The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

Episode: "The Dream" by Lights Out
Host: RelicRadio.com
Date: January 11, 2026
Featuring: Boris Karloff
Original Air Date of Play: March 28, 1938

Episode Overview

This episode of The Horror! dives into a classic psychological thriller from the golden age of radio: “The Dream,” written by Arch Oboler for the “Lights Out” series and performed by Boris Karloff. The story centers on Darrell Hall, a rational man who has never dreamed—until one night a terrifying vision shatters his reality. The episode explores themes of madness, guilt, supernatural influence, and the blurred line between dream and waking horror.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

Introduction to "Lights Out" and Boris Karloff (01:02–02:16)

The Horror! host provides background:
- "Lights Out" aired between 1934–1939, with rebroadcasts in the 1940s.
- Boris Karloff is featured in a special anniversary broadcast.
The episode is framed as “another psychological drama. A play in which the principal part is taken not by the character himself, but his thoughts.” (02:52–03:12)

Darrell Hall’s Ordeal: Overview of the Story

The Courtroom, the Mind, and the First Dream (02:52–08:17)

Darrell Hall, accused of murder, anxiously awaits the jury’s verdict.
He recalls his first dream—having previously never dreamed in his life, despite his friend Wayne’s disbelief.
Quote - Darrell Hall (04:32):
“A dream to me is just a word. Something that happens to other people, but not to me.”
That night, Darrell falls asleep and vividly describes the onset of nightmares:
- A procession of pale, hopeless faces and a beautiful, seductive woman with a monstrous, bloodied face.
  - She commands, chillingly:
    - Woman (08:02): “You.”
    - Woman (08:07): “Kill.”

The Dreams Intrude upon Reality (08:17–15:58)

Darrell awakens shaken. The line between dream and waking blurs.
He suffers an episode at dinner with his fiancée, Mary, when he sees the woman from his dream behind Mary’s chair in a restaurant, reacting in panic and fear.
Mary (12:14):
“Is there something wrong?”
Darrell (13:15):
“If you don’t mind, let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Darrell rationalizes that it’s a result of stress, exhaustion, or hallucination—but doubts persist.

The Repeating Haunting at Seven and Descent into Madness (15:58–20:56)

Each haunting occurs precisely as the clock chimes seven.
The woman, and a cacophony of lost souls, continue to urge Darrell:
- Supernatural voice (17:50): “Kill.”
The voices and the woman’s bloody visage intensify his mental torment.
Darrell isolates himself, consumed by a sense that something supernatural is working through him.

Tragedy Strikes—Mary’s Death (20:56–23:09)

Mary, worried for Darrell, pleads for him to come over.
At her house, the phantoms and the woman's command crescendo.
- Woman's voice and spectral chorus (22:43): “Kill. Kill. Kill.”
In a trance, Darrell strangles Mary, then realizes with horror what he has done.
- Darrell (23:09):
  “Yes. I had killed her. My sweet, gentle little Mary. Killed her with my own hand.”

Aftermath and Search for Release (23:09–28:46)

Darrell, numb, carries Mary’s body through the streets and confesses openly.
Arrested and tried, he shuns all attempts to save him, believing his only hope of escaping the woman’s torment is execution.
- Darrell (27:11):
  “I killed her. With my own hands I killed her and… Please, I want to die.”
The supernatural voices taunt, lament, and promise release only through ‘expiation.’
- Voice (25:52):
  “Pay for what you have done.”
- Darrell (26:06):
  “My one hope. If I paid society for my crime, she would fail. I would be free of her… that essence of evil.”

The Verdict and Ultimate Fate (28:22–29:18)

The jury finds Darrell guilty of murder in the first degree.
As the sentence is delivered, the supernatural presence claims him—he dies of a heart attack.
- Mary (29:18):
  “Stand back, please. It’s no use. This man is dead. Heart attack. Holy—would you take a look at his face? Yeah, as if he was looking at the devil himself.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Darrell Hall (04:32):
“A dream to me is just a word. Something that happens to other people, but not to me.”
Dream Woman (08:02, 08:07):
“You… Kill.”
Mary’s Realization (13:12):
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Darrell Hall to Jury (27:11):
“Who killed her? I killed her. With my own hands I killed her and… Please, I want to die.”
Supernatural Chorus (25:42):
“No use. I heard them. Only one hope for you, man. One hope. Expiate your crime.”
Courtroom Attendant (29:18):
“Yeah, as if he was looking at the devil himself.”

Key Timestamps

01:02 – Host introduces Lights Out and Boris Karloff’s role.
02:52 – “The Dream” begins: Darrell Hall’s introspective narration in the courtroom.
04:00–05:30 – Discussion with Wayne on never dreaming.
07:45–08:11 – The terrifying dream woman appears and commands “Kill.”
12:09–13:25 – Mary and Darrell discuss his dream; first cracks in his mental state.
14:28 – Darrell panics at the restaurant; the dream woman appears in waking life.
16:14 – The pattern of haunting at seven o’clock establishes.
20:22–21:08 – Mary tries to comfort Darrell as his hallucinations worsen.
22:43–23:09 – Darrell kills Mary under supernatural compulsion.
27:11 – Darrell confesses in public, demanding punishment.
28:46 – Jury delivers verdict; Darrell dies before execution, haunted to the last.

Themes & Tone

The narrative is driven by an intense, expressionistic monologue—Darrell’s internal struggle takes center stage, with external dialogue serving as sparse punctuation.
The tone alternates between rational calm, escalating dread, and psychological horror, accentuated by the haunting voices and Karloff’s chilling delivery.
The story chillingly presents the idea of evil as an inescapable, external force, preying on human weakness and guilt, with a protagonist who can only find peace through self-destruction.

Final Thoughts

“The Dream” stands as a masterwork of psychological horror and radio storytelling. Karloff’s performance, the swirling mass of tortured voices, and the inexorable march toward tragedy make this episode memorable—not only as an artifact of old-time radio, but as a powerful meditation on guilt, sanity, and the supernatural.

Listeners should be prepared for a climax steeped in existential terror, with sound design and voice acting that continue to reverberate long after the final gavel falls.

Transcript

Darrell Hall (0:06)

Oh, stories, real stories and murders do.

Mary (0:14)

Turn out your legs.

Darrell Hall (0:16)

Turn them out. Good evening. Come in, won't you? What's the matter? Surely you're not nervous. For example, car, I think restored. We are meant to call from out of the past. Stories, strange and weird tales of mystery and terror by radio's masters of the maa. Stories of a supernatural the supernova dramatized the mysteries, the unknown. We tell you this. Frank. Frank. So if you wish to avoid the excitement tension of these magic play ladies, we urge you our latest seriously to turn off your way down.

Podcast Host (1:02)

Welcome back to the Horror. Thanks for joining me. This week we're gonna hear this time from Lights out series that debuted over NBC stations in January of 1934. Aired until August of 1939, 274 episodes, the series returned to radio and a number of rebroadcasts through the 1940s. Our story today features Boris Karloff from March 28, 1938. Here's the dream.

Darrell Hall (1:32)

Tonight is the fourth anniversary of Lights Up. After four years of fantasy and imagination, chills and thrills, Lights up celebrates by bringing to the microphone the internationally known actor whose name has become synonymous with the unusual and fantastic. The National Broadcasting Company takes pleasure in presenting Boris Karloff in the first of a special series of Light out broadcasts. Light out, everybody.

Mary (2:16)

Sam.

Darrell Hall (2:52)

Tonight, Lights off presents another psychological drama. A play in which the principal part is taken not by the character himself, but his thoughts. The voice you are about to hear is that of the thoughts of one Darrell hall, accused murderer, sitting in a courtroom awaiting the return of a jury which is to decide whether he is to live or die. And as he waits, the thoughts in his mind seethe and swirl. See them swirl. Guilty. Words. Not guilty. Guilty. Not guilty. Guilty. Father in heaven, why don't I stop thinking those words? Words those jurymen are saying. He's guilty. He's not guilty.

Mary (3:40)

He's guilty.

Darrell Hall (3:41)

Not guilty. Guilty. No. No. I've got to stop thinking of what's going on in that room. The jury. I've got to stop thinking of them. I've got to keep my head clear. I've got to figure things out. When did all this start? Yes, I remember that night. Wayne and I were sitting in my room talking about dreams. I remember he said. Oh, come on, Gerald, don't expect me to believe that one. Well, I'm certainly telling you the truth. A fellow with your imagination wasting his time teaching biology to a bunch of co ed nitwits. No, sir. You should be writing fiction. I assure you, my dear Wayne I've told you the truth. You're really serious? Of course I am. You actually mean that in all your life, you've never had a dream? Never. Not even when you were a child? To my knowledge, I've never had a dream in all my life. Well, how do you like that? I like it very well. I close my eyes, oblivion, and then I wake up. No nightmare hangovers for me. Now, wait a minute, Darrell. Let me get this straight. You mean you've never even had a dream after, you know, eating a Welsh rare bit at midnight or surrounding a dozen green apples or anything like that? Believe me, Wayne, I've never had a dream of any shape, form or description in all my life. A dream to me is just a word. Something that happens to other people, but not to me. But everyone must dream. Well, perhaps. But it just so happens that my subconscious doesn't work that way. I tell you again, I have never dreamt. Well, what do you know about that? Just unbelievable, I tell you. Unbelievable. Yes, that's what he said. Unbelievable. It was unbelievable that I'd never dressed. Then after a while, he went away and left me there. It was early evening, but I remember that somehow, strangely, I was very tired. I sat down in the easy chair. Oh, I was so tired. Closed my eyes. I slept. And then. Then it happened. A strange murmuring in my head. Yes, that's how it started. A murmuring, as if in warning. And then in the darkness around me, strange faces lifting and falling. White faces. Faces without hope. Their eyes full of horror. Their white, bloodless lips bleeding wordlessly in a way that made the heart of me cry out in pity. Suddenly I knew I was asleep. And dreaming. Yes, dreaming for the first time in my life. And these faces I was seeing were things out of a dream. And even as I knew that the dream was gone. Blackness. And yet I knew that I was still asleep. And I had a terrible feeling of foreboding. Of a horror to come in that dream. What? How? I didn't know. For I wanted to stop sleeping. I wanted to open my eyes quickly before. And then I saw her. Moving slowly toward me out of the darkness. That was my dream. At first, a white wraith like thing. Then I saw it was a woman. Yes, the body of a woman. But the face, Father in heaven, that face. Gross, unclean. Thick bestial brows. Wrinkles of finery. The lecherous writhing of thin crimson lips that lifted from teeth, bite and pointed and flecked with blood. Yes, a glorious body and a face from hell. Closer. Closer to me. And Then she spoke one word.

The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

Episode: "The Dream" by Lights Out
Host: RelicRadio.com
Date: January 11, 2026
Featuring: Boris Karloff
Original Air Date of Play: March 28, 1938

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

Introduction to "Lights Out" and Boris Karloff (01:02–02:16)

The Horror! host provides background:
- "Lights Out" aired between 1934–1939, with rebroadcasts in the 1940s.
- Boris Karloff is featured in a special anniversary broadcast.
The episode is framed as “another psychological drama. A play in which the principal part is taken not by the character himself, but his thoughts.” (02:52–03:12)

Darrell Hall’s Ordeal: Overview of the Story

The Courtroom, the Mind, and the First Dream (02:52–08:17)

Darrell Hall, accused of murder, anxiously awaits the jury’s verdict.
He recalls his first dream—having previously never dreamed in his life, despite his friend Wayne’s disbelief.
Quote - Darrell Hall (04:32):
“A dream to me is just a word. Something that happens to other people, but not to me.”
That night, Darrell falls asleep and vividly describes the onset of nightmares:
- A procession of pale, hopeless faces and a beautiful, seductive woman with a monstrous, bloodied face.
  - She commands, chillingly:
    - Woman (08:02): “You.”
    - Woman (08:07): “Kill.”

The Dreams Intrude upon Reality (08:17–15:58)

Darrell awakens shaken. The line between dream and waking blurs.
He suffers an episode at dinner with his fiancée, Mary, when he sees the woman from his dream behind Mary’s chair in a restaurant, reacting in panic and fear.
Mary (12:14):
“Is there something wrong?”
Darrell (13:15):
“If you don’t mind, let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Darrell rationalizes that it’s a result of stress, exhaustion, or hallucination—but doubts persist.

The Repeating Haunting at Seven and Descent into Madness (15:58–20:56)

Each haunting occurs precisely as the clock chimes seven.
The woman, and a cacophony of lost souls, continue to urge Darrell:
- Supernatural voice (17:50): “Kill.”
The voices and the woman’s bloody visage intensify his mental torment.
Darrell isolates himself, consumed by a sense that something supernatural is working through him.

Tragedy Strikes—Mary’s Death (20:56–23:09)

Mary, worried for Darrell, pleads for him to come over.
At her house, the phantoms and the woman's command crescendo.
- Woman's voice and spectral chorus (22:43): “Kill. Kill. Kill.”
In a trance, Darrell strangles Mary, then realizes with horror what he has done.
- Darrell (23:09):
  “Yes. I had killed her. My sweet, gentle little Mary. Killed her with my own hand.”

Aftermath and Search for Release (23:09–28:46)

Darrell, numb, carries Mary’s body through the streets and confesses openly.
Arrested and tried, he shuns all attempts to save him, believing his only hope of escaping the woman’s torment is execution.
- Darrell (27:11):
  “I killed her. With my own hands I killed her and… Please, I want to die.”
The supernatural voices taunt, lament, and promise release only through ‘expiation.’
- Voice (25:52):
  “Pay for what you have done.”
- Darrell (26:06):
  “My one hope. If I paid society for my crime, she would fail. I would be free of her… that essence of evil.”

The Verdict and Ultimate Fate (28:22–29:18)

The jury finds Darrell guilty of murder in the first degree.
As the sentence is delivered, the supernatural presence claims him—he dies of a heart attack.
- Mary (29:18):
  “Stand back, please. It’s no use. This man is dead. Heart attack. Holy—would you take a look at his face? Yeah, as if he was looking at the devil himself.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Darrell Hall (04:32):
“A dream to me is just a word. Something that happens to other people, but not to me.”
Dream Woman (08:02, 08:07):
“You… Kill.”
Mary’s Realization (13:12):
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Darrell Hall to Jury (27:11):
“Who killed her? I killed her. With my own hands I killed her and… Please, I want to die.”
Supernatural Chorus (25:42):
“No use. I heard them. Only one hope for you, man. One hope. Expiate your crime.”
Courtroom Attendant (29:18):
“Yeah, as if he was looking at the devil himself.”

Key Timestamps

01:02 – Host introduces Lights Out and Boris Karloff’s role.
02:52 – “The Dream” begins: Darrell Hall’s introspective narration in the courtroom.
04:00–05:30 – Discussion with Wayne on never dreaming.
07:45–08:11 – The terrifying dream woman appears and commands “Kill.”
12:09–13:25 – Mary and Darrell discuss his dream; first cracks in his mental state.
14:28 – Darrell panics at the restaurant; the dream woman appears in waking life.
16:14 – The pattern of haunting at seven o’clock establishes.
20:22–21:08 – Mary tries to comfort Darrell as his hallucinations worsen.
22:43–23:09 – Darrell kills Mary under supernatural compulsion.
27:11 – Darrell confesses in public, demanding punishment.
28:46 – Jury delivers verdict; Darrell dies before execution, haunted to the last.

Themes & Tone

The narrative is driven by an intense, expressionistic monologue—Darrell’s internal struggle takes center stage, with external dialogue serving as sparse punctuation.
The tone alternates between rational calm, escalating dread, and psychological horror, accentuated by the haunting voices and Karloff’s chilling delivery.
The story chillingly presents the idea of evil as an inescapable, external force, preying on human weakness and guilt, with a protagonist who can only find peace through self-destruction.

Final Thoughts

Listeners should be prepared for a climax steeped in existential terror, with sound design and voice acting that continue to reverberate long after the final gavel falls.

wavePod

The Dream by Lights Out

Summary

The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

Introduction to "Lights Out" and Boris Karloff (01:02–02:16)

Darrell Hall’s Ordeal: Overview of the Story

The Courtroom, the Mind, and the First Dream (02:52–08:17)

The Dreams Intrude upon Reality (08:17–15:58)

The Repeating Haunting at Seven and Descent into Madness (15:58–20:56)

Tragedy Strikes—Mary’s Death (20:56–23:09)

Aftermath and Search for Release (23:09–28:46)

The Verdict and Ultimate Fate (28:22–29:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Key Timestamps

Themes & Tone

Final Thoughts

Transcript

Summary

The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

Introduction to "Lights Out" and Boris Karloff (01:02–02:16)

Darrell Hall’s Ordeal: Overview of the Story

The Courtroom, the Mind, and the First Dream (02:52–08:17)

The Dreams Intrude upon Reality (08:17–15:58)

The Repeating Haunting at Seven and Descent into Madness (15:58–20:56)

Tragedy Strikes—Mary’s Death (20:56–23:09)

Aftermath and Search for Release (23:09–28:46)

The Verdict and Ultimate Fate (28:22–29:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Key Timestamps

Themes & Tone

Final Thoughts