Witch's Tale · Classic Radio Shows

Witch's Tale - 1932.07.25 Rockabye Baby

·28 min·2 clips

Joan reveals she is Robert Christie's sister, trapping Melvin in the haunted room for revenge.

This episode of "The Witch's Tale" is a horror story framed by host Old Nancy and her black cat, Satan. The narrative centers on a man named Melvin who orchestrates a cruel scheme in a supposedly haunted tower room. Melvin bets a visiting American couple, Robert and Susie Christie, a thousand pounds that they cannot spend the night in the room, knowing he will terrify them with a staged haunting. Melvin explains the room is haunted by the spirit of a headless ancestor, a sadistic strangler with dozens of victims. He provides the Christies with candles and a pistol with tampered cartridges. Once midnight passes, the candles begin mysteriously extinguishing due to prepared wicks, plunging the couple into darkness. A figure in a headless costume emerges from a secret passage, causing Susie to faint from fright. Melvin and his accomplice, Beckett, listen outside, expecting the Christies to flee and forfeit the bet. Instead, they hear Robert singing "Rockabye Baby" to his wife's lifeless body; Susie has died of terror, and Robert has lost his mind. Five years later, a down-on-his-luck Melvin meets a woman named Joan in Paris who knows his secret. Joan insists Melvin regain his nerve by returning to Melvin Manor and marrying her, with their bridal night spent in the same tower room. Once inside, the candles again begin to blow out unnaturally. Joan reveals herself as Robert Christie's sister, who spent five years hunting Melvin for vengeance. She has arranged for Robert, now a harmless madman, and his physician to be hidden in the house. As Melvin stares in terror at the living Robert, Joan points a gun at him. When the doctor enters, he finds Melvin dead from fright and reveals Robert actually died from heart failure ten minutes prior. The story is presented as a classic, atmospheric horror tale with a suspenseful narrative structure. The tone is eerie and dramatic, relying on gothic tropes like ancestral curses, secret passages, and psychological terror. Listeners who enjoy old-time radio horror with twist endings and themes of revenge and guilt will appreciate this episode. Those who prefer modern, fast-paced storytelling or are sensitive to period-typical audio quality and melodramatic acting might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A nursery song, a dark room, and old-time radio dread that keeps tightening its grip.

The Witch's Tale turns a lullaby into domestic horror with Robert and Susie trapped in a room that keeps feeling less safe as the candles go out and the song comes back.

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Why you'd press play

A lullaby turns into a marriage nightmare.

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