Podcast Summary: “Dark Fantasy 41-12-05 (04) Demon Tree”

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Date: January 20, 2026
Original Airdate: December 5, 1941 (Original “Dark Fantasy” broadcast)
Runtime covered: 01:02 – 25:09

Episode Overview

This episode of Harold's Old Time Radio features the chilling radio play “Demon Tree” from the classic horror anthology "Dark Fantasy." In true Golden Age radio fashion, a group of travelers finds themselves trapped by supernatural forces in a cursed forest, where myth bleeds into reality, and a malevolent entity stalks the living. The episode expertly creates suspense, dread, and intrigue using atmospheric sound, engaging character interplay, and haunting narration.

Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

The Boredom and Discontent at the Inn (01:29–03:10)

• The story opens with four English guests—Humphreys, Crane, Clara, and Danvers—passing the time playing cards, lamenting their uncomfortable stay at a dreary countryside inn.
• Quote:
  • “Beastly place is right. Why people come here for a rest is more than I can determine. Honestly, I've never spent such an uncomfortable week in all my life.” — Clara (02:05)
• Danvers joins the group, and they decide to explore the nearby forest to pass time before their stagecoach arrives.

A Legend in the Woods—The Tale of the Demon Tree (03:10–06:27)

• Humphreys brings up a local legend about the haunted Barlow Forest and the infamous tree that is said to strangle those who enter.
• He shares a newspaper clipping:
  • The tale recounts how Sir Horace Wakefield was found strangled in the forest, with six descendants of the Wakefield line dying by such means.
  • The curse began with an ancient witch cursing Sir Thomas Holly Wakefield and planting a blood-smeared acorn that grew into a monstrous oak.
• Quote:
  • “She is said to have planted an acorn smeared with her own blood. The acorn is supposed to have grown into a towering oak, capable of moving about from place to place in Barlow Forest.” — Danvers, reading the article (05:08)
• Crane wonders aloud if he might be related to the Wakefield family.

Entering Barlow Forest—Supernatural Unease (06:27–09:43)

• The group enters the seemingly beautiful but forbidding woods.
• An unnatural chill and sense of dread set in; the forest is noticeably colder and darker.
• They encounter a strange, giant oak tree.
• A series of shocking discoveries:
  • The bark feels disturbingly like human skin.
• Quote:
  • “I just touched the bark of that tree. And didn't feel like bark at all? No, it felt like... like human skin.” — Crane (08:52)

Panic, Terror, and Death (09:43–15:37)

• The party becomes lost as unnatural darkness shrouds them.
• Crane, increasingly desperate, breaks away from the group and is attacked.
• Quote:
  • “You'll think this is foolish, but I swear I felt the branch of a tree brush across my face and shoulder... it felt warm and soft. Like human flesh.” — Crane (12:25)
• Crane is found dead, with mysterious green stains and marks on his throat, and the demon tree vanishes from sight.
• Quote:
  • “Look at him. Marks on his throat like hands would make... That wasn't done by hands. See? Stains on his skin. Green stains.” — Clara (14:23)
• The others resolve to stick together, but are haunted by the feeling they’re pawns in a dark design.

More Losses—The Tree Strikes Again (15:37–20:22)

• As the group tries to find their way out, Danvers is attacked by a tree branch and pulled to his death in a quicksand pit, the branch preventing rescue.
• The supernatural, mobile tree makes a ghostly appearance, carrying Crane's body.
• Quote:
  • “It's the tree. Moving along in a glow of phosphorescent light.” — Humphreys (17:55)
  • “That tree branch is baiting me. I can't get near the Pole. The branch keeps bidding me back. Humphrey, do something!” — Danvers (19:17)

Escape—But No Sanctuary (21:06–22:58)

• Only Humphreys and Clara manage to find their way back to the inn.
• They are haunted by the sense that the curse of the tree still lingers.
• Quote:
  • “I have a feeling that this whole business isn't over yet.” — Humphreys (22:20)
  • “A feeling that we're not finished with the demon tree... Or that it's not finished with us.” — Clara (22:29–22:33)

The Final Haunting—The Tree's Reach Extends (22:58–24:10)

• Upon returning to their room, they discover a living branch of the demon tree on the bed, pulsating with uncanny energy.
• In the chaos, Clara is driven to the elevator shaft by the malevolent branch and falls to her death. Humphreys is strangled by the branch as he tries to call for help.
• Quote:
  • “That branch. It pushed her down the shaft. It's after me. Get away. Get away. Help me. Help me, somebody. The tree. The demon tree. It's chalking me.” — Humphreys (23:41)

Epilogue—The Curse Restated (24:10–24:49)

• The narrator’s voice repeats the legend:
  • “A descendant of Sir Thomas Hurley Wakefield, who enters Barlow Forest is doomed to die. And all who enter the forest with him are likewise doomed.” (24:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I say, it's getting a little lighter, Clara... Isn't that a path?” — Humphreys, hope flickering amidst horror (21:14)
• “It just doesn't seem right leaving him there.” — Humphreys, expressing the helplessness and grief of the survivors (15:30)
• The atmosphere: Tight-knit group dynamics, descent into hysteria, and the shifting, inescapable threat of the Demon Tree is enhanced by sound design and dialogue-driven suspense.
• The living, mobile tree is both monstrous and uncannily human, representing the supernatural at its most inexplicable and terrifying.

Important Timestamps

• 01:13 – Eerie opening: “I am the spirit of the demon tree.”
• 04:13–05:38 – Reading of the legend and curse.
• 08:52 – Discovery of the human-flesh-like bark.
• 13:34–14:42 – Crane’s death and its aftermath.
• 17:55–18:32 – The tree appears, carrying Crane’s body.
• 19:11–19:44 – Danvers is attacked and lost to the quicksand.
• 21:20–22:33 – Survivors return, but dread remains.
• 23:00–24:10 – The demon tree branch attacks in the hotel, claiming the last survivors.

Tone & Style

The story is told in classic 1940s radio drama style—clipped English accents, dry wit even in terror (“Perhaps you're right, Crane, but this way I get a sense of honest toil”), and an escalating sense of helpless doom. Dialogue and sound together weave an atmosphere of gothic suspense and chilling inevitability.

Final Thoughts

This episode captures the essence of Golden Age radio horror: a malevolent supernatural curse, inescapable fate, and the collapse of reason amid mysterious terror. “Demon Tree” stands out for its effective use of legend, group dynamics, and a horror that “isn’t finished” once the story seems over.

If you love atmospheric horror, classic storytelling, and the unique chills of old time radio, this is an essential listen.