For me, there's nothing better than a piece of spooky older media to get me into Halloween mood. One particular thing I find really interesting is old-time radio (OTR) - for a scaredy cat like me, it's at times more compelling than visual media. The bite-sized episodes often feature my favorite movie stars and can unsettle with their sound design alone.

There were quite a lot of radio shows that offered their listeners trills and chills, but Suspense is perhaps the best-known one. For your Halloween entertainment, here are some of my favorite episodes from "Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills"! Pour yourself a steaming cup of tea, get under a blanket and listen in...

The House in Cypress Canyon (aired Dec. 5, 1946). Starring Robert Taylor

A young couple discovers a locked closet in the house they've just rented. Later at night, they start hearing scary noises and see blood coming from underneath the closet door.

The Whole Town Sleeping (aired Aug. 31, 1958). Starring Agnes Moorehead

Adapted from a story by Ray Bradbury, this episode follows a lone woman walking home at night while a serial killer prowls the streets of her small town. This is one of my personal favorites, with a brilliant performance by Agnes Moorehead (pictured on the right).

Fugue in C Minor (rehearsal from June 1, 1944). Starring Ida Lupino and Vincent Price

A woman marries a recently widowed man who has an organ built through his entire house. Sometimes it starts playing all by itself, and the man's small children insist that their mother is buried in one of the pipes of the organ.

Ghost Hunt (aired June 23, 1949). Starring Ralph Edwards

A radio host decides to spend the night in a haunted house and record everything that happens there - including his own demise. A "found footage" type of story before it was even a thing.

The Yellow Wallpaper (aired June 30, 1957). Starring Agnes Moorehead

Based on the novella by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, this is the story of a woman who starts seeing someone behind the wallpaper pattern of the room she's confined to. Another incredible performance from Agnes Moorehead.

The Hitch-Hiker (aired Sept. 2, 1942). Starring Orson Welles

During a long roadtrip, a lone driver keeps seeing the same ominous hitchhiker at different points of his route. This one's among the best Suspense episodes ever created.