Everyone has heard of The War of the Worlds, the (in)famous 1938 broadcast that supposedly sent America into a panic. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This talk will lure you into the weird, wild world of horror radio from the 1920s to the 1950s, the golden age of live broadcasting. Long before podcasts and streaming, radio ruled the airwaves, bringing thrilling, terrifying stories directly into the intimacy of people’s homes. Live, unfiltered, and often shockingly and gruesomely extreme (even to our modern ears), horror radio shows like The Witch’s Tale, The Hermit’s Cave, Lights Out, Suspense, and Quiet, Please pushed the boundaries of storytelling with superb scriptwriting, ingenious sound effects, spine-chilling performances, and unforgettable hosts. These weren’t just spooky tales, they were immersive experiences that haunted the imaginations of millions.
This vivid talk will explore how horror found a perfect home in the invisible world of sound, how brilliant personalities were drawn to the genre, how stations competed to outdo each other in shock value and artistry, and how this era shaped modern audio storytelling. Expect moments of gore, ghostly sounds, and grisly secrets behind the microphone – plus a few surprises that may still give you goosebumps.
This talk is a love letter to a lost era of live horror radio – and a celebration of its enduring power to scare us senseless.
Are you brave enough to listen?
Richard J. Hand is Professor of Media Practice and Head of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. He has a particular interest in historical forms of popular culture, especially horror, and is the author of two books on horror radio drama; the co-author (with Michael Wilson) of four books on Grand-Guignol horror theatre; the co-editor (with Jay McRoy) of two volumes on gothic/horror cinema; and the co-editor (with Mark O’Thomas) of a collection of essays on American Horror Story. As well as an academic, he is a theatre director and award-winning radio writer, including as lead dramatist for the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre on the Air podcast drama which, in 2020, was archived by the Library of Congress for its ‘historical and cultural significance’.
Your curator and host for this event will be the writer Edward Parnell, author of Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country. Ghostland (William Collins, 2019), a work of narrative non-fiction, is a moving exploration of what has haunted our writers and artists – as well as the author’s own haunted past; it was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley 2020 prize, an award given to a literary autobiography of excellence. Edward’s first novel The Listeners (2014), won the Rethink New Novels Prize. His latest book is Eerie East Anglia (pub. Aug 2024) for the British Library’s Tales of the Weird series. For further info see: https://edwardparnell.com
Don’t worry if you can’t make the live event on the night – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day.
[Image: Boris Karloff performing in a radio play.]
