October 31, 2004 - Special Halloween Presentation

[Fizzlestix]

The call went out to choose the most terrifying CBS RMT episode,
worthy of the <font color=#993333>2004 Halloween Special Show of the Week.</font color>

<font color=orange>781211 - A Horror Story</font color>
<font color=gray>Written by Elspeth Eric; Starring Robert Drydon</font color>

Congratulations and thank you to Brian1984_2001,
who's choice for this program received the highest number of votes (two). ;)
Honorable mentions go out to lorimae and Ross.

Thank you, also, for everyone's excellent suggestions and participation.

<font color=gray>To review the final voting, please visit this link to the Off The Air forum:</font color>
<a href="http://www.cbsrmt.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1220" target="_blank"><font color=orange>Calling all Ghouls and Boils: VOTING BOOTH
</font color></a>
Have a safe and completely wicked Halloween.

Enjoy the show! :twisted:

[ 27. June 2005, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: Fizzlestix ]

[Fizzlestix]

I'll be the first to review this one, as I had the pleasure to listen to it last night. And in the interest of preserving the "rules" of the SOW reviews, if you've never heard this tale before don't read this review! It is a wonderful show and should be heard without any bias or info going into it.

Thanks! :twisted:

It was just after midnight - on Halloween - when I listened to this program. I had heard it once a very long time ago, so the details were not fresh in my mind.

Even some of the more diabolical episodes that had been written for the RMT can't compare to the brutality, the grimness, and the sheer menace of this "Hannibal" type character.

The show paints a timeless portrait of a man who struggles with his own existence, and even perhaps mortality, at any cost. After the show, I kept wondering what his parents were like. What his childhood was like. Much the same way when I read about someone in real life who has committed atrocities such as our villain.

Elspeth Eric always writes very deep, provocative stories which tend to stir the imagination and evoke something emotional on many levels. While some of her works are a sure-hit, many often miss. However, this episode transcends. It not only hits, but it hits with a kitchen mallet right on the soft spot of every RMT listener.

I assume we all expect (and allow) a fair amount of foul play, violence, betrayal, and even evil behavior to seep into our minds when we tune in, but this show doth spilleth over. She holds back in her writing, only in a way that someone of aristocracy holds back from being crude. This episode is gallant in every word, and the actors - especially Drydon - perform them as though they in fact, were the characters themselves.

Even the character of the wife is delivered with bored restraint and exhibits a life of unenthusiasm, disappointment, and complacency.

While being vile in most respects, the acts of our villain are not, I believe, so far off from our own behavior. "He didn't comment on the truffles?"

How many times have we put out an extended effort into something, only to be praised - but not where we needed the praise most? How often do we take such incredible pride in our work that we'd be willing to take risks to present it? Indeed, this character was only flawed by one mark: he was a flippin' psychopath! ;)

And that's why I gave this show a 5 rating. Perfect on every level, for me. There were a couple of moments during the show where I thought the writing was a bit overboard (the slippers coming to life) and off-tone (why would he think it was the police coming to arrest him so quickly? He appeared much too cool to drop his guard so fast), but I overlooked them based on how well everything was pulled off.

Alas, I'm writing a book. A great episode and a perfect selection for this Halloween show.

Thanks Brian1984_2001!

[Ross]

Yup. Listened to it while driving to TX from CA a couple of weeks ago. Most definitely the creepiest RMT I have ever heard. I played it for my race teammate last year while driving back from racing in Vegas. He thought it was pretty darn creepy too. That from someone who hasn't heard many RMT's. He was surprised at the content, pleasantly surprised. smile.gif

Good write-up fizz, nothing more to add here.

- Ross

[Fizzlestix]

Thx Ross! I can't imagine introducing someone to the RMT using this show. I mean, not for nothing, but if this were the first show I'd heard, (almost) everything else wouldn't have met up!

[brian1984_2001]

I disagree that Elspeth Eric evokes strong emotions. I think much of her work is unadulterated sappiness. She overuses the "abused woman talking to her therapist" device. Furthermore, she often tells two thirds of a good story only to disappoint you with a sappy or stupid ending.

However, Elspeth hits the mark with "A Horror Story". There is no sap or stupidity here. This is pure horror with all the gore you can get in a radio drama.

What makes it a masterpiece is Dryden's fantastic portrayal of the narrator. This is by far his finest performance.

This ranks, I think, as the best episode ever. Only Hickory, Dickory, Doom comes close for me.

[Texas]

- I always love a show when they do "New Orleans accents" (as Ian Martin's character did) but the actors sound more like they're in Mississippi or Alabama at the time. Maybe they had accents like that in New Orleans about the era when this was done, but my Orleaneux friends used to get the biggest kicks out of seeing films supposedly in their city with accents like that.

- Speaking of Martin...he was a gem. It's so hard to find pictures and information on him. Howard Moss, who does have pictures out there on the Web, was tremendous as well. The RMT had their "A" team of character actors out for this one...a tremendously talented bunch.

- The funny thing was, as spooky as this was supposed to be, I cracked up listening to the feminine grunts and cackles the shoes made.

- Dryden was indeed excellent on this...as good as he was in "The rise and fall of the fourth reich". The transformation between his chef/proprietor character and his "spirit" was fascinating as well.

- Indeed, I was astonished that this was an Eric work. As Brian says, psycho-drama was her specialty. I honestly wondered if she was a psychology student in college at one point.

- The orchestral strings and tympani music bed was tremendous under the "ghost's" voice. That one always evokes an uneasy feeling in me.