Podcast Summary: The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

Episode: "Speak Of The Devil" (CBS Radio Mystery Theater)

Date: November 8, 2025 | First Aired: January 25, 1974

Episode Overview

This episode of The Horror! features the chilling old time radio drama "Speak Of The Devil," originally broadcast by CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Set against the eerie, untamed landscape of Scotland’s Solway Firth, the story unravels a battle between the natural and the supernatural for a young woman’s soul. The episode artfully explores the thin boundaries between folklore, madness, and evil—inviting listeners to discern between the psychological and the otherworldly. Host E.G. Marshall’s rich narration enhances the suspense throughout, drawing audiences deep into a world where ancient superstitions may hold fatal truths.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Introduction to the Setting & Themes

• [00:33] E.G. Marshall: Sets the tone by promising “sounds of suspense” and describes the setting: windswept, supernatural Scotland.
  • "This is a tale of a titanic struggle between two colossal forces. One natural, the other supernatural. The prize, a girl's soul."
• The Solway Firth is introduced as a place of physical danger (tides, quicksand) and supernatural threat—home to bogies, warlocks, and the “eldritch.”

2. The Seance and the Unseen Presence

• [03:13] Aunt Jeannie, Mary Ellen, Michael, and others hold a seance, reaching out to spirits through Aunt Jeannie's “control,” Anatu—a Babylonian slave.
  • The group contacts something potentially evil:
    • "Kishpa is breathing fire tonight... There is evil." ([05:13] Narrator/Announcer)
  • A burning smell, panic, and fear ensue, hinting at a malevolent intrusion.
  • Aunt Jeannie, shaken, swears off seances:
    • "I'm afraid I'll lose some devil out of hell this night." ([06:02] Aunt Jeannie)

3. Family Past, Loss, and Nostalgia

• Aunt Jeannie reflects on raising Mary Ellen after her mother's (“Maggie’s”) death, establishing a pattern of second sight (“the call”) in the family ([07:27–08:24]).
• Michael and Mary Ellen, soon to be married, discuss old beliefs versus modern skepticism ([09:45–11:00]).

4. Marriage, Night Terrors, and Ominous Smells

• Michael and Mary Ellen’s wedding night is overshadowed by dread, mysterious smells, and Mary Ellen’s discomfort ([12:04–14:39]).
• Aunt Jeannie and Michael are worried about Mary Ellen’s sensitiveness and growing distress, echoing Maggie’s tragic fate.

5. Honeymoon, Pregnancy, and Psychological Decline

• After the wedding, Aunt Jeannie leaves the couple alone for a month ([18:02]), upon returning, Mary Ellen is overjoyed and reveals her pregnancy ([21:11]).
  • "Oh, don't say anything to Mike yet. But I just have to tell someone. Aunt Jeannie, I think...I know I'm pregnant." ([20:49] Mary Ellen)
• Mary Ellen’s health falters: mysterious, persistent “morning sickness” that is not just in the mornings ([21:45–22:05]).
• Increasingly, Mary Ellen cannot sleep, fearing her dreams ([23:22]):
  • Michael: "She won't go to sleep at nights. She forces herself to stay awake. What is it she's afraid of dreaming about?"

6. Growing Supernatural Threat & Death

• Aunt Jeannie suspects the only solution is for Mary Ellen to leave Scotland ([23:42]).
• Plans to return to America are made, but Mary Ellen collapses with pain, possibly a miscarriage ([25:47]).
• The phone is out, and Michael rides out to get the doctor ([26:14]), only to die in a mysterious riding accident:
  • "He was literally trampled to death." ([28:15] Dr. Ferguson)
  • Aunt Jeannie: "She never threw a body in her life. She was a generous..."

7. Trauma, Madness, and Fear of the Unborn

• Mary Ellen is devastated and emotionally numb ([29:34–30:14]). Doctors diagnose her with a form of paranoid schizophrenia.
  • Dr. Ferguson: "Schizophrenia…dementia praecox, paranoid type, I guess.” ([30:22] Dr. Ferguson)
• Mary Ellen begs Aunt Jeannie for another seance to contact Michael ([34:10]):
  • "Take me to Michael and Jeannie. Take me to him." ([33:49] Mary Ellen)
• In the seance, a message warns Mary Ellen the child she carries is not Michael’s and is unnatural:
  • "It's not our child you're carrying. Get rid of it." ([37:00] Michael apparition)
• Medical reality aligns with the supernatural: her pregnancy is more advanced than possible, and abortion is too risky ([38:01]).

8. Climax and Tragedy

• Faced with isolation, madness, and a monstrous pregnancy, Mary Ellen dies, likely by suicide ([41:36]).
• Dr. Ferguson notes her child appeared physically strange ([42:08]). Aunt Jeannie concludes it was “the Lord’s will”—a possible supernatural intervention or the tragic end of a broken mind.

9. Final Reflection & Thematic Note

• E.G. Marshall closes with ambiguity, suggesting both supernatural and psychological explanations:
  • "If you believe some dreadful incubus possessed poor Ellen...There is another explanation. Insanity did run in her family." ([42:56])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• E.G. Marshall:

  • "The Scots word for tonight's story is eldritch. It means uncanny, eerie, frightful, otherworldly." ([02:41])
  • "Who dreams on the Solway will wake in another world." ([02:41], [42:56])
  • "Speak of the devil and his horns appear." ([14:59])

• Aunt Jeannie:

  • "I'm afraid I'll lose some devil out of hell this night." ([06:02])
  • "You'll not have Mary Ellen. You will not have her. Like my sister Maggie." ([14:45])
  • "May God forgive me. I…promise." ([35:11])

• Mary Ellen:

  • "It's not our child you're carrying. Get rid of it." ([37:00] – spirit of Michael or something posing as him)
  • "There’s no one to help me but myself." ([38:42])

• Dr. Ferguson and Aunt Jeannie:

  • "His body was covered with hoof marks. He was literally trampled to death." ([28:15])
  • "There was something strange about that embryo. I can't quite explain." ([42:08])

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:33 – Opening narrative, introduction of main conflict (Marshall)
• 03:12–06:02 – The seance scene, first supernatural contact/malevolence
• 12:04–14:39 – Wedding night/strange phenomena, growing dread
• 21:11 – Mary Ellen’s pregnancy revealed
• 25:47–28:15 – Sudden medical emergency, Michael's death
• 30:22 – Discussion of Mary Ellen's psychological condition
• 34:10–37:14 – Seance to contact Michael – disturbing revelation about the pregnancy
• 41:36–42:56 – Mary Ellen's tragic end and unsettling aftermath
• 42:56 – Final philosophical reflection, supernatural vs. madness ambiguity

Overall Tone & Style

• Haunting, atmospheric, and rooted in Scottish folklore.
• Honest about the power of both superstition and psychological distress.
• Dialogue is tender, colloquial, and laced with folkloric wisdom or skepticism.
• The story leaves listeners unsettled—unsure if evil was external or within the mind.

Conclusion

"Speak Of The Devil" is a standout example of old time radio horror, weaving ancestral fears, psychological trauma, and the eerie Scottish landscape into a tragedy that defies easy explanation. It leaves listeners pondering the reality of evil—whether ghostly, hereditary, or both.