RADIO REVIEW: Lights Out, "The Dark"

Lights Out. The first and last name in horror in its time. Today, the first and last word... in campy horror. Many of its episodes badly outdated and overtly "moralized", Lights Out is definitely not the horror show it once was. What, then, keeps us coming back for more of this blood-and-guts o'rama?

Maybe its episodes like "The Dark" that keep us coming back for more. "The Dark", which originally aired December 29, 1937, concerned the final exploit of two men who come to a supposedly deserted house. When inside, they encounter a strange woman who has a laugh like the evil witch from the Looney Tunes cartoons. As the pair scan the room for others, the policeman casts his light on the floor, where he sees...

Well, maybe you should listen to it:
http://www.archive.org/download/lightsouteverybody/Lights_Out-1937-12-29_The_Dark.mp3

The audio quality is good, and the acting of the two men as policeman and doctor are well done. The direction is also good, thanks to then freshman director and writer Arch Oobler. However, that being said, I cannot get away from the fact that "The Dark" is simply a bad story. You might be frightened by the story the first time, but after that, no emotion can register. Its just that forgettable.

FINAL RATING: There are other Lights Out episodes that I love to hear (like the fantastic "Man In The Middle", the peace-loving "Day The Sun Exploded", and the tense and exciting "Bathysphere"), but The Dark simply cannot bring itself out of a 2.5/10 rating.

You disagree? Let me know by commenting!

FUN FACT: The sound of bodies being turned inside-out on the Lights Out episode "The Dark" was achieved by turning a wet rubber glove inside-out while simultaneously crushing a berry basket in front of the microphone.
-from John Dunning's "On The Air: An Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio"