Podcast Summary:

The Horror! (Old Time Radio)
Episode: "Superstition Be Hanged" by Dark Fantasy
Date: September 13, 2025
Host: RelicRadio.com

Episode Overview

"Superstition Be Hanged" delivers an eerie tale blending superstition, fate, and psychological horror. Set in the tense, insular world of a circus, the episode revolves around Flyer Sampson's deadly trapeze stunt and the dark omen of a blood-spotted white feather. As death strikes, suspicion and fear tighten around the remaining performers, leading to an unravelling of trust and a chilling confrontation with fate—driven by the mysterious fortune teller Harajala. Listeners are drawn into a story where disbelief in superstition proves fatal, and destiny seems inexorably lethal.

Key Discussion Points and Narrative Highlights

1. Setting the Scene: The Fatal Circus Act (02:12-06:36)

• The episode opens with the introduction of Flyer Sampson, a trapeze artist about to attempt a dangerous new trick without a safety net.
  • Announcer: "So all eyes attentive, I give you... Flyer Samson... who refuses to use a net, the better to entertain you..." (02:12)
• A sense of foreboding is set by discussions among the circus performers about the importance of the white feather, said to ward off a terrible fate, as warned by fortune teller Harajala.
• Sampson performs, but tragedy strikes; he becomes entangled in the ropes and dies.
  • Harajala: "Now look at him hanging there, caught in the twisted trapeze rope. Hanging." (06:05)

2. Enter the Detective: Investigation and Suspicion (06:36-12:22)

• Inspector Guilfoyle questions Ruby Brooks and Barker (Jeff Kilby), the fellow performers, probing into Flyer's refusal to use the net and the mysterious feather.
  • Barker: "Strange, isn't it? That a man should die trying his new stunt for the first time?" (08:48)
• Tension mounts as Ruby and Barker deflect questions about the feather, growing defensive about their involvement and the role of superstition.
  • Ruby Brooks: "We run a pretty respectable circus, mister." (08:02)
  • Barker: "Except every now and then somebody winds up in a casket." (08:07)
• The detective presses on the relationship between the performers and the implications of jealousy, rivalry, and possible motive.

3. The Power of the Feather and Harajala's Curse (12:22-16:10)

• Ruby and Barker discuss their anxiety over the missing feather; Harajala’s warning looms over them.
  • Ruby: "It's gone. The feather isn't in Flyer's dressing room any place." (12:24)
  • Harajala: "I've seen it in yours and Ruby's... death by hanging. That fate can only be avoided by wearing a white feather of a baby swan spotted with the blood of a dove." (14:01)
• Harajala reappears mysteriously, admitting to taking back the feather from Flyer, thereby fulfilling his ominous prediction.
  • Harajala: "He laughed at me. I do not like being laughed at." (15:34)
• Driven by guilt and rage, Barker kills Harajala, believing him responsible for Sampson’s death.
  • Barker: "I always knew you were a rat." (15:49)
  • Jeff Kilby: "I've never regretted killing a snake in my life." (15:52)

4. On the Run: Guilt, Paranoia, and the Fate Pursued (16:10-20:33)

• The surviving performers, Ruby and Barker, flee the scene, fearing the relentless investigation of Inspector Guilfoyle.
  • Ruby Brooks: “We gotta beat it.” (16:26)
• Amid mounting desperation, they argue, panic, and reflect on Harajala’s prophecy; Ruby remains fearful, wanting the feather for protection.
  • Ruby Brooks: "I should have brought that feather. You know what Herald said?" (19:46)
• Ruby’s fate aligns with the prophecy—she dies by accidental hanging on a rooftop escape, echoing Sampson’s death.
  • Barker: "Those wires. Around her neck." (20:33)

5. Full Circle: Barker Meets Destiny (21:11-24:06)

• Barker, now fully paranoid and alone, jumps a freight train to escape Guilfoyle.
• In the darkness, Harajala appears, supernatural or as a figment of guilt, demanding the final feather.
  • Harajala: "Do you have the white feather, Barker?" (22:57)
  • Harajala: "Then perhaps I can... convent." (23:09)
• Terrified, Barker flees, only to die by hanging on a train mail hook—sealing the curse and ending the deadly sequence.
  • Harajala: "And how pretty you look hanging back there on that mail hook." (24:06)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the inevitability of fate and the power of belief:
  • Harajala: "Arajala's predictions always happen.” (12:54)
• On the superstition of the feather:
  • Harajala: "Wear the white feather of a baby swan spotted with the blood of a dove, lest a horrible fate overtake you." (14:01)
• On the aftermath of disbelief:
  • Barker: "Just because Flyer Sampson got his neck caught in that trapeze is no sign we're gonna end up the same way." (20:13)
• Guilty Paranoia:
  • Ruby Brooks: "I should have brought that feather. You know what Herald said?" (19:46)
• Climactic fulfillment of the curse:
  • Harajala: "You did jump. Poor Barker. And how pretty you look hanging back there on that mail hook." (24:06)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:12] – Introduction of Flyer Sampson and the deadly circus stunt
• [06:05] – Death of Flyer Sampson, the superstition prophecy
• [08:07 – 11:01] – Inspector's investigation, suspicions around the feather
• [12:22] – Aftermath and disappearance of the feather
• [14:01] – Harajala explains the curse and the significance of the feather
• [15:49 – 16:10] – Barker kills Harajala
• [17:02] – Ruby and Barker flee, hunted by guilt and the law
• [20:33] – Ruby's accidental death, curse tightening its grip
• [21:11] – Barker's final desperate escape, haunted by Harajala
• [24:06] – Barker's demise by hanging, prophecy complete

Tone & Atmosphere

The tone throughout is shadowy, tense, and fatalistic, filled with atmospheric dialog that keeps suspicion and dread front and center. The interplay between skepticism and superstition, guilt and retribution, creates a grim tapestry typical of golden-age radio horror:

• Characters oscillate between rational explanations and primal fear.
• Harajala’s mystical pronouncements heighten the sense of inescapable doom.
• The conclusion is chillingly circular—those who scoff at fate ultimately fulfill it.

Final Thoughts

"Superstition Be Hanged" is a tightly-plotted, macabre exploration of fate and fear. The supernatural—or at least the power of belief and suggestion—claims every character who disregards Harajala’s warning, making this tale a classic example of old-time radio’s psychological horror. The episode lingers with listeners as a cautionary reminder: sometimes, superstition is a script that writes itself.