, in the Bewitched TV series.

Jim Howard arrives at Cape Howe to meet his old friend Bill Andrews who happens to be a Doctor. On arriving he is startled to find out that Bill owns a private island of his own, a little place where he and John, his Son who has become something of a recluse, now call home. Apparently Jim has a Wife and small child who will be arriving in a couple of days to join them on the island – although Bill sent a rather odd letter before he arrived – requesting his friend bring a variety of books on lycanthropy. If the fact that Bill now owns his own island was a bit of a shock for Jim, imagine when he meets young John after so many years to find that his hands are overgrown with thick amounts of hair. This episode is another one from Dark Fantasy, a series that aired for 31 episodes between November of 1941 to June of 1942. It originally aired on Friday, February 13th, 1942.

Tonight’s episode is The Headless Dead. This episode is from Dark Fantasy, a series that aired for 31 episodes between November of 1941 to June of 1942. It stars Ben Morris, Eleanor Naylor Corin, Fred Wayne, Garland Moss, and Murillo Scofield. It was written by Scott Bishop, and Tom Paxton was the announcer. When Frederick Holman visits the Tower of London, he scoffs at the idea of the Tower being haunted. His guide, Mr. Swifte, believes otherwise and is more than happy to show Holman the chapel. Standing in the choir loft, Holman looks down to the chapel below and comments on how deserted it looks. Swifte is quick to differ. He tells Holman that the chapel is not as deserted as it appears to be. The flagstones on the floor, in front of the alter, are the tombstones that mark the final resting place of the Headless Dead. When Swifte goes to lock up the rest of the building, Holman decides to remain in the chapel a little longer and falls asleep in a pew. When he wakes up, he discovers that he is locked in, and long, bony arms are pushing up the flagstones from the floor…

Tonight's presentation of Scared to Death features the radio play The Wendigo by the Canadian company Theater 10:30 except for they were based somewhere in Canada and the shows are in the genres of horror, fantasy and mystery. The dates of the shows are unknown and there are only 14 episodes that can be found. I don’t know if there are more or if that’s all they produced.

Tonight’s episode is The Sign of the Beast. The sassy, non-believing wife of an archaeologist goes with him on a dig in a remote jungle, and despite getting about 100 warnings about native customs and curses, breaks every rule she can. She accepts an artifact from one of the malevolent natives, and finds herself the victim of a curse in which she begins to turn into a meat-craving animal. It leads to some non-intentional humorous moments, especially when she wipes out their meat supply with her insatiable hunger.This radio play originally aired on The CBS Radio Mystery Theater on February 3rd, 1974.

This is a never aired episode of Mystery House, which might have been an attempt by Bela Lugosi to set himself up to star in his own horror radio show. It is unknown if this version of Mystery House was part of the original program, which ran on WGN in Chicago beginning in 1929 or Lugosi's re-branding of the program.Bela Lugosi beckons us to enter The Mystery House! This recording, “The Thirsty Death,” is a considerable mystery unto itself. The story features Lugosi and John Carradine in a mad tale of love, suspicion, and rabies in the jungle. What terrible revenge has Lugosi’s character concocted for his revenge? How did this episode get made in the first place? Why would someone move to a city being terrorized by rabid dogs? Listen for yourself and find out!

This is it! Monique and Emily are Petri Ivan’s Captives as he calls upon VHLORKAS- the Ghoul Lord! Can Carl trust Lilith? Will Carl be able to save Chicago and possibly the very the earth from DOOM??? Tune in for the climax to this mini-series and keep a light on!

Kolchak and Tony Vincenzo have the irons clamped on them by Police Captain Siska, while Monique and Emily decide to do some investigating of their own; but what of Petri Ivan, Rita Rollingston, and Gordy? Turn On, Tune In & Find Out!

This nights tale: A Playground for Evil- Episode 2.Will Kolchak survive Lilith Codescu and how is she tied in with Petri Ivan?

This nights tale: A Playground for Evil- Episode 1, in which vampirism comes to the Windy City.My name is Carl Kolchak, former reporter for INS, Chicago’s very own independent news service. In all my years of investigative journalism I’ve seen some pretty strange things. Today you’d simply look at them as amusing fodder for the national tabloids, but hear me out when I tell you…that they’re real. The Vampires, androids, ghosts, swamp creatures, monkeymen, and even Jack the Ripper; yes–every last one! Rather than jeopardize my former editor’s sanity with such sensational tales I simply left out the details for public consumption. Oh, I kept the real transcripts — conveniently tucked away from curious eyes in a file under the innocuous name: All Saints Archive. But now, happily retired, I believe I can finally release the full accounts…as I actually experienced them. Prepare yourself now for one of many cases from the All Saints Archive, or as I call them ‘The Night Stalker Incidents.’”