While we are working hard on the next episode, I'd like to share with you a playlist of radio shows recommended by Witney Seibold of 13th Floor (The article is 5 years old, I'll put the link at the bottom).
There are two I could not find on Spotify that he recommends, Stephen King's "The Mist". This radio drama was produced in the 80s and was recorded using a special set up to create a binaural experience. Due to the popularity of Mr. King's work, and probably the time and effort put into the drama, it's not available for free. And The Tell Tale Heart read by Iggy Pop. To be honest I probably wouldn't have listened to that one anyway, because it's not a radio drama, it's Iggy Pop reading the story. There's a place for that but this is about radio plays.
1. Suspense presents "Ghost Hunt": This is my favorite one on this list. I'm a fan of found footage and epistolary stories so this was right up my alley. A disc jockey known for his Friday night 'stunts' decides to spend the night in a haunted house with a grisly reputation. The sound engineering isn't superb but the acting is pretty good and putting yourself into any one of the character's shoes will at the very least make your hair stand on end.
2. Mercury Theater presents Dracula: Very paraphrased version of Dracula that Orson Welles produced and stars in. This really only remains on the list because it was on Witney's. However it is the best production of Dracula I've heard and closer to the book than others. I've just never been a fan of vampires. The sound engineering is excellent and runs for almost an hour. If you happen to be a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula, then this is the one to listen to.
3. Suspense presents Donovan's Brain(1948): This was originally performed by Orson Welles but the version this list is the later recording with John McIntyre. I haven't heard the original but this one was fairly well done. A science fiction story somewhat in the vein of Frankenstein, a scientist doing experiments on keeping brain tissue alive after the rest of the body has died is awoken one night by his colleague. A financial genius from Hungary has been found in a plane wreck not far from the scientist's lab. Instead of trying to save the man, he saves the brain and slowly Donovan starts to take over the scientists body. I found this particular production amazing because McIntyre switches accents between Donovan and the scientist in mid sentence and only some words. If it was done in post then the sound mixing was excellent.
4. Tales From The Crypt presents "Tight Grip": Fans of the television show or the comic of the same name will also dig the grave puns dug up by the Cryptkeeper. And the theme song has lyrics in this version. The story itself is told from the point of view of a magician's trunk. Goofy I know, but that's Tales from the Crypt for you. All in all it's an interesting story, a complete roller coaster of a tale. This is a modern broadcast so it should be noted that they don't pull punches or censor themselves. There are some parts in it that could be distressing to listeners.
5. Escape presents Three Skeleton Key: Escape was a radio show with an interesting but rather weak premise. Basically the main character would find themselves in a situation they would have to escape each week. I haven't heard very many of them, and from what I recall they weren't very horror-like so I was surprised to see this one on the list. In the vein of Lovecraft's "Rats in the Walls" or Stephen King's "1922" (although much more literal) a lighthouse keeper and his two colleagues watch in horror as a derelict ship runs aground on their coastline and thousands of rats pour out. It's told in an odd manner, sort of like an audio book with each character having a different actor. Just the premise alone is what made this one worth listening to. Nothing particularly stands out otherwise but sometimes that alone is enough.
6. Tales from Beyond The Pale presents "The Conformation": I learned about Beyond the Pale after completing the horror game "Until Dawn". I looked up the writers and discovered they created this podcast that was bringing back original horror stories to the air waves (I have found a ton more since). This wasn't a free podcast at the time, with only two episodes available for free. But I bought the vinyl recording of two other episodes of theirs and loved them. This was two years ago and now they have some available on Spotify. Conformation promises to be 100% medically accurate, and is about a plastic surgeon who is considered the very best. But he finds humans disgustingly ugly on the outside and is becoming quite discouraged. Then he meets Michelle, who's been disfigured in an accident. She asks to not be put completely under while he reconstructs her nose. What follows is a somewhat gruesome tale of a man and woman seeking perfection in their self image. The story actually had me swearing out loud during a couple scenes. And the sound engineers of Glass Eye Pix are very very good at what they do. This one is also a modern production and is not censored in the least bit. So just be warned this one can be a bit distressing too.
7. Suspense presents "Sorry, Wrong Number": Considered one of the very best and iconic radio dramas second to War of the Worlds. Where as War of the Worlds is infamous for the public's reported reactions (these claims were not true, not on the scale reported by Mercury Theater and the producers. It was used to sell Orson Welles to the public, as if they needed to) Sorry, Wrong Number is known for it being a one person 'tour de force'. Agnes Moorehead plays the main character who is an invalid. In an attempt to reach her husband she thinks she's been tapped into a wrong line (set during the time of switchboard operators)and over hears a murder plot. Her desperation to get help increases as time goes by and it becomes quite heart wrenching. The production on this list is a later one, in which all parts have a cast rather than just one woman on the phone, but that doesn't make the impact any less in my opinion. You can clearly tell that whether you hear the folks on the line, or just Agnes, the story would still have punch. This of course isn't a modern recording but it should be noted this one could be quite distressing as well.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! We are working hard here at OPC to bring you some more shows soon!
The Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/
The article:
http://www.the13thfloor.tv/…/
Written by West Christy
Thoughts on what you just read? Feel free to comment below and we'll respond!
The Thriving Artist is a subset of Cafe-Girl Productions, Inc. Cafe-Girl is committed to bringing quality content in the form of film, webseries, podcasts, and more that raise awareness on social issues and help to benefit society. Help support Cafe-Girl Productions, Inc at: www.patreon.com/cafegirlproductions
1. Suspense presents "Ghost Hunt": This is my favorite one on this list. I'm a fan of found footage and epistolary stories so this was right up my alley. A disc jockey known for his Friday night 'stunts' decides to spend the night in a haunted house with a grisly reputation. The sound engineering isn't superb but the acting is pretty good and putting yourself into any one of the character's shoes will at the very least make your hair stand on end.
2. Mercury Theater presents Dracula: Very paraphrased version of Dracula that Orson Welles produced and stars in. This really only remains on the list because it was on Witney's. However it is the best production of Dracula I've heard and closer to the book than others. I've just never been a fan of vampires. The sound engineering is excellent and runs for almost an hour. If you happen to be a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula, then this is the one to listen to.
3. Suspense presents Donovan's Brain(1948): This was originally performed by Orson Welles but the version this list is the later recording with John McIntyre. I haven't heard the original but this one was fairly well done. A science fiction story somewhat in the vein of Frankenstein, a scientist doing experiments on keeping brain tissue alive after the rest of the body has died is awoken one night by his colleague. A financial genius from Hungary has been found in a plane wreck not far from the scientist's lab. Instead of trying to save the man, he saves the brain and slowly Donovan starts to take over the scientists body. I found this particular production amazing because McIntyre switches accents between Donovan and the scientist in mid sentence and only some words. If it was done in post then the sound mixing was excellent.
4. Tales From The Crypt presents "Tight Grip": Fans of the television show or the comic of the same name will also dig the grave puns dug up by the Cryptkeeper. And the theme song has lyrics in this version. The story itself is told from the point of view of a magician's trunk. Goofy I know, but that's Tales from the Crypt for you. All in all it's an interesting story, a complete roller coaster of a tale. This is a modern broadcast so it should be noted that they don't pull punches or censor themselves. There are some parts in it that could be distressing to listeners.
5. Escape presents Three Skeleton Key: Escape was a radio show with an interesting but rather weak premise. Basically the main character would find themselves in a situation they would have to escape each week. I haven't heard very many of them, and from what I recall they weren't very horror-like so I was surprised to see this one on the list. In the vein of Lovecraft's "Rats in the Walls" or Stephen King's "1922" (although much more literal) a lighthouse keeper and his two colleagues watch in horror as a derelict ship runs aground on their coastline and thousands of rats pour out. It's told in an odd manner, sort of like an audio book with each character having a different actor. Just the premise alone is what made this one worth listening to. Nothing particularly stands out otherwise but sometimes that alone is enough.
6. Tales from Beyond The Pale presents "The Conformation": I learned about Beyond the Pale after completing the horror game "Until Dawn". I looked up the writers and discovered they created this podcast that was bringing back original horror stories to the air waves (I have found a ton more since). This wasn't a free podcast at the time, with only two episodes available for free. But I bought the vinyl recording of two other episodes of theirs and loved them. This was two years ago and now they have some available on Spotify. Conformation promises to be 100% medically accurate, and is about a plastic surgeon who is considered the very best. But he finds humans disgustingly ugly on the outside and is becoming quite discouraged. Then he meets Michelle, who's been disfigured in an accident. She asks to not be put completely under while he reconstructs her nose. What follows is a somewhat gruesome tale of a man and woman seeking perfection in their self image. The story actually had me swearing out loud during a couple scenes. And the sound engineers of Glass Eye Pix are very very good at what they do. This one is also a modern production and is not censored in the least bit. So just be warned this one can be a bit distressing too.
7. Suspense presents "Sorry, Wrong Number": Considered one of the very best and iconic radio dramas second to War of the Worlds. Where as War of the Worlds is infamous for the public's reported reactions (these claims were not true, not on the scale reported by Mercury Theater and the producers. It was used to sell Orson Welles to the public, as if they needed to) Sorry, Wrong Number is known for it being a one person 'tour de force'. Agnes Moorehead plays the main character who is an invalid. In an attempt to reach her husband she thinks she's been tapped into a wrong line (set during the time of switchboard operators)and over hears a murder plot. Her desperation to get help increases as time goes by and it becomes quite heart wrenching. The production on this list is a later one, in which all parts have a cast rather than just one woman on the phone, but that doesn't make the impact any less in my opinion. You can clearly tell that whether you hear the folks on the line, or just Agnes, the story would still have punch. This of course isn't a modern recording but it should be noted this one could be quite distressing as well.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! We are working hard here at OPC to bring you some more shows soon!
The Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/
The article:
http://www.the13thfloor.tv/…/
Written by West Christy
Thoughts on what you just read? Feel free to comment below and we'll respond!
The Thriving Artist is a subset of Cafe-Girl Productions, Inc. Cafe-Girl is committed to bringing quality content in the form of film, webseries, podcasts, and more that raise awareness on social issues and help to benefit society. Help support Cafe-Girl Productions, Inc at: www.patreon.com/cafegirlproductions
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