Old Time Radio (OTR) horror shows continue to enthrall listeners with their masterful use of sound and imagination. While compiling an exhaustive “top 50” list with direct links for every single episode is challenging due to the sheer volume and varied hosting platforms, I can provide a strong list of the most celebrated and readily available horror OTR series and some of their most iconic episodes.
Many of these shows and episodes can be found on archives like the Internet Archive, or through dedicated OTR podcasts and websites. I’ll provide links to general collections where possible, as specific episode links can sometimes change.
Here’s a curated list of top OTR horror shows and some noteworthy episodes, with links primarily to the Internet Archive, Relic Radio, or other comprehensive collections.
Top Old Time Radio Horror Shows (Series)
These are the foundational series that consistently delivered chills and thrills. Clicking on the series name will generally lead to a collection of episodes.
- Suspense
- Listen to Series: Suspense on Internet Archive or Suspense on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “Three Skeleton Key” (Multiple versions, notably with Vincent Price)
- “Sorry, Wrong Number”
- “The Hitch-hiker” (Orson Welles version)
- “The House in Cypress Canyon”
- “Zero Hour” (Ray Bradbury adaptation)
- “August Heat”
- Lights Out
- Listen to Series: Lights Out on Internet Archive or Lights Out on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Dark”
- “Valse Triste”
- “Death Robbery” (Boris Karloff)
- “Poltergeist”
- “The Hungry One”
- “A Knock at the Door”
- Inner Sanctum Mysteries
- Listen to Series: Inner Sanctum Mysteries on Internet Archive or Inner Sanctum Mysteries on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Lonely Sleep”
- “The Black Stone”
- “The Wailing Wall”
- “Dead Reckoning”
- Quiet, Please
- Listen to Series: Quiet, Please on Internet Archive or Quiet, Please on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Thing on the Fourble Board”
- “Clarissa”
- “And Jeannie Dreams of Me”
- “Don’t Tell Me About Halloween”
- Escape
- Listen to Series: Escape on Internet Archive or Escape on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “Three Skeleton Key” (another excellent version)
- “Leiningen Versus the Ants” (adventure with strong horror elements)
- “The House of Horrors”
- The Mysterious Traveler
- Listen to Series: The Mysterious Traveler on Internet Archive or The Mysterious Traveler on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “Death Comes to the Lighthouse”
- “The House of Death”
- Dark Fantasy
- Listen to Series: Dark Fantasy on Internet Archive or Dark Fantasy on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “Funeral Arrangements Completed”
- “The Man Who Came Back”
- The Witch’s Tale
- Listen to Series: The Witch’s Tale on Internet Archive or The Witch’s Tale on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The House of the Dead”
- “The Devil Doctor”
- The Hermit’s Cave
- Listen to Series: The Hermit’s Cave on Internet Archive or The Hermit’s Cave on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The House on Lost Man’s Bluff”
- “The Vampires Desire”
- The Weird Circle
- Listen to Series: The Weird Circle on Internet Archive or The Weird Circle on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Tell-Tale Heart” (Edgar Allan Poe adaptation)
- “The Oblong Box” (Edgar Allan Poe adaptation)
- The CBS Radio Mystery Theater
- Listen to Series: CBS Radio Mystery Theater on Internet Archive or CBS Radio Mystery Theater on Relic Radio
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Black Cat”
- “The Judge’s House”
- “The House of the Voodoo Doll”
- Mercury Theatre on the Air
- Listen to Series: Mercury Theatre on the Air on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The War of the Worlds” (Its infamous broadcast caused widespread panic)
- “Dracula”
- Murder at Midnight
- Listen to Series: Murder at Midnight on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Heavy Death”
- “The Dead Hand”
- The Sealed Book
- Listen to Series: The Sealed Book on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “Devil’s Island”
- “The House of Doom”
- Beyond Midnight
- Listen to Series: Beyond Midnight on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Werewolf”
- “Let Me See Your Face”
- Theater 10:30
- Listen to Series: Theater 10:30 on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Wendygo”
- “The Screaming Skull”
- The Price of Fear (Hosted by Vincent Price)
- Listen to Series: The Price of Fear on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “William and Mary”
- “Cat’s Cradle”
- Dimension X / X Minus One (Sci-fi with significant horror crossover)
- Listen to Series: Dimension X on Internet Archive and X Minus One on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Martian Chronicles” (various episodes from Bradbury)
- “The Green Hills of Earth”
- Darkness
- Listen to Series: Darkness on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “Life Span”
- “Can’t You Do Anything Right?”
- Creeps by Night
- Listen to Series: Creeps by Night on Internet Archive
- Iconic Episodes to seek out:
- “The Mark of the Beast”
Additional Highly Regarded Shows and Notable Episodes
While not always dedicated horror, these series featured episodes that delved deeply into the genre.
- The Shadow
- Listen to Series: The Shadow on Internet Archive
- Notable for its mysterious and often chilling atmosphere, blurring lines between mystery and horror.
- The Whistler
- Listen to Series: The Whistler on Internet Archive
- Often psychological thrillers with a dark, fateful edge.
- Hall of Fantasy
- Listen to Series: Hall of Fantasy on Internet Archive
- Known for its horror and supernatural tales, including adaptations of classics.
- “The Tell-Tale Heart” (another good adaptation)
- “Dance of the Devil Dolls”
- Black Mass
- Listen to Series: Black Mass on Internet Archive
- Short-lived but highly praised for its eerie tales, adapting Lovecraft and M.R. James.
- “The Rats in the Walls” (H.P. Lovecraft adaptation)
- “The Ash Tree” (M.R. James adaptation)
- The Black Chapel
- Listen to Series: The Black Chapel on Internet Archive
- Similar to Hermit’s Cave, offering Gothic and macabre stories.
- “Mahogany Coffin”
- Bradbury 13
- Listen to Series: Bradbury 13 on Internet Archive
- Radio adaptations of Ray Bradbury’s works, many of which are firmly in the horror or dark fantasy genre.
- “The Screaming Woman”
- The Creaking Door
- Listen to Series: [The Creaking Door on Internet Archive](https://www.google.com/search?q=https://archive.org/details/The_Creaking_Door_OTR]
- Weird Tales
- Listen to Series: Weird Tales on Internet Archive
- Chilling Tales
- Listen to Series: Chilling Tales on Internet Archive
- The Clock
- Listen to Series: The Clock on Internet Archive
- The Strange Dr. Weird
- Listen to Series: The Strange Dr. Weird on Internet Archive
- Secrets of Scotland Yard (While crime, often delved into grisly mysteries)
- Listen to Series: Secrets of Scotland Yard on Internet Archive
- Mr. Chameleon (Crime drama with elements of psychological suspense)
- Listen to Series: Mr. Chameleon on Internet Archive
- Haunted House
- Listen to Series: Haunted House on Internet Archive
- The Unexpected
- Listen to Series: The Unexpected on Internet Archive
- Beyond the Grave
- Listen to Series: Beyond the Grave on Internet Archive
- Nick Carter, Master Detective (Often included macabre elements)
- Listen to Series: Nick Carter, Master Detective on Internet Archive
- The Shadow of Fu Manchu (Pulp horror/adventure)
- Listen to Series: The Shadow of Fu Manchu on Internet Archive
- The Weird Realm
- Listen to Series: The Weird Realm on Internet Archive
- Mysterious Frequencies
- Listen to Series: (Less common as a full series, but episodes appear in collections)
- The Creepy Tale
- Listen to Series: (Similar to Mysterious Frequencies, often found in compilations)
- The Avenger (Pulp hero with dark themes)
- Listen to Series: The Avenger on Internet Archive
- Creaking Coffin
- Listen to Series: (Often found as individual episodes within larger horror collections)
- The Casebook of Gregory Hood (Mystery with some darker cases)
- Listen to Series: The Casebook of Gregory Hood on Internet Archive
- I Love a Mystery (Adventure often with horror-adjacent elements)
- Listen to Series: I Love a Mystery on Internet Archive
- Molle Mystery Theatre (Often featured suspenseful and mysterious tales)
- Listen to Series: Molle Mystery Theatre on Internet Archive
- Lux Radio Theatre (While primarily adaptations of movies, some were horror classics)
- Listen to Series: Lux Radio Theatre on Internet Archive
- Bold Venture (Adventure with a dark edge)
- Listen to Series: Bold Venture on Internet Archive
- Haunted Highway (A lesser-known series but with spooky themes)
- Listen to Series: (Likely found within broader OTR collections)
- Spooky Stories (A general category, but many standalone chilling narratives)
- Listen to Collection: Horror Collection on Internet Archive
Where to Listen to More Old Time Radio:
- Internet Archive (archive.org): A vast repository of digitized media, including thousands of OTR episodes. Use the search bar for specific shows or browse their “Old Time Radio” collections.
- Relic Radio (relicradio.com): Specializes in OTR podcasts by genre, including a dedicated “The Horror!” podcast that updates regularly. They also have extensive archives of various series.
- Old Radio World (oldradioworld.com): Another good resource for streaming and downloading OTR shows.
- Various Podcast Apps: Many podcasts are dedicated to OTR horror, often pulling from the Internet Archive and other sources. Search for “Old Time Radio Horror” or “OTR Horror.”
Enjoy the chilling sounds of yesteryear!
I hope you find something you enjoying listing to.