Podcast Summary: The Horror! – "The House Of The Voodoo Queen"

Podcast: The Horror! (Old Time Radio)
Host: RelicRadio.com
Episode Featured: The House Of The Voodoo Queen (CBS Radio Mystery Theater)
Air Date: November 22, 2025
Original CBS Air Date: December 19, 1974

Episode Overview

In this week’s episode, The Horror! revisits a chilling tale from the CBS Radio Mystery Theater: “The House of the Voodoo Queen.” Set against the mystical backdrop of New Orleans, this supernatural drama intertwines themes of haunted legacy, the dark allure of voodoo, and the destructive price of ambition. Listeners are drawn into Douglas and Helen Fenton's struggle as their dreams sour when the “perfect” house they inherit becomes a gateway to ancestral curses and supernatural threats.

Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. Introduction to Voodoo and Setting the Stage

Host Context: E.G. Marshall (the original Radio Mystery Theater host) sets the mood by explaining voodoo’s roots, its association with New Orleans, and its “conjurers”—noting the most powerful were often women.
- (01:38)
“Voodoo is a word to conjure with...the high priest of voodooism was called a conjure man...its most powerful conjurers were women.”

2. Douglas and Helen’s Dream Home—or Nightmare?

The story opens as Doug and Helen Fenton are shown their newly inherited New Orleans home, rumored to be haunted. Initial excitement quickly gives way to unease when supernatural activities begin—unexplainable sounds, foul odors, and an atmosphere of dread.
- (04:19)
Helen: “Oh, I can just see it, can’t you, Doug?”
- (05:28)
Helen (in distress): “I guess I’m just a big coward.”

3. The House’s Dark Reputation

The Fentons' growing discomfort leads them to local real estate agents who confirm the house’s disrepute and reveal its stigma in the community.
- (07:35)
Agent: “Yes, yes, I know the house...it has a bad reputation.”

4. Supernatural Disturbances Escalate

Repeated sightings, noises, and atmospheric unease unsettle the couple. Ghostly phenomena, including screams, chain-rattling, and the stench of decay, become regular occurrences.
- (09:24)
Helen: “Doug, wake up...The water. Don’t you hear it?”
Doug: “It seems to be right over the bed.”

5. Mysterious Buyer: Zoe Lemaitre

After failing to sell the house traditionally, the Fentons receive a late-night visit from Zoe Lemaitre, an enigmatic woman well-versed in the home’s history. Zoe wants to buy the house for a price far below market value, citing its dark legacy.
- (12:23)
Doug: “$7,800? That’s just a fair offer considering the reputation of the house.”
- (13:46)
Zoe: “That house was stolen from the daughter of Marie Laveau...the voodoo queen of New Orleans.”

6. Voodoo Warnings and Threats

Zoe warns Doug that the house doesn’t truly belong to him, but to the descendants of Marie Laveau—a legendary real-life voodoo queen. When Doug mocks this, Zoe predicts dire consequences for his skepticism.
- (15:44)
Zoe: “You must be ignorant—or a fool. But in the night when your blood runs cold and a nameless terror shakes your bones, remember me.”

7. Spells, Omens, and the Price of Defiance

The Fentons are targeted by voodoo spells left at their door—chickens with wrung necks and symbols indicating death. Zoe and Doug enter into a complicated flirtation, tempting Doug further into danger.
- (18:08)
Doug: “Looks like a chicken...neck wrung.”
Helen: “According to the police, these are voodoo symbols.”
Zoe reveals to Doug that voodoo spells are potent, and dismissing them comes with a price.
- (21:07)
Zoe: “The chicken with its neck wrung means death.”

8. Tensions and Betrayals

Doug’s marital fidelity wanes as he grows closer to Zoe, who represents both seduction and danger. Helen, increasingly isolated, begs Doug to give up Zoe to end the supernatural torment.
- (22:09)
Helen: “Will you…stop seeing Zoe Lemaitre?”
Zoe pressures Doug to sell the house or make a more sinister bargain—pledging another’s soul in exchange for wealth.
- (26:29)
Doug: “I can’t sell what I don’t own. As far as I know, I only have one soul.”
Zoe: “You can pledge other souls…anyone near and dear to you. Like Helen.”

9. Faustian Bargain and Catastrophe

Doug agrees, reluctantly, to a bloody voodoo pact. Zoe draws his blood with a ceremonial knife and demands Helen’s name for her dark ritual—promising Doug a year of boundless wealth in return for his wife’s soul.
- (30:01)
Zoe: “This paper…won’t be blank after you write your wife’s name on it.”
- (30:37)
Doug (dryly): “Yeah, I know. I’m pledging her immortal soul.”
Helen is soon struck by a mysterious, fatal illness.
- (31:23)
Helen: “I’m dying, Doug...when I die…get rid of [the house]. Promise me.”

10. Aftermath: Riches and Remorse

Doug enjoys newfound wealth and luxury with Zoe. Society, however, whispers about his wife’s untimely death and his rapid ascent.
- (33:09)
Zoe: "That you became very rich very suddenly. That your wife died mysteriously. That I’m a witch."

11. Warning from the Wise: The Bayou Encounter

Mr. Lamours, the original real estate agent, confesses his own fear of the voodoo society and urges Doug to seek out wisdom from Louis Castan, an elderly Cajun familiar with voodoo’s true dangers. Castan warns him:
- (36:48)
Castan: “If [the gold knife] has drawn you, that is very bad...my wife sold my soul to Damballa Odeo.”
Castan gives Doug a gold ceremonial knife for protection, warning that Zoe’s final goal is to claim Doug’s soul via a ritualistic “marriage.”
- (38:03)
Castan: “Damballa Udeo and I, we will fight...She will not marry you. She will want to destroy you and take your soul.”

12. Climax: The Voodoo Marriage and the Final Confrontation

Zoe insists on performing a native wedding in the old house before their legal marriage. As the ceremony commences, she offers Doug a poisoned goblet, intending for him to complete the ritual and seal his fate. Doug turns the ritual against her using the gold knife.
- (42:01–42:42)
Zoe: “Drink this and you’ll feel better…just a little ceremonial wine.”
Doug: “If you come into my arms and hold the goblet to my lips…drink?...Look, you’re holding me too tight. Dog, the knife! No! Damballa, help me!”

Final Twist:

Doug survives, but the ending is laced with ambiguity and lingering dread—has he truly escaped the house’s curse or merely traded one fate for another? The narrative closes with a reflection on superstition’s persistence and voodoo’s feared legacy.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

E.G. Marshall, on voodoo:
(01:32)

“Stories...strange and weird tales of mystery and terror by radio’s masters of the macabre.”
Zoe’s warning:
(15:44)

“Go home, Douglas...when a nameless terror shakes your bones, remember me.”
On the voodoo death omen:
(21:10)

Zoe: “The chicken with its neck wrung means death.”
Bargaining for souls:
(26:34)

Zoe: “You can pledge...other souls you can speak for.”
(30:33)
Zoe: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
On Helen’s fate:
(31:54)

Helen: “I’m beginning to think that death might be the best thing for me.”
Louis Castan’s warning:
(36:53)

“A very bad person. One who knows the darkest secrets of voodoo and uses them for evil ends.”
Ultimately, the ending’s ambiguity:
(44:49)

“A friend of mine told me the story of an investigative reporter who…photographed real voodoo ceremonies…the pictures ruined…and the journalist developed an unfortunate tick...”

Important Timestamps

01:32–02:32: E.G. Marshall’s introduction to voodoo and the conjurers of New Orleans
04:19–05:28: The Fentons first experience strange happenings in their new house
07:23–08:23: Real estate agent confesses the house’s bad reputation
09:24: Nocturnal disturbances intensify
11:01–12:23: Zoe Lemaitre makes her first dramatic entrance
13:46: Zoe drops the bombshell: the house belongs to Marie Laveau's descendants
15:44: Zoe’s chilling prediction for Doug
18:08: Voodoo warning—death omen at the doorstep
26:34–30:37: The bargain for Helen’s soul is struck in blood
31:23: Helen's premonition and tragic decline
33:09: The couple’s transformation and societal suspicion after Helen’s death
36:48: Doug is warned by Louis Castan about Zoe’s true aims
42:01–42:42: The voodoo marriage ceremony—Doug’s last stand

Tone and Language

The episode sustains an atmosphere of mounting dread, laced with skepticism, seduction, and creeping doom. Dialogues range from Helen’s plaintive desperation, Doug’s bravado-tinged disbelief, Zoe’s sly allure, and the wise but foreboding warnings of supporting characters steeped in New Orleans’ traditions.

Summary

“The House of the Voodoo Queen” is a masterful blend of gothic horror and folkloric suspense, anchored by a deadly love triangle and the intoxicating danger of voodoo. Listeners are treated to a richly atmospheric story that explores how the past—especially when combined with ancient, unresolved powers—can claim the present with terrifying consequences. The episode stands as both a cautionary tale against hubris and greed and a chilling tribute to the enduring mystique of old-time radio horror.

Podcast Summary: The Horror! – "The House Of The Voodoo Queen"

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. Introduction to Voodoo and Setting the Stage

Host Context: E.G. Marshall (the original Radio Mystery Theater host) sets the mood by explaining voodoo’s roots, its association with New Orleans, and its “conjurers”—noting the most powerful were often women.
- (01:38)
“Voodoo is a word to conjure with...the high priest of voodooism was called a conjure man...its most powerful conjurers were women.”

2. Douglas and Helen’s Dream Home—or Nightmare?

The story opens as Doug and Helen Fenton are shown their newly inherited New Orleans home, rumored to be haunted. Initial excitement quickly gives way to unease when supernatural activities begin—unexplainable sounds, foul odors, and an atmosphere of dread.
- (04:19)
Helen: “Oh, I can just see it, can’t you, Doug?”
- (05:28)
Helen (in distress): “I guess I’m just a big coward.”

3. The House’s Dark Reputation

The Fentons' growing discomfort leads them to local real estate agents who confirm the house’s disrepute and reveal its stigma in the community.
- (07:35)
Agent: “Yes, yes, I know the house...it has a bad reputation.”

4. Supernatural Disturbances Escalate

Repeated sightings, noises, and atmospheric unease unsettle the couple. Ghostly phenomena, including screams, chain-rattling, and the stench of decay, become regular occurrences.
- (09:24)
Helen: “Doug, wake up...The water. Don’t you hear it?”
Doug: “It seems to be right over the bed.”

5. Mysterious Buyer: Zoe Lemaitre

After failing to sell the house traditionally, the Fentons receive a late-night visit from Zoe Lemaitre, an enigmatic woman well-versed in the home’s history. Zoe wants to buy the house for a price far below market value, citing its dark legacy.
- (12:23)
Doug: “$7,800? That’s just a fair offer considering the reputation of the house.”
- (13:46)
Zoe: “That house was stolen from the daughter of Marie Laveau...the voodoo queen of New Orleans.”

6. Voodoo Warnings and Threats

Zoe warns Doug that the house doesn’t truly belong to him, but to the descendants of Marie Laveau—a legendary real-life voodoo queen. When Doug mocks this, Zoe predicts dire consequences for his skepticism.
- (15:44)
Zoe: “You must be ignorant—or a fool. But in the night when your blood runs cold and a nameless terror shakes your bones, remember me.”

7. Spells, Omens, and the Price of Defiance

The Fentons are targeted by voodoo spells left at their door—chickens with wrung necks and symbols indicating death. Zoe and Doug enter into a complicated flirtation, tempting Doug further into danger.
- (18:08)
Doug: “Looks like a chicken...neck wrung.”
Helen: “According to the police, these are voodoo symbols.”
Zoe reveals to Doug that voodoo spells are potent, and dismissing them comes with a price.
- (21:07)
Zoe: “The chicken with its neck wrung means death.”

8. Tensions and Betrayals

Doug’s marital fidelity wanes as he grows closer to Zoe, who represents both seduction and danger. Helen, increasingly isolated, begs Doug to give up Zoe to end the supernatural torment.
- (22:09)
Helen: “Will you…stop seeing Zoe Lemaitre?”
Zoe pressures Doug to sell the house or make a more sinister bargain—pledging another’s soul in exchange for wealth.
- (26:29)
Doug: “I can’t sell what I don’t own. As far as I know, I only have one soul.”
Zoe: “You can pledge other souls…anyone near and dear to you. Like Helen.”

9. Faustian Bargain and Catastrophe

Doug agrees, reluctantly, to a bloody voodoo pact. Zoe draws his blood with a ceremonial knife and demands Helen’s name for her dark ritual—promising Doug a year of boundless wealth in return for his wife’s soul.
- (30:01)
Zoe: “This paper…won’t be blank after you write your wife’s name on it.”
- (30:37)
Doug (dryly): “Yeah, I know. I’m pledging her immortal soul.”
Helen is soon struck by a mysterious, fatal illness.
- (31:23)
Helen: “I’m dying, Doug...when I die…get rid of [the house]. Promise me.”

10. Aftermath: Riches and Remorse

Doug enjoys newfound wealth and luxury with Zoe. Society, however, whispers about his wife’s untimely death and his rapid ascent.
- (33:09)
Zoe: "That you became very rich very suddenly. That your wife died mysteriously. That I’m a witch."

11. Warning from the Wise: The Bayou Encounter

Mr. Lamours, the original real estate agent, confesses his own fear of the voodoo society and urges Doug to seek out wisdom from Louis Castan, an elderly Cajun familiar with voodoo’s true dangers. Castan warns him:
- (36:48)
Castan: “If [the gold knife] has drawn you, that is very bad...my wife sold my soul to Damballa Odeo.”
Castan gives Doug a gold ceremonial knife for protection, warning that Zoe’s final goal is to claim Doug’s soul via a ritualistic “marriage.”
- (38:03)
Castan: “Damballa Udeo and I, we will fight...She will not marry you. She will want to destroy you and take your soul.”

12. Climax: The Voodoo Marriage and the Final Confrontation

Zoe insists on performing a native wedding in the old house before their legal marriage. As the ceremony commences, she offers Doug a poisoned goblet, intending for him to complete the ritual and seal his fate. Doug turns the ritual against her using the gold knife.
- (42:01–42:42)
Zoe: “Drink this and you’ll feel better…just a little ceremonial wine.”
Doug: “If you come into my arms and hold the goblet to my lips…drink?...Look, you’re holding me too tight. Dog, the knife! No! Damballa, help me!”

Final Twist:

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

E.G. Marshall, on voodoo:
(01:32)

“Stories...strange and weird tales of mystery and terror by radio’s masters of the macabre.”
Zoe’s warning:
(15:44)

“Go home, Douglas...when a nameless terror shakes your bones, remember me.”
On the voodoo death omen:
(21:10)

Zoe: “The chicken with its neck wrung means death.”
Bargaining for souls:
(26:34)

Zoe: “You can pledge...other souls you can speak for.”
(30:33)
Zoe: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
On Helen’s fate:
(31:54)

Helen: “I’m beginning to think that death might be the best thing for me.”
Louis Castan’s warning:
(36:53)

“A very bad person. One who knows the darkest secrets of voodoo and uses them for evil ends.”
Ultimately, the ending’s ambiguity:
(44:49)

“A friend of mine told me the story of an investigative reporter who…photographed real voodoo ceremonies…the pictures ruined…and the journalist developed an unfortunate tick...”

Important Timestamps

01:32–02:32: E.G. Marshall’s introduction to voodoo and the conjurers of New Orleans
04:19–05:28: The Fentons first experience strange happenings in their new house
07:23–08:23: Real estate agent confesses the house’s bad reputation
09:24: Nocturnal disturbances intensify
11:01–12:23: Zoe Lemaitre makes her first dramatic entrance
13:46: Zoe drops the bombshell: the house belongs to Marie Laveau's descendants
15:44: Zoe’s chilling prediction for Doug
18:08: Voodoo warning—death omen at the doorstep
26:34–30:37: The bargain for Helen’s soul is struck in blood
31:23: Helen's premonition and tragic decline
33:09: The couple’s transformation and societal suspicion after Helen’s death
36:48: Doug is warned by Louis Castan about Zoe’s true aims
42:01–42:42: The voodoo marriage ceremony—Doug’s last stand

The House Of The Voodoo Queen by The CBS Radio Mystery Theater

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Summary

Podcast Summary: The Horror! – "The House Of The Voodoo Queen"

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. Introduction to Voodoo and Setting the Stage

2. Douglas and Helen’s Dream Home—or Nightmare?

3. The House’s Dark Reputation

4. Supernatural Disturbances Escalate

5. Mysterious Buyer: Zoe Lemaitre

6. Voodoo Warnings and Threats

7. Spells, Omens, and the Price of Defiance

8. Tensions and Betrayals

9. Faustian Bargain and Catastrophe

10. Aftermath: Riches and Remorse

11. Warning from the Wise: The Bayou Encounter

12. Climax: The Voodoo Marriage and the Final Confrontation

Final Twist:

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

Important Timestamps

Tone and Language

Summary

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Horror! – "The House Of The Voodoo Queen"

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. Introduction to Voodoo and Setting the Stage

2. Douglas and Helen’s Dream Home—or Nightmare?

3. The House’s Dark Reputation

4. Supernatural Disturbances Escalate

5. Mysterious Buyer: Zoe Lemaitre

6. Voodoo Warnings and Threats

7. Spells, Omens, and the Price of Defiance

8. Tensions and Betrayals

9. Faustian Bargain and Catastrophe

10. Aftermath: Riches and Remorse

11. Warning from the Wise: The Bayou Encounter

12. Climax: The Voodoo Marriage and the Final Confrontation

Final Twist:

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

Important Timestamps

Tone and Language

Summary