Episodes

SHOW NOTES Haunted Tales with Christina A Journey Into the Shadows of the Unexplained In this episode of Haunted Tales with Christina, listeners are invited into a world where the veil between the living and the dead feels just a little thinner. Christina guides us through a series of eerie encounters and atmospheric legends, blending personal storytelling with classic ghost‑lore in a way that feels intimate, unsettling, and deeply human. With her signature calm, steady narration, Christina expl...

The Departure In this series finale, we witness the end of an era. The Seven Gables is no longer a prison or a tomb, but a relic of a past that has finally been laid to rest. In Chapter 21, the threads of the Maule curse and the Pyncheon greed are finally untangled. This is the final chapter of Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece. It’s the moment where the heavy, dusty curtains of the Pyncheon legacy are finally pulled back to let in the light. Credits Producer Gizelle Erickson Executive Prod...

The Flower of Eden In this episode, we explore Chapter 20, where the Eden of the title refers not to a physical place, but to the blossoming relationship between Phoebe and Holgrave amidst the literal shadow of death. While Judge Pyncheon lies cold in the parlor, a new life is beginning just a few rooms away. This chapter serves as the emotional resolution of the novel’s romantic arc. It is a moment of stillness and profound connection that stands in stark contrast to the macabre imagery of th...

Alice’s Posies In this episode, we cover Chapter 19, where the "storm" has literally and figuratively passed. The focus shifts from the dead Judge to the return of the living, as Phoebe Pyncheon comes back to a house that is fundamentally changed. This chapter provides the breath of fresh air the reader (and the characters) desperately needs after the suffocating darkness of the Judge’s death. It’s a transition from the macabre back into the light, though the light reveals a startling new real...

Governor Pyncheon In this episode, we cover Chapter 18, "Governor Pyncheon." While previous chapters were filled with the frantic movement of Hepzibah and Clifford’s flight, this chapter is defined by a terrifying, heavy stillness. The narrator takes on a taunting, almost ghoulish tone as he addresses the unmoving figure of Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon. This chapter is widely considered one of the most stylistically unique and macabre pieces of writing in Hawthorne's career. It is a haunting "mement...

The Flight of Two Owls In this episode, we follow Hepzibah and Clifford as they flee the scene of Judge Pyncheon’s death. For the first time in decades, the "two owls" leave their dark nest and venture into a world that has moved on without them. This chapter is one of the most surreal and modern-feeling sections of the entire novel. After the claustrophobic tension of the Gables, Hawthorne suddenly throws his two most reclusive characters into the rushing speed of the 19th-century Industrial ...

Clifford’s Chamber This chapter is the point of no return for the novel. The tension that has been building since the Judge’s arrival in the previous chapter finally snaps, leading to one of the most eerie and surreal sequences in all of Gothic literature. In this episode, we cover the chilling events of Chapter 16. As a literal and metaphorical storm rages, the power dynamics within the House of the Seven Gables are flipped upside down in a single, silent moment. Credits Producer Gizelle Eri...

This chapter is where the slow-burn tension of the novel finally catches fire. With Phoebe gone, the "protective sunshine" has vanished, leaving Hepzibah and Clifford vulnerable to the family’s most dangerous predator. Show Notes Summary: The Scowl and Smile In this episode, we break down Chapter 15, a masterclass in psychological tension and the deconstruction of a villain. With a storm brewing outside, an even darker presence enters the House of the Seven Gables: Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon. Cre...

This episode is a gripping high-stakes thriller that sees the Shadow racing against a ticking clock to save the entire city from a mass casualty event. Episode Overview Title: "The Poison Death" First Aired: January 30, 1938 Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Cast & Voice Actors The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead Commissioner Weston: Dwight Weist Announcer: Ken Roberts Supporting Cast: Featured various members of the Mercury The...

This episode is widely considered one of the most chilling and macabre entries in the Orson Welles era, diving deep into the realms of horror and medical suspense. Episode Overview Title: "The Society of the Living Dead" First Aired: January 23, 1938 Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Cast & Voice Actors The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead Commissioner Weston: Dwight Weist Announcer: Ken Roberts The Villain: Often voiced by a gue...

This episode is a pulse-pounding thriller that tapped into the pre-war anxieties of the late 1930s, focusing on industrial destruction and the vulnerability of the nation's infrastructure. Episode Overview Title: "Sabotage" First Aired: January 16, 1938 Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Cast & Voice Actors The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead Commissioner Weston: Dwight Weist Announcer: Ken Roberts Supporting Players: Members of ...

This chapter marks a major turning point in the emotional landscape of the house. While Chapter 13 was about the ghosts of the past, Chapter 14 is very much about the changing hearts of the living. Phoebe’s Good-bye In this episode, we explore the aftermath of Holgrave’s storytelling and the quiet transformation of our protagonist. As Phoebe prepares to leave the House of the Seven Gables for a brief return to her country home, we witness a shift from the sunny girl who arrived to a woman who ...

This episode is a masterclass in suspense, featuring a high-stakes conspiracy that threatens the very infrastructure of the city. It remains one of the most action-oriented scripts of the Welles era. Episode Overview Title: "The League of Terror" First Aired: January 9, 1938 Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Cast & Voice Actors The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead Commissioner Weston: Traditionally played by Dwight Weist or Ray Col...

This episode is a fascinating psychological thriller that centers on a unique premise: a man’s own voice becoming his greatest enemy. It is a standout example of the "radio-noir" style Orson Welles helped pioneer. Episode Overview Title: "The Voice of Death" First Aired: December 26, 1937 Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Cast & Voice Actors The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead Commissioner Weston: Traditionally played by Dwight We...

This episode is famously cited by historians as a stylistic dry run for one of the most significant events in broadcasting history. Episode Overview Title: "The Death Triangle" First Aired: December 12, 1937 Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Cast & Voice Actors The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead Announcer: Ken Roberts Dr. James Evans: Supporting cast member Organist: Elsie Thompson Episode Summary The story begins with a harr...

Today we dive into one of the most atmospheric chapters of Nathanial Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables. Chapter 13 is a fascinating story within a story that highlights Hawthorne’s obsession with ancestral guilt and the supernatural. The Legend of Alice Pyncheon In this episode, we step away from the present-day tension of the Gables as Holgrave reads an original manuscript to Phoebe. We are transported back three generations to meet Alice Pyncheon, the beautiful and haughty daughter o...

This episode is a high-stakes urban thriller that finds the Shadow tackling a modern terror: a serial bomber. It is one of the surviving recordings from the legendary first season. Episode Overview Title: "The Circle of Death" First Aired: November 28, 1937 Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Cast & Voice Actors The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead Commissioner Weston: Traditionally played by Dwight Weist or Ray Collins during this e...

This episode is a quintessential Halloween classic, leaning heavily into the "ghostly" reputation of the Shadow to stop a psychological crime. Episode Overview Title: "The Three Ghosts" First Aired: October 31, 1937 (Halloween Night) Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Cast & Voice Actors The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Orson Welles Margot Lane: Agnes Moorehead Announcer: Arthur Whiteside (stepping in for the usual Ken Roberts in some listings) Organist: Elsie Thompson...

This episode is widely considered one of the most exotic and atmospheric of the Orson Welles era, leaning heavily into the "Eastern mysticism" that provided the foundation for The Shadow’s powers. Episode Overview Title: "The Temple Bells of Neban" First Aired: October 24, 1937 Network: Mutual Broadcasting System Sponsor: Blue Coal Credits Host and Producer Gizelle Erickson Executive Producer Jon Hagadorn Music: Thanks to Sound Gallery By Dmitry Taras "Scary Horror Music" The Shadow sou...

Tonight we peel back the moss-grown layers of Nathaniel Hawthorne's gothic masterpiece, The House of the Seven Gables, to examine a most peculiar resident in Chapter 12, “The Daguerreotypist.” While the shattered Clifford seeks rest, dreaming of a childhood long lost, Phœbe finds herself drawn into the company of the enigmatic Holgrave—a man whose past is a kaleidoscope of identities, ranging from a traveling peddler of cologne-water to a public lecturer on Mesmerism. Though he speaks of a brigh...

This episode is a haunting early entry in the series that plays with the boundary between the natural and the supernatural. It is one of the "lost" episodes of the original run, meaning no original recording survives, though scripts and modern recreations exist. The story centers on a series of impossible murders where the victims appear to have been killed by individuals who are already dead. A wealthy recluse dies under mysterious circumstances, and the evidence at the scene points directly...

Episode Summary The story follows Paul Gordon, an innocent man who is hours away from execution for a murder he didn’t commit. Gordon’s only "crime" was being desperate for work and unknowingly accepting a job as a getaway driver for a pair of bank robbers, Red Sloan and Lefty. During the robbery, a policeman was killed, and Gordon was framed as the triggerman. As the clock ticks toward 11:00 PM—the time of the execution—Lamont Cranston visits the "Death House" in disguise as a prison gua...

We are happy to announce some exciting things we’ve got going on this year. Starting this week, we will be bringing you “The Shadow” every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We will continue with Nathon Hawthorne’s classic, “The House of the Seven Gables” for our Friday Fright Night, releasing every Friday at midnight using the Libravox recording by Mark Smith. We are making this change in order to bring you more variety and content on a regular basis, including the fantastic character of the The Sha...

In Chapter 11, “The Arched Window,” of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables, the secluded life of Clifford Pyncheon is shockingly interrupted by the vibrant movement of the outside world. From the gloom of the upper story, Clifford peers out, observing the modern age and the rush and roar of the human tide. While he finds childish delight in relics of the past, he grapples with terrifying impulses. This constant struggle between a desire for connection and a profound sense of estr...