Inner Sanctum: "The Creeping Wall" (Original Air Date: January 8, 1946)

Podcast: Harold’s Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Episode aired on podcast: October 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This gripping installment from the "Inner Sanctum Mystery" radio series, titled "The Creeping Wall," is a gothic psychological thriller centered on Karen Jeremy, a woman haunted by claustrophobia, dreams, and her obsession with beauty. Set in an imposing old mansion filled with unsettling mirrors and a sinister portrait, the episode explores Karen’s unraveling grip on reality as she is beset by fears both supernatural and psychological. The drama is punctuated by a macabre sense of humor from the show’s iconic host and rich with atmospheric effects characteristic of Golden Age radio.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Squeaking Door & Themes of Fear

• The show opens with the host's signature dark humor, inviting listeners to "pick yourself a place to stand... or stretch out on the floor... You’ll have plenty of company before we get through with tonight’s list of victims." (00:39)
• Immediate mood: Expect the macabre blended with tongue-in-cheek commentary, setting up the expectation of a chilling tale.

2. Introducing Karen’s Claustrophobia and Nightmares

• Karen begins recounting her irrational fear of walls in her own home—walls that seem to close in on her. (03:12)
  • Memorable Quote:
    “Can you think of anything more absurd than being afraid of the walls in your own home? Why I should feel that way, I don’t know.” (03:12)
• A vivid nightmare sequence: Karen dreams the walls physically move to crush her, freezing only when she lights a match, signifying her desperation and fragile mental state. (03:29–05:40)

3. The Incident and Escalating Tension

• The stress manifests in reality: Karen, in a moment of fear, seemingly sets the curtains on fire (matches found on the floor), though she cannot recall doing so. Horace, her husband, suggests medical help. (06:30–07:14)
• Dr. Gustafson analyzes Karen, suggesting her obsession with beauty and aging is at the root of her fears:
  • Notable Quote:
    “You have an obsession about being beautiful... That’s why you’re afraid of close scrutiny. That may account for your fear of close spaces.” – Dr. Gustafson (08:10)

4. A New Home, New Nightmares: Meadow Mansion

• In hopes of helping Karen, Horace surprises her by buying "Meadow Mansion," a sprawling estate formerly owned by a naturalist. (09:18–10:24)
• The house is filled with cages of animals waiting for relocation:
  • Karen becomes fixated on a caged Bushmaster snake, empathizing with its plight, an allegory for her own feelings of entrapment. (11:54–13:06)
• Tragedy strikes: The snake escapes and kills Mr. Swanson, the rental agent. Karen insists she did not open the cage, but doubts linger. (13:24–14:18)

5. The Haunted Drawing Room: Mirrors and the Delilah Portrait

• The mansion’s drawing room dazzles Karen with its numerous mirrors—a symbol that will torment her later. She is unsettled by a provocative painting of a woman named Delilah, sparking jealous unease. (10:46–11:32; 18:31–19:15)
  • Notable Quote:
    “She looks evil to me.” – Karen (11:41)
    “You’re just jealous of her. You’re jealous of any beautiful woman, even if she’s only a painting.” – Horace (18:43–18:49)

6. Climax: Paranoia, Violence, and Breakdown

• Karen, obsessed by the Delilah painting, attacks it with a knife. A confrontation with Alice, the maid, spirals into violence—Alice is killed (possibly accidentally). (19:15–21:01)
• Karen desperately tries to hide the evidence and herself:
  • Notable Moment:
    "She was lying on the floor... I didn't stab. It wasn't me... I hid her in the closet because I didn't think you'd believe me." (21:03–24:25)
• Horace uncovers the truth about Alice's disappearance. Karen’s mental state collapses as she sees the walls closing in physically and psychologically. (24:38–25:29)

7. Supernatural Denouement: Mirrors, Delilah, and Escape

• The mirrors come to life—Karen sees hideous versions of herself multiplying and moving between mirrors. Delilah’s portrait comes alive and mocks her, even physically attacking by cutting Karen’s hair. (25:43–27:03)
  • Notable Quote:
    "All the images of me began to come out of the mirrors right into the room. It was incredible. They were all ugly." (25:43)
  • "I'm Delilah and I'm going to cut off your hair..." (26:47)
• The spirit of the mansion offers Karen salvation within the confines of the painting.
  • Notable Dialogue:
    “If you get into the picture frame, they won’t be able to harm you. Quickly, quickly, before Delilah comes back.” (27:41)
• Karen’s transformation—her beauty restored in death/trapped within the portrait.

8. Host’s Epilogue: Grim Humor and Reflection

• The host returns, darkly joking about the night’s body count ("...we certainly framed her.") and breaking the fourth wall with playful banter about the macabre story’s "lifelike" (or death-like) results. (29:05–29:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Can you think of anything more absurd than being afraid of the walls in your own home?" – Karen, 03:12
• "I had to light matches to stop them. Oh, Horace, it was ghastly." – Karen, 05:30
• "You have an obsession about being beautiful... that may account for your fear of close spaces." – Dr. Gustafson, 08:10
• "She looks evil to me." – Karen about the portrait of Delilah, 11:41
• "You're jealous of any beautiful woman, even if she's only a painting." – Horace, 18:43
• "I didn't stab... It wasn't me. It couldn't be me." – Karen after Alice’s death, 21:01
• "All the images of me began to come out of the mirrors right into the room... They were all ugly." – Karen, 25:43
• "If you get into the picture frame, they won't be able to harm you. Quickly, quickly, before Delilah comes back." – The Spirit, 27:41
• "As for our heroine, it's true we didn't kill her off, but we certainly framed her." – The Host, 29:05

Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Scene | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------| | 00:39 | Host’s macabre introduction | | 03:12 | Karen’s first account of fear, haunted by walls | | 05:30 | Nightmare of the walls closing in | | 06:30 | Real-world fire incident, Horace intervenes | | 08:10 | Dr. Gustafson’s session with Karen | | 09:18 | Horace buys Meadow Mansion | | 13:06 | Bushmaster snake escapes — Swanson is killed | | 18:31 | Karen’s fixation on Delilah’s portrait | | 19:15 | Karen slashes painting, confrontation with Alice | | 21:01 | Alice’s death and cover-up attempt | | 24:38 | Horace discovers the truth | | 25:43 | Mirrors come alive; Delilah attacks Karen | | 27:41 | The spirit offers Karen escape into the painting | | 28:19 | Karen, youthful again, speaks from the frame | | 29:05 | Host’s closing, meta-jokes about story events |

Tone and Language

• The episode maintains a blend of suspenseful, Gothic horror and dark, self-aware humor throughout.
• The Host’s witticisms provide levity and commentary, while Karen’s narration is emotional and increasingly unreliable, oscillating between terror, sorrow, and delusion.
• Dialogue often teeters between melodramatic and chillingly understated, reflecting the conventions of 1940s radio mysteries.

For New Listeners

This episode is a classic example of "Inner Sanctum Mystery" at its best: atmospheric, psychological horror laced with sly humor. Listeners will find themselves drawn into Karen’s crumbling psyche and the story’s supernatural undertones, right up until the infamous twist ending where art, death, and madness blend inside the haunted walls of Meadow Mansion.

Whether you’re a fan of radio drama or new to Golden Age audio mysteries, "The Creeping Wall" is a memorable journey through fear, obsession, and the dangers lurking in seemingly safe places—especially when haunted by the ghosts of beauty and age.