Fear on 4 - The Speciality of the House, by Stanley Ellin
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
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Fear on 4 was the late 1980s revival of the classic 'Appointment with Fear' anthology series, presented by Valentine Dyall as The Man in Black. Sadly Dyall didn't live long enough to reprise his role in this new series, so Edward De Souza took over (to great effect).
MYSTERIOUS MAGPIE is a channel devoted to ghost and horror stories on British radio, and to dark tales of every kind.
I have another channel, MYSTICAL MAGPIE, which is all about stories of fantasy, mythology, and adventure: / @mysticalmagpie-wo5fn
If you're interested to learn about the century-long history of ghost and horror stories broadcast at Christmas on British television and radio, you might like to check out HOLLY WRAITHS (and its companion volume HOLLY TERRORS), an A-Z guide available in paperback and ebook from Amazon and Lulu.com.
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Gosh I've been looking for this for YEARS. I remember this from when I was a kid - it creeped the life out of me!
It's a good story and a popular one - there's also an episode of 'The Price of Fear' that adapts this story...
Stanley Ellin's first short story, 'The Speciality of the House', about a New York restaurant with a special gourmet menu, was published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in 1948 and caused an immediate sensation, winning him a special Ellery Queen Award. 'The House Party' and 'The Blessington Method' subsequently both won Edgar Awards. Stanley Ellin, who was made a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America in 1980, is acknowledged as one of the great masters of the 20th-century short story, and this volume brings together the best of his work in the genre.
'A macabre little tale about an unusual restaurant in Manhattan and its lonely patrons, it displayed both a debt to Edgar Allan Poe and an acute understanding of human nature that is the key to the success of his work' GUARDIAN
Vincent Price's version was pretty priceless. Utube, the price of fear.
Heard another version of this on “The Price of Fear”
Yes, it's much-adapted. I've got the Price of Fear version on the channel, but also this shorter version: ruclips.net/video/QP2JFplFXxs/видео.html
I remember a horror radio drama from a very long ago I've been looking for for years
The only scene I remember involved a devil worshipping priest who orders his stupid assistant to dig up the corpse of a young boy to be used in his rituals
I distinctly remember the priest remarks on the boys face frozen in an expression of anguish
That sounds genuinely chilling. Was this in the UK? And if it was, do you remember anything else about it, eg which decade it would have been broadcast? There are pretty detailed records of the BBC radio schedules available, you see...
@mysteriousmagpie It was in the UK, yes
In terms of decade, pretty sure it was the 90s I heard it, though it could have actually been recorded earlier
I was pretty young at the time, so I unfortunately remember very little about it
It was on BBC radio, that I know for certain
Aha. Well, in my experience early memories like that are often inexact so I think what you might be remembering is a play called The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral by Robert Westall. Technically it's based on a children's novel which might help rcplain why you were listening to it when so young. It was originally broadcast on Saturday afternoons in '96 and '97. and crucially it builds to a climax where a child is discovered to have been buried alive by a church architect. The people who make the discovery include a priest. So I'd say there's a good chance you're remembering this one. The good news is that you can find it on several youtube channels including this one. Do let me know if this is it: ruclips.net/video/lJItoUqT_1k/видео.html
@mysteriousmagpie It's possible this is the one, I suppose.
An enjoyable radio drama in any case
Very dark for a children's story
@@SamuelBlack84 I'll give it some thought, I'm sure there are other possibilities...
All that slurping and banging of the cutlery on the plates really got on my nerves
A thank you to @moxievintage1390 for finding this recording
Always unsettling to hear something from your childhood referred to as 'vintage'! Happily all of Fear on 4 survives, which is not true of its antecedent, The Price of Fear (presented by Vincent Price). However, one episode of PoF that does survive is an earlier adaptation of this same story, which you might also like. That's available on several YT channels including this one.