Broadcast Inspiration

I wanted to share a list of the assorted spooky entertainment that served as inspiration for the Candy Corn Crew Broadcast. Be it movies, soundtracks, or the original radio shows, I thought it would be fun to reveal the origins of my broadcast inspiration. There’s something about a radio show that Horror can’t help but love!

While compiling this list, I didn’t realize how formative many of these were for me. It seems that it was fate I eventually tried my hand at my own kind of “broadcast”. There are so many more that deserve to be on this list, but I stuck to eight in honor of our spiderling hosts.

8) Tales of Halloween – 2015 Film

This kooky compilation of short films is guided by a narrator in a radio station. If you guessed it’s the same radio DJ host from the Fog, you would be correct! This film goes on that list, just for that. I love fun little easter eggs like that. The DJ guides the audience from one short film to the next while sharing interesting lore of the town where all these short films are set.

7) The Fog – 1980 Film

As a mysterious fog settles over a harbor town, the local radio DJ warns its residents of the dangers in the fog while trapped in her lighthouse station. Although not a personal fan of this film, I love the use of the radio station to convey the dangers. The station scenes came to mind when brainstorming script ideas for my own broadcast.

6) Little Shop of Horrors – 1986 Film

Not only does this musical feel like it plays out like a broadcast, in the film adaptation, there’s a delightful bit at a radio station. John Candy plays Wink Wiilkinson who is a DJ on Skid Row Radio. I always think about how Wink pulled off his show’s sound effects and imagined that would be so much fun to do myself. It’s such a short moment in the film, but it certainly left an impression.

5) War of the Worlds – 1938 Halloween Broadcast

I’d heard about this broadcast and the sensation it cause from my dad. He was big into Radio Journalism, even got a degree in it. So it comes as no surprise that when it came to Halloween stories, this is the one he would go to. Although this broadcast was a regular where Orsen Wells would narrate some sort of macabre story, for some reason, when audiences tuned in to this broadcast on Halloween night, they thought the news bulletins in the broadcast were real. I finally sat down and listened to the original recording this summer for my research. It’s well worth the reputation.

4) Philco Radio Time Bing Crosby with Boris Karloff – 1947 Halloween Broadcast

I’ve been familiar with the song “Hallowe’en” that’s featured in this broadcast for about as long as I’ve been a part of the Halloween Countdown Cryptkeepers. However, I’d never really pieced two and two together that this song was actually part of a broadcast special on Bing Crosby’s Philco Radio Time. For my research, I gave this a listen. Although not too spooky outside of the guest and song, the ad bits were a great inspiration for my own broadcast.

3) Elvira Presents Monster Hits & Elvira Presents Revenge of the Monster Hits – 1994 & 1995 Compilation Albums

I always talk about how I grew up with Elvira’s music before I knew what she looked like. These albums not only feature some of her songs, but also have fun intro and outro bits which give the feeling of her talking to you across the airwaves like a broadcast host. Not including these albums would be lying about a huge source of my broadcast inspiration. If you’ve never given these albums a listen, I strongly encourage you to. They’re a delightful compilation of Halloween songs. I always scratched my heard when people said there’s only two Halloween songs out there when these albums have been around for over thirty years and they were not the only Halloween albums my mom had.

2) Haunted Honeymoon – 1986 Film

This is the most obvious of my broadcast inspirations. It starts off with a radio broadcast in the midst of being on air and the mysteries build from there. It’s a very silly and campy film to love and it definitely bring the horror comedy vibes big time. The plot focuses on a radio star played by Gene Wilder and his fiancé, played by his wife, Gildna Radner. They are planning a trip to his childhood mansion for their nuptials. His eccentric aunt, played by Dom DeLouise, kicks off the celebrations by claiming there is a curse on the family. And the hilarity continues all the way through the conclusion.

1) You’ll Find Out – 1940 Film

This delightful film features several famous silver screen monster actors and the troupe from Kay Kaiser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge. Kay Kaiser’s show was a musical quiz program that ran from 1938 to 1949. The film kicks off with Kay’s show and move on to the mystery the gang gets dragged into while performing at an heiress’ birthday party. Boris Karloff, Bella Lugosi and Peter Lorre bring their stellar performances while Kay and his band bring the music and the humor. Definitely one of my favorite Halloween watches every year.

You may notice that several of my introductions to the broadcast give little nods to these different inspirations. Have you heard them in my episodes? Can you match them to each source?

I have joined the Crypt Keeper Countdown to Halloween for my 15th year! There are over 30 crypt keepers this year. Be sure to check out what everyone is sharing to celebrate the season. There’s sure to be something to set your Jack-o-lantern heart a-glow.