The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

Episode: The Castle of Lavoka by The Hall Of Fantasy
Date: November 29, 2025
Host: RelicRadio.com

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Horror!" presents a classic broadcast of "The Hall of Fantasy" featuring the eerie tale "The Castle of Lavoka." Listeners are transported to postwar Europe as an American couple, Grant and Doris, become entangled in the forbidding legends surrounding an ancient, allegedly cursed castle. With atmospheric narration and chilling folklore, the episode delves into stories of supernatural pacts, ghostly apparitions, and the ominous return of death tied to patterns of war.

Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. Introduction to The Castle and Its Mysterious Aura

• [01:39–03:43]
  • The host sets the mood: “Come with me, my friends. We shall descend the world of the unknown and forbidden... Come with me and listen to the tale of the Castle of Leota.”
  • Grant and Doris, an American couple vacationing in Europe, discover a castle not marked on their map.
  • Doris experiences inexplicable dread:

    “Maybe we shouldn't... shouldn't go through that place.” – Doris, [04:53]

  • Both feel an uncanny coldness and a sense of unease gazing at the castle.

2. Arrival in the Town of Laoka

• [05:44–09:12]
  • The couple arrives at a nearby village, Laoka, greeted by suspicious and fearful townsfolk.
  • The innkeeper’s reaction to mention of the castle is strikingly tense:

    "You must mean Lavoka Castle. It has a particular significance to the people of this area.” – Innkeeper, [07:32]

  • Marked by eerie glances and an unspoken local terror of the castle.

3. The Legend of the Castle: Marek's Tale

• [10:25–19:22]
  • Doris and Grant dine with Marek, a knowledgeable villager who recounts the castle’s chilling history.
  • The castle was built by Drago, the Baron of Lavoka, “renowned for his cruelty... He lived for one purpose. To kill.” – Marek, [11:13]
  • Central legend: Baron Drago, obsessed with escaping death, is rumored to have made a pact with the Devil.
  • On key nights, a black carriage drawn by four black horses and trailed by wolves appears at the castle. Each visitation coincides with the outbreak of war and a member of the Baron’s family disappearing.
    • Quote:

      “No one saw who rode inside the carriage, but on its heels there ran a pack of snarling, howling wolves.” – Marek, [12:00]

    • The pattern repeats itself every 21 years: the carriage returns, someone disappears, and a great war erupts.
  • The local belief is the Baron never died but is “waiting for the war.” [18:29]
  • Grant is skeptical, but Doris is unnerved:

    “No, I can't bring myself to believe your story... I think it's nothing but superstitious nonsense.” – Grant, [19:23]

4. Exploring the Castle: Descent into the Catacombs

• [21:15–23:43]
  • The next day, Marek leads Grant and Doris to the castle for a tour: massive towers, grand halls, and deep dungeons.
  • The trio descends into the castle catacombs, searching for the Baron’s tomb.
  • Unease escalates; Doris feels watched and cold:

    “It seems colder down here.” – Doris, [23:07]

  • Grant finds a seemingly sleeping man who “is not breathing,” reinforcing the legend.

    “I can’t believe it. This man seems to be sleeping, yet he’s not breathing.” – Grant, [23:53]

5. The Return of the Black Carriage

• [24:04–25:20]
  • As the group tries to leave, they hear haunting noises and wolves.
  • The legendary black carriage appears in the courtyard, and the spectral Baron boards it—eyes fixed their way but ultimately ignoring them.
  • The carriage tears away into the night, trailed by howling wolves:

    “Before our eyes, the carriage wheeled around the courtyard and then thundered across the drawbridge and out into the night, followed by the snarling wolves.” – Grant, [25:20]

6. Prophecy Fulfilled: The Coming of War

• [25:21–27:10]
  • They find their horses and flee back to the village inn. The innkeeper, relieved, proclaims:

    “The carriage drove through here a while ago. I thought you’d all be dead. Providence must have had an eye on us. Well, it will happen tomorrow.”

  • The host reveals the grim twist:

    “The night we saw the carriage in the courtyard of the Castle of Lavoka was August 31st. On September 1st, 1939, the Germans marched into Poland and the Second World War began.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You are just remembering a lot of stories about old castles and ghosts. There's nothing to worry about, Dor. The man who probably built that castle and all his descendants are only memories now. Memories can't hurt you.” – Grant, [05:07]
• “The animals fear it. That was no dog you heard last night. … It was the warning you heard.” – Marek, [24:09]
• “There are no records of his ever dying… They say he lies at rest in one of the catacombs beneath the castle, waiting for the war.” – Marek, [18:28]
• “The black carriage has appeared each time war begins, no matter where it happens. And in each war, there has been a report of a man who calls himself Baron Lavoka fighting in the battles.” – Marek, [18:45]
• “Before our eyes, the carriage wheeled around the courtyard and then thundered across the drawbridge and out into the night, followed by the snarling wolves.” – Grant, [25:20]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:39] – Host sets atmospheric tone, welcomes listeners to "The Castle of Lavoka."
• [04:53] – Doris expresses her unease about the castle.
• [07:32] – Innkeeper’s reaction to the castle reveals villagers’ fear.
• [11:13–19:22] – Marek’s full recounting of the castle’s legend and its connection to war.
• [23:53] – Discovery of the Baron’s tomb; Grant shaken by a “sleeping” man who does not breathe.
• [25:20] – The black carriage’s supernatural appearance and departure.
• [27:10] – The link between the legend and the outbreak of WWII revealed.

Overall Tone & Style

• The language is dramatic, atmospheric, and steeped in old-fashioned gothic horror.
• Characters express tension, fear, and curiosity in equal measure, driven by both rational skepticism and growing dread.
• The sound design and narration build a sense of encroaching darkness and inevitable doom, culminating in the revelation that legend and history have become disastrously intertwined.

Summary

This episode is a masterful showcase of Old Time Radio horror, blending folklore and historical dread into a story where legend comes alive and history repeats itself with supernatural precision. Through expert storytelling, "The Castle of Lavoka" entwines an American couple and their local guides in a mystery of fate, curses, and eternal war, creating an atmosphere “born from the depths of hell itself.”