Nightfall - Audio Horror Radio Series

There's something inherently eerie about old-time radio. Older technology carries with it a haunting undertone of melancholy for fading memories. Recordings are even stranger if you think about it. Because what you are hearing is a moment captured in time, a small snippet of experience that will never happen again.

The recordings don't even have to be that old to capture that eerieness. Take, for example, a radio program that aired in the 1980s—that's not even technically "old-time radio". Listening to almost any old radio program is a surreal experience.

The old-time radio (OTR) era typically refers to the period from the early 1920s to the late 1950s. This was the golden age of radio, when scripted dramas, comedies, news broadcasts, variety shows, and more were a dominant form of entertainment.

One radio program that truly captures this eerie, surreal feeling is Nightfall, a Canadian horror anthology that aired in the early '80s. Though not from the golden age of radio, Nightfall managed to harness that unsettling quality of old radio by creating a sense of disconnection from the present.

Summer Heat, Cold Terror

It's July 1980. Midsummer. The warmest part of the year.

You're surrounded by all those quintessential 80s items we can now look back on with nostalgia, anemoia, or possibly cringe: battered roller skates, Polaroid camera, Atari 2600, big hair, satin jackets, and maybe a poster of Tom Selleck or Olivia Newton-John. You kick off your jellies, sweep back your mullet, and toss your Rubik's Cube onto the coffee table. The table is a low, chunky beast of wood and glass with thick, angular legs. The surface is cluttered with an oversized ashtray stinking of stale cigarettes and souring soda you keep telling yourself you'll clean up, a stack of TV Guide magazines, and a bowl of Brach's hard candy in wrappers that stick together in the heat. You try to pluck up a butterscotch disc but, instead, take hold of a starlight mint of unknown vintage. With a shrug and a prayer, you pop the mint into your mouth, hoping you don't end up worshipping the porcelain god later for your gamble on goodies.

As you inhale the overpowering minty freshness, your eyes search the room for a quick fix to the creeping summer evening boredom. Across the room, the curved glass of the idiot box reflects your familiar chaos with a funhouse-like distortion. You shift uncomfortably, momentarily fixated on the glass, feeling an urge to stop the self-reflection. You could tune in for tonight's episode of Three's Company and let it keep playing whatever else is on long into the night. You eye the brick of a remote, but you feel a tug in a different direction. There's a new program on the radio—Nightfall. You heft your giant silver and black boom box from the coffee table and drop it onto the couch beside you, settling back into the velour with geometric patterns in shades of brown, orange, and mustard yellow. You pop open the tape deck, flip your Black Sabbath cassette of Heaven and Hell to side B, ready to crank it up and jam out to "Wishing Well" if Nightfall sucks.

"Better not suck, Ronnie!" you yell as you hit the power button on your JVC.

Nightfall.

You've heard rumors about it—and not just from Ronnie. It's supposed to be so terrifying that some stations won't even air it. The static clears as you turn the dial, and you're instantly swallowed by a world built entirely from sound. The darkness around you feels thicker as a haunting voice pulls you into a story you can't see, only hear. You're filled with a creeping sense of something lurking just out of sight, making you feel more vulnerable than any horror movie on TV ever could.

When the episode ends, you shiver, trying to shake off the chill, but the house feels different now. And sleep? Yeah...maybe when it's daylight.

"Fuck you, Ronnie," you mutter, slapping the lights on.

What Was Nightfall?

Nightfall was a groundbreaking radio drama series that captured the imagination—and fears—of listeners in the early 1980s. Produced by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio, Nightfall wasn't just another horror show. It was much more intense, pushing the boundaries of what was considered acceptable on the airwaves at the time. The series became known for its chilling blend of supernatural elements and suspense, often crossing lines that made some affiliate stations so uncomfortable they refused to air certain episodes—or any of it at all. CBC even received numerous complaints from listeners who were disturbed by the stories' graphic and disturbing nature. But in many ways, that controversy only fueled Nightfall's allure, helping it become one of CBC's most infamous and popular radio dramas.

The series was the brainchild of Bill Howell, a producer at CBC who was already well-known for his work on CBC Playhouse and the sci-fi adventure series Johnny Chase: Secret Agent of Space. Known for pushing creative boundaries and crafting immersive audio experiences, Howell was the ideal candidate to bring something bold—and controversial—to CBC Radio. In the late 1970s, as radio drama was fading and television was well on its way to taking over the world, Howell saw an opportunity to tap into the growing appetite for horror and the supernatural. He pitched his idea to Susan Rubes, CBC's newly appointed head of radio drama. Rubes, a veteran actress and founder of Toronto's Young People's Theatre wasn't a horror fan herself, but she saw the potential in Howell's idea and gave him the green light. The first episode aired on July 4, 1980, and over the next three years, Nightfall delivered 100 episodes, many of which became instant classics. While horror was the main focus, the show also explored science fiction, mystery, and human drama, keeping listeners on edge with every broadcast, all while fully utilizing eerie sounds and incidental music to complement the voice actors and storylines.

Incidental music, which plays a crucial role in setting the mood and enhancing the atmosphere of a scene, was an important tool used in Nightfall to heighten its eerie storytelling. This background music is often sourced from production music libraries and serves to complement the action, dialogue, or emotions in various episodes. In *Nightfall*, the music comes from libraries like Selected Sound and Bruton Music and includes compositions by artists such as Klaus Weiss, Gerhard Trede, and Berry Lipman.

Part of Nightfall's unique appeal came from its hosts, who set the tone for the eerie tales. In its first two seasons, Nightfall was hosted by "Luther Kranst"—a character voiced by Henry Ramer. Ramer, a well-known Canadian actor and voice performer, brought an air of mystery and menace to the show with his deep, commanding voice. He had a long career in Canadian radio and television, and his portrayal of Luther Kranst helped solidify his reputation as a master of creating tension and unease.

In the third and final season, the hosting duties shifted to Bill Reiter, who voiced Frederick Hende. Reiter, another experienced voice actor, brought a more subtle, psychological edge to the role. Though his style differed from Ramer's, Reiter maintained the show's unsettling atmosphere as the stories grew even darker. His portrayal of Frederick Hende had a more nuanced quality, which suited the increasingly unnerving stories as the series neared its conclusion. Both hosts played a critical role in setting the dark, haunting mood that made Nightfall unforgettable.

Selected Episodes of Nightfall

Since 100 episodes aired, choosing where to start as a new listener to the series is hard. What makes it even more difficult is that the episode descriptions that are available are rather lackluster compared to the types of descriptions we're used to today. I've picked a few to highlight here and rewritten the descriptions to be more like a book blurb. I've also included the original descriptions, which I've blatantly copied and pasted from Wikipedia.

"The Porch Light"

Season 2, Episode 14 (Overall Episode #52)

Written by Randy Brown

Initially aired on February 26, 1982

Original Episode Description

On the night of a snowstorm, a married couple wake up in their isolated home to find their porch light has been inexplicably turned on. The appearance of a man on the porch leads Bob to having to admit to his wife he has a secret about the house.

Rewritten Episode Description

In the middle of a brutal snowstorm, Bob wakes up to a strange sight—the porch light of his isolated country home is inexplicably on, and a man is standing outside, waving. As Bob and his wife try to make sense of the bizarre occurrence, they realize something isn't right. The man seems to vanish into thin air, leaving no footprints in the snow, and the house begins to betray them—locks turning on their own, lights flickering, and a mounting sense of dread. With no way to leave and the storm closing in, Bob is forced to confront a horrifying truth about their home, one that has been hidden for years. What started as a strange visitor soon becomes a night of terror, with no escape in sight.

"Love and the Lonely One"

Season 1, Episode 1 (Overall Episode #1)

Written by John Graham

Initially aired on July 4, 1980

Original Episode Description

Two medical students, Fred and George, steal the body of an elderly lady from the anatomy lab of their school to perform a joke. However, the prank causes a girl from another dimension to come to life where she begins to interfere in Fred's life, before he succumbs and joins her in death.

Rewritten Episode Description

Fred and George thought it was just a harmless prank—stealing an old woman's corpse from the anatomy lab and dropping it off at a sorority house as a twisted joke. But when Fred starts seeing strange visions and hearing the voice of a mysterious woman, it becomes clear that some things aren't meant to be disturbed. Drawn into a web of eerie encounters and haunting whispers, Fred realizes what began as a laugh is now spiraling into something much darker. As reality unravels around him, he'll discover the terrifying consequences of crossing the line between life and death...

"Child's Play"

Season 2, Episode 11 (Overall Episode #49)

Written by Arthur Samuels

Initially aired on February 5, 1982

Original Episode Description

Arthur and Mary inherit her parents home - an opulent mansion - and visit it for the first time. Mary's repressed childhood memories of her strict, religious upbringing come flooding back to haunt her as well as the murder of her parents in her own bedroom.

Rewritten Episode Description

When Arthur and Mary inherit her parents' sprawling mansion, they hope for a fresh start. But as they step inside for the first time, Mary's repressed childhood memories resurface—memories of a strict, suffocating religious upbringing and the horrifying murder of her parents in her own bedroom. As children's voices echo through the empty halls and eerie apparitions begin to surface, Mary is drawn deeper into a past she cannot escape. With secrets buried in every corner of the house, Arthur must confront the terrifying possibility that some horrors never truly die.

"Gerald"

Season 2, Episode 7 (Overall Episode #45)

Written by Bill Gray

Initially aired on January 8, 1982

Original Episode Description

Gerald, a child, has an evil imaginary friend, Tom, that uses his help to capture souls of those he has killed. His parents fail to spot his sociopathic tendencies, even when their dog and his friend Ricky, are found tortured and killed.

Rewritten Episode Description

Gerald's parents see him as a quiet, if unusual, child. They fail to notice his dark secrets and the presence of his imaginary friend, Tom. But Tom isn't just a figment of Gerald's imagination—he's something far more sinister. As pets and friends begin to meet violent ends, Gerald's parents remain blind to the growing darkness within their son. With each soul Tom and Gerald capture, their bond deepens, leaving a trail of death in its wake. As the truth unfolds, Gerald's parents must face the horrifying realization that their son isn't as innocent as he seems—and Tom is much more than a harmless playmate.

"How Did You Get My Name?"

Season 1, Episode 8 (Overall Episode #8)

Written by Don Dickinson and Allan Guttman

Initially aired on August 22, 1980

Original Episode Description

A man is released from a mental hospital and stays with an old friend. He immediately begins to receive phone calls and mail to the address and goes on to discover his own life and that of his friends is not what he thought it was. With Gordon Thomson (known for his role in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty).

Rewritten Episode Description

After years in a mental hospital, Jim Brent is finally released and stays with an old friend, Larry. But almost immediately, Jim starts receiving mysterious phone calls and mail—at an address he's never lived in. As the unsettling events escalate, Jim begins questioning everything he thought he knew about his life and the people around him. With reality unraveling, he faces a terrifying truth: his own identity and past are far more tangled than he could ever have imagined. And the more he digs, the closer he comes to a deadly revelation that might just cost him everything.

~~~

Those are some good episodes to start exploring the world of Nightfall. They haven't aired in a long time, but there are some you can find. I'll link some below. Though Nightfall wasn't from radio drama's heyday, it still manages to capture the qualities that made the format famous. Radio remained an essential medium until television became more widely accessible in the 1950s, which led to a decline in radio's prominence for scripted entertainment by the end of that decade.

No matter how dominant or revolutionary at its peak, every medium eventually fades or transforms as new technologies and platforms emerge. Just as old-time radio gave way to television, which itself has evolved with the rise of streaming services, the same fate as today's digital platforms. For example, once-dominant social media sites like MySpace have already faded into obscurity, and even platforms that are currently thriving, like TikTok and Twitter (now X), will eventually decline or be replaced by something new. History shows that no medium is immune to obsolescence; they all face the inevitable change driven by technological shifts and audience preferences.

Relevant & Related

• Listen to episodes of Nightfall​ on archive.org.
• Check out Campfire Radio Theater - A Modern Audio Drama Horror Anthology inspired by works like Nightfall.
• Read a lot more about each episode of ​Nightfall​ at otrplotspot.com.
• Into Old Time Radio? Try the Old Time Radio community over at Reddit: r/otr.
• Listen to those incidental music tracks I mentioned above on Spotify - ​Nightfall​ Soundtrack.
• Still have a working CD player around? You might enjoy the large library available at Radio Spirits.
• Check out Nightfall's​ page on CBC Radio. It's not much, but it's there.
• There used to be a website called The Digital Delí Too with a page dedicated to Nightfall. The site is gone, but you can access a copy here at the Internet Archive: ​Nightfall​ at The Digital Delí.
• Similiarly, there used to be a website called The Nightfall Project. It's also gone, but it's also available at the Internet Archive: The ​Nightfall​ Project.
• Want to explore more about the golden age of radio? Try RadioGold Index.
• Last but not least, check out the Nightfall (CBC) Facebook group.

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• ​Cooking With Vincent Price​
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• ​The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)​
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• And that time I made Retro Radio Holiday Gifts For a Few Friends loaded with Night of the Living Cake Monsters and a lot of other awesome.
• Oh, and let's not forget about The Tale of a Cult Classic: Are You Afraid of the Dark?