Lights Out: Mad World (1937) | Social Collapse Horror Radio
When the world loses its mind, sanity becomes the most dangerous condition. Lights Out delivers a vision of social breakdown that feels as urgent today as it did on May 19, 1937. Arch Oboler’s portrait of a civilization consuming itself — rendered in the intimate language of radio, where every voice is close enough to touch. A horror without a monster. The people are enough. This recording is in the Public Domain in the United States. Vintage Chills • Classic Serials • AI-Generated Terror
| Series | Lights Out |
| Episode | Mad World |
| Original Air Date | 1937-05-19 |
| 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.