"This is a story about the temporal displacement of mass. It is also a story about teleportation. Do you know what those terms mean? No, I didn't think you did, but you stay right where you are, my charming friend, and you're quite likely to find out. You just stay right there and listen- I'll tell you everything you want to know. And maybe- well, maybe a couple of things you're not terribly anxious to know."
Not every episode of Quiet, Please could be classified as horror (generally the series is perhaps best dubbed 'dark fantasy') but "Northern Lights" is a potent example of how terrifying the program could be. And this is despite what sounds like a ridiculous premise - fuzzy caterpillers who ride in on the Aurora Borealis and learn to sing in English. This should be high camp, but it isn't. It's not just horror, it's cosmic horror - it's the type of horror television's the Outer Limits would later tap into. "Northern Lights" is extremely effective!
"Northern Lights" was originally broadcast January 30, 1949. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org. There is also a great discussion of "Northern Lights" on the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast that you can hear on their website, here.
Image created using Firefly.
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