Lights Out: State Executioner (1937) | Death Penalty Horror Radio
The man who pulls the switch. Lights Out examines the psychological horror of the state executioner — the person society appoints to kill in its name — and what happens when that killing begins to follow him home. Originally broadcast March 17, 1937. A study in guilt, consequence, and the darkness waiting inside every act of sanctioned violence. This is not a ghost story. It is worse. This recording is in the Public Domain in the United States. Vintage Chills • Classic Serials • AI-Generated Terror
| Series | Lights Out |
| Episode | State Executioner |
| Original Air Date | 1937-03-17 |
| Network | NBC Radio |
| Genre | Horror, supernatural, psychological terror |
| Series Run | 1934–1947 |
About Lights Out
Lights Out was one of radio’s first and most daring horror programs, premiering on NBC Radio in 1934. Created by Wyllis Cooper and later shaped by Arch Oboler, the show ran until 1947 and became infamous for episodes so disturbing NBC received thousands of complaints — and renewed it anyway. The sound design pushed the medium to its absolute limits.
“It is later than you think.”
Midnight Macabre publishes classic OTR horror every day at 2pm, 6pm, and 10pm EST. Subscribe on YouTube — Lights Out, The Whistler, Inner Sanctum, Sherlock Holmes, and more.