Blog-o-ween 2022: The Classics, Pt. 2

Well, Blog-o-weeners (I'm really gonna have to think of a better name), we made it! It is 31 October; it is Halloween! I hope everyone has a great time today...what with the chill in the air...and the trick-or-treating...and the spooky movies...and the bobbing for apples...and the carving of pumpkins...ooohhhh, laaadyyy!

Here at LARPing Real Life HQ, I'm gonna throw on Zacherley's Horrible Horror, an old VHS tape I bought at Hill's Department Store in the 1980s. After that, I'm putting myself in the hand of Commander USA and his 1985 USA Network Halloween Special. I say "hand," because we all know that the Commander has his other hand full with his right-hand man, Lefty. Sure.

So, now we come to it. The final three old time radio show of Blog-o-ween 2022. And boy, oh boy, are they scary. I mean, I honestly hope you all are wearing a belt or a pair of suspenders at the very least, because these shows are going to scare the pants right off of you! Oh, yeah! I mean, double-knot your shoelaces, because the three thrilling and chilling stories we have today are going to knock your socks off! You bet!

Our first entry for Halloween is a 1948 episode Wyllis Cooper's Quiet Please. It is a terrifying tale called “The Thing on the Fourble Board.” I don’t want to give too much away on this one. All I will say is that a “fourble board” is the working platform on an oil derrick. Everything about this episode - the writing, the acting, the sound design - is sheer horrific perfection. And the story’s ending is absolutely unforgettable.

Next, let's you and I take a trip into the canyons of Los Angeles -- Cypress Canyon to be precise. There, we will find a house belonging to James and Ellen Woods. It's a nice little place, perfect for a married couple. There's lots of closet space. In fact, one closet in particular seems to house enough blood to give Dracula a tummyache. Written by Robert L. Richards, directed by William Spier, and starring Robert Taylor and Cathy Lewis, “The House in Cypress Canyon” from the series Suspense is considered by many people to be the scariest radio program of all time. Do you dare listen to see if they are right?

Last, we have what I think is the scariest radio show of them all. The above shows are doozies, no mistake about it, but this next just has that certain je ne sais quoi, that little bit extra, whether it's the acting, the mood, the ending, that nudges it above everything else in my opinion. It is an adaptation of W.W. Jacobs's classic tale "The Monkey's Paw" as performed on the Canadian radio show Nightfall. 

The story is simply told: at the turn of the 20th century, an English family is visited by a friend just back from serving in India. The visitor has in his possession a souvenir from his time there: a shriveled, mummified monkey’s paw. He tells the family that it allegedly grants three wishes, but those who tempt fate through the paw’s powers are forever sorry they do so. The visitor tries to toss it onto the fire and burn it, but the paw is saved and kept by the family.

What does the family wish for? Do they get what they want?

What follows is a tale of terror and bitter irony that still sends a shiver up my spine. “The Monkey’s Paw” is a marvel of construction, simple, but with powerful moments leading up to its heartbreaking climax.

I hope you enjoyed our trip through old time radio this month. If you want to hear more, you are in luck! There are many more shows available for streaming at the Internet Archive, as well as your favorite podcast platform.

Be well, my fiends, stay scared...

Blog-o-ween 2022: Nightfall

Canada has given the world so much. From our friendly neighbors to the north, we've received the gifts of Rush, David Cronenberg, SCTV, Molson and poutine. Any one of those achievements by itself would have any other country bragging about how great they are. But does Canada go for any of that back-patting and self-aggrandizement. Heck, no, eh! They just keep on keepin' on, churning out the Soska Sisters, Drake, Pamela Anderson, back bacon, and Tim Hortons seemingly on their days off.

Well played, Canada! For you, there is beer on the sun!

Let's add another gold star next to Canada's name in the ol' gradebook, so to speak, and discuss one of the scariest radio programs ever, Nightfall.

Nightfall was created by Bill Howell and aired on CBC Radio from July 1980 to June 1983. The majority of the episodes were horror, but there were other styles and genres mixed in, including science fiction and mystery. Nightfall's opening voiceover ranks up there with the credit sequence for Tales from the Darkside for spine-chilling creepiness. Indeed, many listeners complained to the CBC that Nightfall was too scary and convinced certain affiliates not to run the program. If that isn’t a recommendation, I don’t know what is!

You can find many, if not all, of Nightfall’s 100 episodes on the Internet Archive. Later during Blog-o-ween, we will return to the airwaves of the Great White North to rhapsodize over Nightfall's adaptation of the W. W. Jacob's short story "The Monkey's Paw." Today, however, I want to focus attention on another fantastic adaptation: "Carmilla." Adapted by John Douglas and Graham Pomeroy from Irish writer J. Sheridan LeFanu's classic novella, this rendition has all the eerie trappings of a great Gothic story. You've got a remote castle, horse-drawn coaches, wind whistling through the trees, mysterious deaths, and lesbianism! As in other Nightfall productions, the sound design and music accompaniment hit all the right tones (pun intended!), and the acting is top notch. Indeed, the actress portraying the title character does a wonderful job of exuding sensuality and danger. At times, it feels as though we are listening to a Hammer Studios production -- which is perfect, because Hammer created an excellent cinematic version of LeFanu's story in 1970 as The Vampire Lovers.

You can listen to "Carmilla" here, and if you are interested in Hammer's film (and who in their right mind wouldn't want to see Ingrid Pitt strut her stuff as Carmilla -- and what stuff it is!) you can...look for it yourself. In the meantime, here's Ms. Pitt doing what she does best -- look Germanic and sexy!

Today is 31 October. It is Halloween.

Well, kiddies, we made it. It is the 31st of October – Halloween!

There were a few close calls, times when I didn’t think I’d get my blog post written in time, but like a good horror movie hero, I made it to the final reel in one piece – hopelessly insane, but in one piece.

How to end the month, then? Who or what is going to see us out as we move from Halloween to All Saint’s Day? It should be something scary (natch!), simple, and a little melancholy.

W. W. Jacobs’s short story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” is a stone-cold classic of the genre. I can remember reading it in my junior high school English class, and being very taken by it. I also recall reading a lot of Edgar Allan Poe and even "Leiningen Versus the Ants," so kudos to my 7th grade English teacher!

The story is simply told: at the turn of the 20th century, an English family is visited by a friend just back from serving in India. The visitor has in his possession a souvenir from his time there: a shriveled, mummified monkey’s paw. He tells the family that it allegedly grants three wishes, but those who tempt fate through the paw’s powers are forever sorry they do so. The visitor tries to toss it onto the fire and burn it, but the paw is saved and kept by the family.

What does the family wish for? Do they get what they want?

What follows is a tale of terror and bitter irony that still sends a shiver up my spine. “The Monkey’s Paw” is a marvel of construction, simple, but with powerful moments leading up to its heartbreaking climax.

If you’re brave enough, you can read W. W. Jacobs’s short story here. You may also listen to Roslyn Hicks read the tale at HorrorBabble.

There have been quite a few movie adaptations since the story was published in 1902. Many, however, are considered lost. There is a British-made film from 1948 that doesn’t quite stick to the simplicity of the source material. More faithful adaptations have been made for TV and as short films.

It should come as no surprise, however, that my personal favorite adaptation is a radio drama. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s radio series, Nightfall, was a very late entry in the radio drama game, but then again, radio drama never quite disappeared from the air in the Great British Commonwealth the way it did in the United States. Produced from 1980-1983, the series aired 100 episodes of supernatural horror.

“The Monkey’s Paw” was the second Nightfall episode to be broadcast. It is a very creepy version with wonderful performances and terrific sound design. The chanting that is slowly potted up as the sergeant-major tells his story is so spooky and perfectly chilling that it is guaranteed to haunt your dreams.

So, for now, I bid you adieu. The past month has been a lot of fun, but it is time to say good night. So, wear a mask, enjoy the horror-thon, don't forget to watch the big giveaway afterwards, and…Happy Halloween…