KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

The Frankenstein Family Crypt from The American Forces Network In 1952, announcer Carl Nelson's producers sent him to the Frankenstein Castle near Darmstadt , Germany to explore the family crypt. Little did he know, they had set up a prank which was waiting for him. Despite the rising fear in his voice, Nelson dutifully reports everything as it happens, even going so far as to examine a grotesque statue he thinks he saw moving. Panic and terror rightfully ensue. Frankenstein from The Witch's Tale The Witch's Tale was the first horror radio serial . The series ran from 1931-1943 and was created, written, and directed by St. Paul's own Alonzo Deen Cole . The stories were hosted by an old Salem witch and her black cat, Satan.  In this episode , a young scientist named Victor conducts experiments into human anatomy, physiology, and electro-chemistry; intent on improving the human race. Eventually he succeeds in creating life but is instantly repulsed by his cre...

Introduction by Alfred Hitchcock Are the lights out? Good. The Murder Ship   from The Strange Dr. Weird The  S.S. Arctic Star  gropes its way through a thick all-enveloping fog when tragedy strikes. Rammed and taking on water, the ship speedily  submerge s below the surface. With hopes of a pending rescue, a lucky pair of lovers are the only survivors aboard the  sinking vessel . Will the couple be able to survive... each other? The Book   by Hans H. Anderson Despite repeated, excessive applications of  WD-40 , a spooky pantry door still creepily squeaked for years - perhaps generations. Eventually, one very brave, determined, and foolish  man  decides to finally fix it for good.

War of the Welles by R.H. Greene & John Rabe George Takei primes us for a  KPCC radio documentary that goes behind the scenes of the famous Halloween Eve broadcast of Orson Welles ' and the Mercury Theatre's " War of the Worlds " in 1938 on CBS. It truly was a radio production so realistic, so convincing that it panicked listeners who believed the Martians really were invading our East Coast. Contrary to some accounts that only a few hundred or thousand were spooked by the broadcast , it can be figured that many more than one and a half million listeners felt an invasion was imminent. We'll hear the back-story of this stunning production, correcting many of these myths, and why exactly it worked so well and continues to captivate us today.

The Black Cat from Mystery in the Air In the late 40s, Peter Lorre , the infamous silver screen star, was briefly featured on a radio serial which brought us great, exciting stories both strange and unusual - dark and compelling masterpieces culled from the four corners of world literature . In this episode, which originally aired on September 18, 1947, we hear the final confession of man about to hang for murdering his wife. It's an audio adaption of Edgar Allan Poe 's immortal American classic , The Black Cat; a psychological thriller concerning the slow mental deterioration of a man , followed quickly by his complete moral disintegration. The tale was first published some one hundred years earlier in The Saturday Evening Post on August 19, 1843. Not surprisingly, Poe himself owned a black cat .

Bloody Fingers from Love + Radio To ease-into our month-long string of spooky episodes, we're starting nicely with a dark story that took place in one of the finest art galleries in Cambridge, MA . It's the tale of a horrible accident and a complicated friendship. A gripping nude showdown and dazed detective story. A hunt for a missing finger ... or more importantly, a lost pack of smokes. This pair of graphic, horrific stories were woven together by the brilliantly twisted  Nick van der Kolk  for your listening pleasure as only Love + Radio can do. If you'd like to hear more in-depth, otherworldly-produced interviews ranging from seedy to sublime, you can find more at loveandradio.org .