RUSC MAILING

Written by Ned Norris

When most of us think of old time radio, our minds naturally drift back to the 1930s, 40s and 50s — the great days of Suspense, Inner Sanctum Mystery, Lights Out, and all those wonderful shows that could make a creaking door sound more frightening than anything on a cinema screen.

But every now and then, it is worth stepping just a little beyond the Golden Age to discover how strongly that tradition carried on.

One excellent example is Nightfall, the Canadian horror and suspense anthology produced by the CBC in the early 1980s. It may not be “old time radio” in the strictest sense, but it is very much part of the same family. Each episode tells a self-contained tale of horror, mystery, dark fantasy or psychological suspense — and it proves beautifully that radio drama still had the power to raise gooseflesh long after television had taken over the living room.

What makes Nightfall so effective is its use of sound. By the 1980s, recording techniques had advanced considerably, and the CBC production teams made full use of them, creating stories that often feel uncomfortably close and wonderfully atmospheric.

For anyone who enjoys the great mystery and suspense shows of the Golden Age, Nightfall makes a fascinating bridge between eras. You can hear the influence of classic radio drama in its storytelling, pacing and atmosphere, but it also has a darker, more modern edge of its own.

And with Halloween upon us, I can think of few better times to give it a listen.

So if you are in the mood for something eerie, unsettling, and a little different — dim the lights, settle back, and let Nightfall remind you that the theatre of the imagination never really went away.

Happy listening,

RUSC Old Time Radio
www.rusc.com

© 2025 rusc.com