Lights Out: Murder Castle (1938) | H.H. Holmes Horror Radio
Before Jack the Ripper became a legend, H.H. Holmes built a hotel designed for murder. Lights Out dramatizes the true horror of Chicago’s World’s Fair killer — the man who constructed a castle of secret passages, gas chambers, and sealed rooms to prey on visitors to the 1893 Columbian Exposition. Originally broadcast February 16, 1938. True crime before true crime was a genre. This recording is in the Public Domain in the United States. Vintage Chills • Classic Serials • AI-Generated Terror
| Series | Lights Out |
| Episode | Murder Castle |
| Original Air Date | 1938-02-16 |
| 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.