Hey there, Trick or Treaters. Got a special Halloween treat for ya’.
On the evening of October 30, 1938, a twenty-something Orson Welles and his troupe, the Mercury Theatre on the Air, put on a radio adaptation of a literary classic that managed to fool a nation-wide audience into thinking that an honest-to-god alien invasion was occurring in upstate New York. People unlucky enough to tune in a few minutes after the contextual introduction listened in horror and fled for the hills.
As a special Halloween treat, JKP! is proud to present this performance in its entirety. I’ve mentioned my fondness for audiobooks and radio dramas before, and they don’t get much better than this. It’s the little touches– the stutters, the stumbles, the awkward pauses– that really make this one feel real. Despite being almost 3/4ths of a century in age, this performance still manages to raise a few hairs on the back of my neck with every listen.
Turn off the lights, kick back, and enjoy a true classic from the golden age of radio. Happy Halloween!
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Click here to download! (.mp3, 28.7 mb)
