August 18, 2025 • 26 mins
https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free! Old Time Radio Drama offers a nostalgic look at the gripping plays and heartfelt scripts from the early days of radio.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
The Price of Fear, brought to you by Wilson's Price.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hello there, do you own a cat? Or rather, I
should say, does a cat own you? Doesn't it strike
you as strange that, despite centuries of domestication, cats have
never really lost their independence, their ruthlessness. To cat's life
is still the lower of the jungle. Just try taking
(00:49):
liberties with your cat, be he never so tame.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
And you'll soon be put in your place.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
I've always had a healthy respect for cats. Bite that
one time when I was forced to Oh, but let
me tell you about it. I think I'll call the
story Cat's Cradle. Several years ago, I was making a
movie in Germany and there was some sort of hold
up during shooting, a tiresome and boring state of affairs
(01:17):
that happens all too often, and I found myself with
some days on my hands, so I decided to visit
some of the beautiful old castles of Bavaria. High on
my itinerary was Sondeberg in Franconia, near the Wurtemberg border.
Sonderberg tends to get overlooked by the main tourist trade,
(01:40):
yet it is one of the most complete examples I
know of a medieval market town which has survived comparatively intact.
I checked in at one of the local hotels late
one afternoon, and while they were getting my room ready,
I sat down at one of the little tables near
the door and ordered a drink, a large tankard of
(02:01):
their local beer. Actually, at the next table sat a
young couple whispering intently. But their voices were angry and
out of control, and as I sat enjoying my beer,
it was impossible not to overhear that they were deep
in some childish kid.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Beth, for God's sake, stop talking nonsense.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
How dare you say it's nonsense?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
It is nonsense, and you know it. I never even
looked at the damn woman. I don't know how you
can be so callous.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
Did you see how disgustingly.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Fat she was?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I tell you I didn't notice her at all.
Speaker 6 (02:34):
Liar, Oh shut.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Up, Oh God, what a start to married life.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Oh look, Beth, you're tired. I'm tired. It's all been
a strain. Let's not say things will be sorry for
let's have an early night.
Speaker 7 (02:49):
The next best thing to your German house.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Brow For the last time, I didn't fancy if you're
going to carry on like this every time I look
at another woman. You'd better tear my ruddy eyes off.
Speaker 7 (02:59):
Ah, you admit you looked at her.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Oh, for heaven's sake.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
The young man glanced uneasily in my direction, obviously wondering
if I'd become an involuntary eavesdropper.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Of course I.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Had, and I certainly had no intention of making myself scarce.
Isn't this a charming town?
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Yes, charming?
Speaker 7 (03:20):
Delightful? You on vacation, Yes, that is we.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
We're on our honeymoon.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Oh are you?
Speaker 5 (03:27):
Are you?
Speaker 7 (03:28):
Indeed?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Well, what an ideal place to spend it.
Speaker 7 (03:31):
We haven't exactly succumbed to its.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Charms yet, we've only just arrived.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well, give it time. Sunderberg is a step back into
the past. It takes a while before it's its charm
begins to work.
Speaker 7 (03:44):
It's certainly quiet enough.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I was here once years ago, and I always promised
myself a return visit. Then it seemed like an oasis
in a desert of insanity.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Yes, I suppose so, except, of.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Course, that Sunderberg has had its own fair share of horrors.
Speaker 7 (04:02):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
WHOA that's good? What delightful beer? This is so refreshing.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I do.
Speaker 7 (04:10):
Go on, please, But the.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Castle do you see it?
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Up on that rock?
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Look through the window there, see, Well that was taken
over as a headquarters for the Inquisition. Oh, the poor
wretches who were incarcerated and tortured up there.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
I saw the castle as we drove in.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
It was beautiful, but it made me shudder.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
It's not surprising the Inquisition left several pleasant little mementos,
all in as good as state of preservation as Sonderberg itself.
You must visit the place while you're here, well, that is,
if you're not squeamish.
Speaker 7 (04:44):
Squeamish.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Look, I've got an idea. Why don't we join up
and go round the castle together tomorrow? Well please do,
unless that is you're already busy. Well no, but we'd
love it, wouldn't we.
Speaker 7 (04:57):
Better, Yes, yes, of course we would.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
At first I couldn't understand the young man's enthusiasm. I mean,
after all, a honeymoon is a honeymoon. Then it struck
me that he needed a defense mechanism, and I would
be there to guard him from the kind of row
that I'd stumbled upon just now. Well, at any rate,
we agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at ten
(05:23):
o'clock in the morning. As events turned out, I needn't
have worried about breaking the idyllic atmosphere because as we
were about to set off.
Speaker 7 (05:33):
Good god, it can't be price. It's you, It really is.
Speaker 8 (05:39):
Hello Malcolm, Now what are you doing in this neck
of the woods.
Speaker 7 (05:44):
Don't tell me that forced you out of the rat
race at last.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Malcolm Rivers was one of the world's prize bores. If
the first prize in a competition were a part in
one of Malcolm's movies, the second prize would have been
a part in two of Malcolm's movies.
Speaker 8 (06:02):
Scouting locations, Old son, is he that castle of this?
That's just right for a new horror picture.
Speaker 7 (06:08):
We've gone. I love you to read it. It's a
great script.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Nowcome, I'm on vacation. Can we discuss this later, or
better still, see my agent.
Speaker 7 (06:17):
Yeah, yeah, but look, just let me tell you.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
At this point our taxi arrived. It was as battered
as its driver, but we had all agreed to leave
our own transport behind. Trouble was when Malcolm heard the
driver announced that he had come for the castle party.
He insisted on coming with us castle.
Speaker 7 (06:37):
Oh you don't mean to say you're actually going there. Yes,
well that's great.
Speaker 8 (06:42):
I can actually show you where it all takes place,
what I'm telling you about it.
Speaker 7 (06:45):
Malcolm, I no, come on, don't be so coy.
Speaker 8 (06:49):
You're worse than a virgin on a wedding night.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I just couldn't shake him off. You never could with Malcolm.
That's how he'd hustled his way to the top. Now
he attacked himself to us like an incubus.
Speaker 8 (07:02):
The film's all about the sounder Bergs, you know, the family,
a sort of pageant of atrocity. I want to step
back and look objectively at what each one did.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Take Elisa for instance, Well, I can't speak for the others.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I was doing my best not to listen.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
The castle, for those who don't know, it is built
on an immensely steep rock dominating the town, and on
its northern side is surrounded by a moat which has
long since been filled in. At the foot of the
wall is a very pleasant garden with little sheltered seats.
Sitting there is a good way of recovering from the
(07:40):
rather overpowering tour round the castle. The girl was right there,
still was a sinister aura clinging to the place which
even a hot and cheerful summer's morning couldn't entirely dissipate.
Speaker 8 (07:54):
They broke in and found the girl strung up by
the wrists over the hot colds.
Speaker 7 (07:58):
Incredible story.
Speaker 8 (08:00):
Of course, we can't actually put all that into the picture,
but we can imply a hell of a lot. You've
got to admit, it's a damn good commercial plot line. Now,
that's why it's so important to get the feel of
the place where it happened.
Speaker 7 (08:13):
We want to get right away from the studio.
Speaker 8 (08:16):
Look, hell, they can go out and shoot a police
picture in real locations, or why not a horror picture? Now,
the seventh Count was a real character.
Speaker 7 (08:26):
This you've got to hear.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
They see the rivers. Do you mind if we change
the subject. My wife is feeling a bit faint.
Speaker 8 (08:33):
Oh that's too bad, missus. And we haven't even seen
the torture tower yet. And now say, would your lady
wife like to wait for us out here?
Speaker 7 (08:43):
She could sit down there in the garden.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Oh no, I don't want to miss anything. I'm quite
all right.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
I think it was probably just that steep hill and
the heat.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
You go on now come, we'll catch up with you
a lot.
Speaker 8 (08:53):
Oh no, no, I wouldn't dream of it. Stick to
your through thick and thin. That's my motto.
Speaker 7 (09:00):
Oh oh, now look at that.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Oh, it can't be more than six weeks old. It
was a tiny black kitten which was playing with its
mother near one of the seats in the garden just
below us. The cat, a great sleek creature whose coat
shone in the sun, lay stretched on the grass and
(09:23):
the kitten ramped around near her. The mother would wave
her tail for the kitten to try to clutch with
its paw, or raise her feet to push the little
one away as an encouragement to further efforts.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
It was a charming sight.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Berth has been on to me to buy her a
cat as soon as we were married.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
Now i'll get no people, Oh Jack, I'd like to
take them both. I wonder who they belonged to.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
They're not strays, and that's for sure. Look at the
condition of the mother's coat. They probably belong.
Speaker 6 (09:50):
To the castle.
Speaker 8 (09:51):
It'd be great for the picture had a touch of atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Malcolme leave them alone. I can't get a the wall anyway,
it's far too steep.
Speaker 8 (10:02):
Yes, yes, you're right. I'll look at the size of
the mother. We don't grow cats like that in England. No,
wait just a minute, here we are.
Speaker 6 (10:13):
What are you doing.
Speaker 7 (10:15):
Well, I'll just throw this stone to attract their attention.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
I don't do that. Don't do that. You might hit
the kit.
Speaker 7 (10:20):
Oh not a chance.
Speaker 8 (10:21):
What do you take me for. I may produce movies,
but I'm not all that bad. I'll just aim it
so it runs near them, make them look up. Have
you ever seen the expression on a cat's face when
it's startled.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Well, we'll watch, nod man.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Look what you've done.
Speaker 7 (10:40):
I if I meant if I meant to do that.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Maybe the wall wasn't as sheer as it looked. Maybe
there was a concealed angle at its base which we
couldn't see. Whatever the reason, Malcolm's aim wasn't as true
as he thought. I truly believe that he only intended
to startle those cats. But when he leaned over the
wall and through the stone, it landed with a sickening
(11:04):
thud right on the kitten's head and shattered out its
little brains there And then, oh, poor thing, the mother
cast a swift upward glance, and I saw her eyes
flash like green fire as she stared for an instant
at Malcolm Rivers. Then her attention was given to the kitten.
(11:28):
After one quiver, it lay still while a thin red
trickle oozed from a gaping wound.
Speaker 5 (11:34):
Oh, the poor poor thing.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Had just happened.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
For the world, I can't understand the best darling.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
The cat was assiduously licking the kitten's wound, and then
suddenly she stopped. She must have realized that it was
dead and that her ministrations were useless for all at once,
she appeared to lose all interest in the pathetic little body. Instead,
she looked again at Rivers, and in that look was
all the concentration of primitive hate. Her green eyes blazed,
(12:13):
and the blood which dabbled her mouth and whiskers made
her look for all the world like an avenging fury. There, Malcolm,
I hope you're satisfied. That's something for your horror film,
and you have the consolation of knowing it's real blood
and not vegetable dye.
Speaker 7 (12:30):
Don't rub it in. I feel bad enough as a
little one.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Sorry.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
I'm sorry, of course you do.
Speaker 7 (12:35):
I love cats, I really do.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Although my outburst was a relief. I felt slightly ashamed.
I realized how painfully vulnerable the man really was. I
turned my attention to the cat. She was now attempting
to claw her way up the wall. When this failed,
she tried to launch herself into the air, eyes blazing,
(12:58):
claws distended, and then she fell back.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
Let's go on. I can't bear anymore.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Do you want to go home? We can come back tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
I think a brandy would do you good. I think
a brandy would do.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Us all good.
Speaker 5 (13:11):
No, I don't want to go back to the hotel.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
I want to see the castle. Let's go on.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
In face of her obvious determination, there was nothing else
we could do. At least the tour would divert her mind,
or so we hoped, And we also hope that Malcolm
would be deterred from prattling on about his inane script.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
But no, I.
Speaker 8 (13:33):
Really expect to pick up some great vibrations in the
torture tow.
Speaker 7 (13:37):
It's just over there, you see.
Speaker 8 (13:40):
You see, you can't expect to involve your audience unless
you're involved yourself.
Speaker 7 (13:45):
Now, that's that's the basic rule.
Speaker 8 (13:47):
You've got to be convinced, and that's why so many
movies are just laughable. Nobody is convinced, least of all
the makers. I remember one crazy scene.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Now, as Malcolm laughed, I looked back at the cat.
She too had heard, and her whole demeanor seemed to change.
She no longer tried to jump or run up the wall,
but instead began to lick and fondle the dead kitten
as if it were alive. Then she took it in
(14:20):
her mouth and began to follow us until we reached
the limit of the wall's boundary. I thought I was
the only one who noticed, but I.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
Was wrong, mister Rivers. I know this may sound silly,
but I think that cat means to do you harm.
Speaker 8 (14:37):
Oh now that Oh, let's keep a sense of proportion
about this. I'm terribly sorry about what happened, but I
refused to avoid dark alleys over a damn cat.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
Besides, she probably has a litter of others underseambush.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Yes, I think you're being metodramatic.
Speaker 7 (14:55):
Do you look better?
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Are you sure you wouldn't rather call.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
It a do? For heaven's sake? To Fussy, I said,
I was all right, didn't I? Or are you trying
to get rid of me?
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Now? Don't start that again.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
All I was trying to do was to give mister
Rivers a perfectly reasonable warning.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
I think, all I'm afraid. Well, here's the tower entrance.
Shall we go in? I tried to sound unconcerned, but
somewhere in the back of my mind I had a
sneaking feeling that the girl was probably right. At first,
(15:40):
we could see nothing. The darkness seemed incarnate, surrounding, stifling
us like a blanket. The four of us just stood there,
waiting for the use of our eyes to return. We
were in the lower chamber. The thin sunlight filtering in
through a tiny window seemed to lose lose itself in
(16:01):
the thickness of the walls, which were coated with the
dust of centuries. Here and there were patches of dark stain.
Only Rivers naturally, remained comparatively unmoved.
Speaker 8 (16:13):
Not much room for cameras down here. Still, I suppose
we could manage.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
Excuse me, But you are English?
Speaker 7 (16:20):
Yes, well three of us are?
Speaker 6 (16:22):
I think you are English? Are interested in tortures? Yes?
You would like to see our collection? Yes, the best
in job.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Perhaps you could show us around.
Speaker 9 (16:32):
You will follow me, please? You are my first party
of today. The main collection is on the floor above.
I think you will find some interest.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
I remembered the wealth of stories about the legendary cruelty
of the Counts of Sunderberg, and of course their ladies.
It was said that they had found a legitimate outlet
for their blood loss by channeling them in the service
of the officers of the inquisition.
Speaker 8 (17:03):
None measures here, Wow, look at all that?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Oh, we found ourselves in a room full of torture instruments,
chairs full of spikes which gave instant and excruciating pain,
steel cages in which the head could slowly be crushed
into a pulp. Racks, belts, boots, gloves, collars, and all
(17:29):
around the walls great headsman's swords, evil keen edged weapons
that would decapitate with one slash. And nearby blocks where
the victim's necks had lain with deep notches where the
steel had bitten through the guard of flesh and shored
into the wood. We all found ourselves speechless in the
(17:50):
face of this bestual evidence of man's inhumanity to man.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
All that is, except Malcolm.
Speaker 10 (17:57):
Rivers believable, just what we need. It's too good to
be true, it really is. Do you see, it's perfect
for a setup just here. It's a question of getting
permission to use this stuff. But I wonder what the
formalities are. Hey, let me just sit in that chair moment.
Speaker 6 (18:16):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Rivers was behaving with his usual insensitivity, But there was
something more. I think the others shared the feeling with
me that it was sacrilegious. An odd word to use,
I know, but there was something sacred about the place.
It was a temple, but a temple to evil.
Speaker 6 (18:39):
Now over his.
Speaker 9 (18:43):
Madam, is a famous instrument of the Inquisition, one might
almost say, the most famous, and still in perfect work.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
And corner, the old man pointed to the main object
in this chamber of horrors, the iron Virgin, a copy
of the famous one at Nuremberg. The contraption was covered
in rust and dust, except for the face, which was
oddly fresh looking, as if the custodian had scrubbed it.
(19:12):
While the figure was curved in the shape of a woman,
It was just broad enough for a man to fit inside,
as we could see when the door was opened. The
door itself was enormously thick, and was worked open and
shut by a thick chain running through a pulley attached
to a heavy beam in the roof. When the weight
(19:32):
was released, the door would slam shut. The devilish nature
of the iron virgin was truly revealed when you examined
the inside of the door. A number of iron spikes
were fixed there, and when the victim was placed inside
it and the door closed, the upper spikes would pierce
his eyes and the lower ones his heart and vitals.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
What a charming toil.
Speaker 9 (19:57):
Oh God, look at the blood stains to watch out
blood completely man.
Speaker 6 (20:02):
And there are some who say this comes back anyway.
I think I can believe this place is haunted.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
And on that happy note, I vote we make a
hurried exit.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
That suits me.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Let's go and have that drink. We promised that shall
right now?
Speaker 7 (20:16):
No, no, no, wait, what's up this time?
Speaker 4 (20:18):
For God's sake?
Speaker 7 (20:19):
Hey you? Oh man?
Speaker 8 (20:20):
Now, how big is that space in the space inside?
Speaker 7 (20:25):
I want to see if I can get in? Oh well,
I told you I'd like sampling your experiences.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Now, Malcolm, realism is one thing.
Speaker 8 (20:33):
Nonsense, courage of your convictions and all that.
Speaker 7 (20:35):
Now, come on, I need your help on this.
Speaker 6 (20:38):
Very good sir.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
If you insists you're not serious.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
I'm sure I am.
Speaker 7 (20:43):
Yeah, that's a tight fit.
Speaker 8 (20:47):
You've grown some since those days, and I'll manage.
Speaker 9 (20:53):
See, you are not really allowed to lose this, sir.
If anyone found out, I might get in.
Speaker 8 (21:00):
Why should anyone find out and might even lose my job? Okay, okay,
I'll get you a price, give him something, would you.
Speaker 7 (21:08):
Well, I'll settle with you later.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I think this is all very silly, all in the
course of hot.
Speaker 6 (21:14):
Well, I for one, won't go and see his beastly
film that my dear makes.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Two of us.
Speaker 7 (21:18):
Hey, what's all I'm whispering about?
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Oh here you are two four six?
Speaker 6 (21:24):
Thank you, sir, Oh, thank you, sir.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
Do you think that was square your conscience?
Speaker 6 (21:29):
Oh? Yes, sir, I think it's square very nicely.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Now that you've had your little game, can we all.
Speaker 7 (21:35):
Go go if you like? I'm not stubbing you. I'm
staying here.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
Oh come on now, come welcome nothing.
Speaker 8 (21:40):
I'm really enjoying this, lived aangerously.
Speaker 7 (21:43):
That's my motto. Charlie, now unfastened the door.
Speaker 6 (21:47):
But sure, can't somebody stop welcome?
Speaker 1 (21:49):
You've had your little joke.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
But enough is enough enough?
Speaker 7 (21:52):
Hell you, Charlie, do as I tell you.
Speaker 8 (21:56):
I'll start letting that door down, but slowly where they
very slowly.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Despite his reluctance, the old man did as he was told.
He worked the machine with a deliberate and excruciating slowness,
in which the outer edge of the door hadn't moved
half five inches in as many minutes. The whole ridiculous
charade had a kind of macabre thrill about it. It
(22:28):
was a scene from Malcolm's horror film, played exclusively for
our benefit. And then I saw her, the cat. I
don't think the others noticed at first, they were too
intent on watching the progress of that door. Even rivers
(22:50):
had ceased to chatter. In the far corner of the chamber,
dark untamable forces were gathering her green baleful eyes shone
like danger lamps, and as I peered at her, I
could see that their color was heightened by the blood
(23:11):
which still smeared her coat and reddened her mouth. And
still slowly, inexorably, with the precision of an expert, the
old man went on working that door. Even then, I
wasn't sure what the animal intended to do, or even
if she intended to do anything, until suddenly.
Speaker 6 (23:32):
The cat look out for the cat.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
The cat launched herself, not at Malcolm, but at the
luckless custodian.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Whoa Her eyes blazed.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
With ferocity, her hair bristled till she seemed twice her
normal size. Her tail lashed out like a tiger's when
the quarry is before it. The cat's claws found one
of his eyes, and I actually saw her tear through
it and down his cheek, leaving wide bands of red
(24:07):
where the blood seemed to spurt from every vein.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
Oh, look out, he can't hold it back.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
And yell of agony and terror.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
The man leapt back, dropping the chain which held back
the door. It ran like a lightning through the pulley block,
and the massive door slamed shut. In the instant before
the door had closed, I saw Malcolm's face. His eyes
stared as if dazed, and for once in his life,
he was speechless. Jack, help me get the door open,
(24:37):
for God's sake, help.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Me, I'm coming.
Speaker 6 (24:40):
Best.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Stay with you will, for God's sake, don't look.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
The end must have been quick, for when we managed
to wrench the door open, the spikes had done their work.
They had pierced right through the skull, so that as
the door opened, the body came with it, and he
fell to the floor, face turned upwards.
Speaker 7 (24:58):
Get your white out of here. He's there.
Speaker 5 (25:01):
I'll attend to the old man right.
Speaker 7 (25:04):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
The old custodian was leaning against the wooden pillar, holding
his reddening handkerchief to his eyes, while on the face
of poor Rivers there sat the cat, purring loudly as
she licked the blood which trickled through the gashed sockets
of his eyes. I pushed her away from her ghoulish meal,
(25:29):
and well, I hope no one will call me cruel,
because I seized one of the old executioner's swords from
its rack on the wall, and with one slash saw.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Her in two on the spot.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Poor Malcolm, he'd had his total experience, a good deal
more total than he'd bargained for. Cozy, wasn't it. You
see what I mean about cats? You never can tell?
Speaker 1 (26:21):
That was Vincent Price bringing you over the price of fear.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Also starring in this story Katz Cradle were Kenneth J.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Warren and Frederick Schrecker, with John Sampson and Bonnie Harron.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Katz Cradle was first recounted as the score by Bram Stoker,
dramatized by Richard Davis and produced by John Das
The Price of Fear, brought to you by Wilson's Price.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hello there, do you own a cat? Or rather, I
should say, does a cat own you? Doesn't it strike
you as strange that, despite centuries of domestication, cats have
never really lost their independence, their ruthlessness. To cat's life
is still the lower of the jungle. Just try taking
(00:49):
liberties with your cat, be he never so tame.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
And you'll soon be put in your place.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
I've always had a healthy respect for cats. Bite that
one time when I was forced to Oh, but let
me tell you about it. I think I'll call the
story Cat's Cradle. Several years ago, I was making a
movie in Germany and there was some sort of hold
up during shooting, a tiresome and boring state of affairs
(01:17):
that happens all too often, and I found myself with
some days on my hands, so I decided to visit
some of the beautiful old castles of Bavaria. High on
my itinerary was Sondeberg in Franconia, near the Wurtemberg border.
Sonderberg tends to get overlooked by the main tourist trade,
(01:40):
yet it is one of the most complete examples I
know of a medieval market town which has survived comparatively intact.
I checked in at one of the local hotels late
one afternoon, and while they were getting my room ready,
I sat down at one of the little tables near
the door and ordered a drink, a large tankard of
(02:01):
their local beer. Actually, at the next table sat a
young couple whispering intently. But their voices were angry and
out of control, and as I sat enjoying my beer,
it was impossible not to overhear that they were deep
in some childish kid.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Beth, for God's sake, stop talking nonsense.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
How dare you say it's nonsense?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
It is nonsense, and you know it. I never even
looked at the damn woman. I don't know how you
can be so callous.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
Did you see how disgustingly.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Fat she was?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I tell you I didn't notice her at all.
Speaker 6 (02:34):
Liar, Oh shut.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Up, Oh God, what a start to married life.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Oh look, Beth, you're tired. I'm tired. It's all been
a strain. Let's not say things will be sorry for
let's have an early night.
Speaker 7 (02:49):
The next best thing to your German house.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Brow For the last time, I didn't fancy if you're
going to carry on like this every time I look
at another woman. You'd better tear my ruddy eyes off.
Speaker 7 (02:59):
Ah, you admit you looked at her.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Oh, for heaven's sake.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
The young man glanced uneasily in my direction, obviously wondering
if I'd become an involuntary eavesdropper.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Of course I.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Had, and I certainly had no intention of making myself scarce.
Isn't this a charming town?
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Yes, charming?
Speaker 7 (03:20):
Delightful? You on vacation, Yes, that is we.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
We're on our honeymoon.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Oh are you?
Speaker 5 (03:27):
Are you?
Speaker 7 (03:28):
Indeed?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Well, what an ideal place to spend it.
Speaker 7 (03:31):
We haven't exactly succumbed to its.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Charms yet, we've only just arrived.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well, give it time. Sunderberg is a step back into
the past. It takes a while before it's its charm
begins to work.
Speaker 7 (03:44):
It's certainly quiet enough.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I was here once years ago, and I always promised
myself a return visit. Then it seemed like an oasis
in a desert of insanity.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Yes, I suppose so, except, of.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Course, that Sunderberg has had its own fair share of horrors.
Speaker 7 (04:02):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
WHOA that's good? What delightful beer? This is so refreshing.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I do.
Speaker 7 (04:10):
Go on, please, But the.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Castle do you see it?
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Up on that rock?
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Look through the window there, see, Well that was taken
over as a headquarters for the Inquisition. Oh, the poor
wretches who were incarcerated and tortured up there.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
I saw the castle as we drove in.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
It was beautiful, but it made me shudder.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
It's not surprising the Inquisition left several pleasant little mementos,
all in as good as state of preservation as Sonderberg itself.
You must visit the place while you're here, well, that is,
if you're not squeamish.
Speaker 7 (04:44):
Squeamish.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Look, I've got an idea. Why don't we join up
and go round the castle together tomorrow? Well please do,
unless that is you're already busy. Well no, but we'd
love it, wouldn't we.
Speaker 7 (04:57):
Better, Yes, yes, of course we would.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
At first I couldn't understand the young man's enthusiasm. I mean,
after all, a honeymoon is a honeymoon. Then it struck
me that he needed a defense mechanism, and I would
be there to guard him from the kind of row
that I'd stumbled upon just now. Well, at any rate,
we agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at ten
(05:23):
o'clock in the morning. As events turned out, I needn't
have worried about breaking the idyllic atmosphere because as we
were about to set off.
Speaker 7 (05:33):
Good god, it can't be price. It's you, It really is.
Speaker 8 (05:39):
Hello Malcolm, Now what are you doing in this neck
of the woods.
Speaker 7 (05:44):
Don't tell me that forced you out of the rat
race at last.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Malcolm Rivers was one of the world's prize bores. If
the first prize in a competition were a part in
one of Malcolm's movies, the second prize would have been
a part in two of Malcolm's movies.
Speaker 8 (06:02):
Scouting locations, Old son, is he that castle of this?
That's just right for a new horror picture.
Speaker 7 (06:08):
We've gone. I love you to read it. It's a
great script.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Nowcome, I'm on vacation. Can we discuss this later, or
better still, see my agent.
Speaker 7 (06:17):
Yeah, yeah, but look, just let me tell you.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
At this point our taxi arrived. It was as battered
as its driver, but we had all agreed to leave
our own transport behind. Trouble was when Malcolm heard the
driver announced that he had come for the castle party.
He insisted on coming with us castle.
Speaker 7 (06:37):
Oh you don't mean to say you're actually going there. Yes,
well that's great.
Speaker 8 (06:42):
I can actually show you where it all takes place,
what I'm telling you about it.
Speaker 7 (06:45):
Malcolm, I no, come on, don't be so coy.
Speaker 8 (06:49):
You're worse than a virgin on a wedding night.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I just couldn't shake him off. You never could with Malcolm.
That's how he'd hustled his way to the top. Now
he attacked himself to us like an incubus.
Speaker 8 (07:02):
The film's all about the sounder Bergs, you know, the family,
a sort of pageant of atrocity. I want to step
back and look objectively at what each one did.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Take Elisa for instance, Well, I can't speak for the others.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I was doing my best not to listen.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
The castle, for those who don't know, it is built
on an immensely steep rock dominating the town, and on
its northern side is surrounded by a moat which has
long since been filled in. At the foot of the
wall is a very pleasant garden with little sheltered seats.
Sitting there is a good way of recovering from the
(07:40):
rather overpowering tour round the castle. The girl was right there,
still was a sinister aura clinging to the place which
even a hot and cheerful summer's morning couldn't entirely dissipate.
Speaker 8 (07:54):
They broke in and found the girl strung up by
the wrists over the hot colds.
Speaker 7 (07:58):
Incredible story.
Speaker 8 (08:00):
Of course, we can't actually put all that into the picture,
but we can imply a hell of a lot. You've
got to admit, it's a damn good commercial plot line. Now,
that's why it's so important to get the feel of
the place where it happened.
Speaker 7 (08:13):
We want to get right away from the studio.
Speaker 8 (08:16):
Look, hell, they can go out and shoot a police
picture in real locations, or why not a horror picture? Now,
the seventh Count was a real character.
Speaker 7 (08:26):
This you've got to hear.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
They see the rivers. Do you mind if we change
the subject. My wife is feeling a bit faint.
Speaker 8 (08:33):
Oh that's too bad, missus. And we haven't even seen
the torture tower yet. And now say, would your lady
wife like to wait for us out here?
Speaker 7 (08:43):
She could sit down there in the garden.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Oh no, I don't want to miss anything. I'm quite
all right.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
I think it was probably just that steep hill and
the heat.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
You go on now come, we'll catch up with you
a lot.
Speaker 8 (08:53):
Oh no, no, I wouldn't dream of it. Stick to
your through thick and thin. That's my motto.
Speaker 7 (09:00):
Oh oh, now look at that.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Oh, it can't be more than six weeks old. It
was a tiny black kitten which was playing with its
mother near one of the seats in the garden just
below us. The cat, a great sleek creature whose coat
shone in the sun, lay stretched on the grass and
(09:23):
the kitten ramped around near her. The mother would wave
her tail for the kitten to try to clutch with
its paw, or raise her feet to push the little
one away as an encouragement to further efforts.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
It was a charming sight.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Berth has been on to me to buy her a
cat as soon as we were married.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
Now i'll get no people, Oh Jack, I'd like to
take them both. I wonder who they belonged to.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
They're not strays, and that's for sure. Look at the
condition of the mother's coat. They probably belong.
Speaker 6 (09:50):
To the castle.
Speaker 8 (09:51):
It'd be great for the picture had a touch of atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Malcolme leave them alone. I can't get a the wall anyway,
it's far too steep.
Speaker 8 (10:02):
Yes, yes, you're right. I'll look at the size of
the mother. We don't grow cats like that in England. No,
wait just a minute, here we are.
Speaker 6 (10:13):
What are you doing.
Speaker 7 (10:15):
Well, I'll just throw this stone to attract their attention.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
I don't do that. Don't do that. You might hit
the kit.
Speaker 7 (10:20):
Oh not a chance.
Speaker 8 (10:21):
What do you take me for. I may produce movies,
but I'm not all that bad. I'll just aim it
so it runs near them, make them look up. Have
you ever seen the expression on a cat's face when
it's startled.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Well, we'll watch, nod man.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Look what you've done.
Speaker 7 (10:40):
I if I meant if I meant to do that.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Maybe the wall wasn't as sheer as it looked. Maybe
there was a concealed angle at its base which we
couldn't see. Whatever the reason, Malcolm's aim wasn't as true
as he thought. I truly believe that he only intended
to startle those cats. But when he leaned over the
wall and through the stone, it landed with a sickening
(11:04):
thud right on the kitten's head and shattered out its
little brains there And then, oh, poor thing, the mother
cast a swift upward glance, and I saw her eyes
flash like green fire as she stared for an instant
at Malcolm Rivers. Then her attention was given to the kitten.
(11:28):
After one quiver, it lay still while a thin red
trickle oozed from a gaping wound.
Speaker 5 (11:34):
Oh, the poor poor thing.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Had just happened.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
For the world, I can't understand the best darling.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
The cat was assiduously licking the kitten's wound, and then
suddenly she stopped. She must have realized that it was
dead and that her ministrations were useless for all at once,
she appeared to lose all interest in the pathetic little body. Instead,
she looked again at Rivers, and in that look was
all the concentration of primitive hate. Her green eyes blazed,
(12:13):
and the blood which dabbled her mouth and whiskers made
her look for all the world like an avenging fury. There, Malcolm,
I hope you're satisfied. That's something for your horror film,
and you have the consolation of knowing it's real blood
and not vegetable dye.
Speaker 7 (12:30):
Don't rub it in. I feel bad enough as a
little one.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Sorry.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
I'm sorry, of course you do.
Speaker 7 (12:35):
I love cats, I really do.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Although my outburst was a relief. I felt slightly ashamed.
I realized how painfully vulnerable the man really was. I
turned my attention to the cat. She was now attempting
to claw her way up the wall. When this failed,
she tried to launch herself into the air, eyes blazing,
(12:58):
claws distended, and then she fell back.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
Let's go on. I can't bear anymore.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Do you want to go home? We can come back tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
I think a brandy would do you good. I think
a brandy would do.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Us all good.
Speaker 5 (13:11):
No, I don't want to go back to the hotel.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
I want to see the castle. Let's go on.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
In face of her obvious determination, there was nothing else
we could do. At least the tour would divert her mind,
or so we hoped, And we also hope that Malcolm
would be deterred from prattling on about his inane script.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
But no, I.
Speaker 8 (13:33):
Really expect to pick up some great vibrations in the
torture tow.
Speaker 7 (13:37):
It's just over there, you see.
Speaker 8 (13:40):
You see, you can't expect to involve your audience unless
you're involved yourself.
Speaker 7 (13:45):
Now, that's that's the basic rule.
Speaker 8 (13:47):
You've got to be convinced, and that's why so many
movies are just laughable. Nobody is convinced, least of all
the makers. I remember one crazy scene.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Now, as Malcolm laughed, I looked back at the cat.
She too had heard, and her whole demeanor seemed to change.
She no longer tried to jump or run up the wall,
but instead began to lick and fondle the dead kitten
as if it were alive. Then she took it in
(14:20):
her mouth and began to follow us until we reached
the limit of the wall's boundary. I thought I was
the only one who noticed, but I.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
Was wrong, mister Rivers. I know this may sound silly,
but I think that cat means to do you harm.
Speaker 8 (14:37):
Oh now that Oh, let's keep a sense of proportion
about this. I'm terribly sorry about what happened, but I
refused to avoid dark alleys over a damn cat.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
Besides, she probably has a litter of others underseambush.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Yes, I think you're being metodramatic.
Speaker 7 (14:55):
Do you look better?
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Are you sure you wouldn't rather call.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
It a do? For heaven's sake? To Fussy, I said,
I was all right, didn't I? Or are you trying
to get rid of me?
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Now? Don't start that again.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
All I was trying to do was to give mister
Rivers a perfectly reasonable warning.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
I think, all I'm afraid. Well, here's the tower entrance.
Shall we go in? I tried to sound unconcerned, but
somewhere in the back of my mind I had a
sneaking feeling that the girl was probably right. At first,
(15:40):
we could see nothing. The darkness seemed incarnate, surrounding, stifling
us like a blanket. The four of us just stood there,
waiting for the use of our eyes to return. We
were in the lower chamber. The thin sunlight filtering in
through a tiny window seemed to lose lose itself in
(16:01):
the thickness of the walls, which were coated with the
dust of centuries. Here and there were patches of dark stain.
Only Rivers naturally, remained comparatively unmoved.
Speaker 8 (16:13):
Not much room for cameras down here. Still, I suppose
we could manage.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
Excuse me, But you are English?
Speaker 7 (16:20):
Yes, well three of us are?
Speaker 6 (16:22):
I think you are English? Are interested in tortures? Yes?
You would like to see our collection? Yes, the best
in job.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Perhaps you could show us around.
Speaker 9 (16:32):
You will follow me, please? You are my first party
of today. The main collection is on the floor above.
I think you will find some interest.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
I remembered the wealth of stories about the legendary cruelty
of the Counts of Sunderberg, and of course their ladies.
It was said that they had found a legitimate outlet
for their blood loss by channeling them in the service
of the officers of the inquisition.
Speaker 8 (17:03):
None measures here, Wow, look at all that?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Oh, we found ourselves in a room full of torture instruments,
chairs full of spikes which gave instant and excruciating pain,
steel cages in which the head could slowly be crushed
into a pulp. Racks, belts, boots, gloves, collars, and all
(17:29):
around the walls great headsman's swords, evil keen edged weapons
that would decapitate with one slash. And nearby blocks where
the victim's necks had lain with deep notches where the
steel had bitten through the guard of flesh and shored
into the wood. We all found ourselves speechless in the
(17:50):
face of this bestual evidence of man's inhumanity to man.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
All that is, except Malcolm.
Speaker 10 (17:57):
Rivers believable, just what we need. It's too good to
be true, it really is. Do you see, it's perfect
for a setup just here. It's a question of getting
permission to use this stuff. But I wonder what the
formalities are. Hey, let me just sit in that chair moment.
Speaker 6 (18:16):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Rivers was behaving with his usual insensitivity, But there was
something more. I think the others shared the feeling with
me that it was sacrilegious. An odd word to use,
I know, but there was something sacred about the place.
It was a temple, but a temple to evil.
Speaker 6 (18:39):
Now over his.
Speaker 9 (18:43):
Madam, is a famous instrument of the Inquisition, one might
almost say, the most famous, and still in perfect work.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
And corner, the old man pointed to the main object
in this chamber of horrors, the iron Virgin, a copy
of the famous one at Nuremberg. The contraption was covered
in rust and dust, except for the face, which was
oddly fresh looking, as if the custodian had scrubbed it.
(19:12):
While the figure was curved in the shape of a woman,
It was just broad enough for a man to fit inside,
as we could see when the door was opened. The
door itself was enormously thick, and was worked open and
shut by a thick chain running through a pulley attached
to a heavy beam in the roof. When the weight
(19:32):
was released, the door would slam shut. The devilish nature
of the iron virgin was truly revealed when you examined
the inside of the door. A number of iron spikes
were fixed there, and when the victim was placed inside
it and the door closed, the upper spikes would pierce
his eyes and the lower ones his heart and vitals.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
What a charming toil.
Speaker 9 (19:57):
Oh God, look at the blood stains to watch out
blood completely man.
Speaker 6 (20:02):
And there are some who say this comes back anyway.
I think I can believe this place is haunted.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
And on that happy note, I vote we make a
hurried exit.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
That suits me.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Let's go and have that drink. We promised that shall
right now?
Speaker 7 (20:16):
No, no, no, wait, what's up this time?
Speaker 4 (20:18):
For God's sake?
Speaker 7 (20:19):
Hey you? Oh man?
Speaker 8 (20:20):
Now, how big is that space in the space inside?
Speaker 7 (20:25):
I want to see if I can get in? Oh well,
I told you I'd like sampling your experiences.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Now, Malcolm, realism is one thing.
Speaker 8 (20:33):
Nonsense, courage of your convictions and all that.
Speaker 7 (20:35):
Now, come on, I need your help on this.
Speaker 6 (20:38):
Very good sir.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
If you insists you're not serious.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
I'm sure I am.
Speaker 7 (20:43):
Yeah, that's a tight fit.
Speaker 8 (20:47):
You've grown some since those days, and I'll manage.
Speaker 9 (20:53):
See, you are not really allowed to lose this, sir.
If anyone found out, I might get in.
Speaker 8 (21:00):
Why should anyone find out and might even lose my job? Okay, okay,
I'll get you a price, give him something, would you.
Speaker 7 (21:08):
Well, I'll settle with you later.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I think this is all very silly, all in the
course of hot.
Speaker 6 (21:14):
Well, I for one, won't go and see his beastly
film that my dear makes.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Two of us.
Speaker 7 (21:18):
Hey, what's all I'm whispering about?
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Oh here you are two four six?
Speaker 6 (21:24):
Thank you, sir, Oh, thank you, sir.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
Do you think that was square your conscience?
Speaker 6 (21:29):
Oh? Yes, sir, I think it's square very nicely.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Now that you've had your little game, can we all.
Speaker 7 (21:35):
Go go if you like? I'm not stubbing you. I'm
staying here.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
Oh come on now, come welcome nothing.
Speaker 8 (21:40):
I'm really enjoying this, lived aangerously.
Speaker 7 (21:43):
That's my motto. Charlie, now unfastened the door.
Speaker 6 (21:47):
But sure, can't somebody stop welcome?
Speaker 1 (21:49):
You've had your little joke.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
But enough is enough enough?
Speaker 7 (21:52):
Hell you, Charlie, do as I tell you.
Speaker 8 (21:56):
I'll start letting that door down, but slowly where they
very slowly.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Despite his reluctance, the old man did as he was told.
He worked the machine with a deliberate and excruciating slowness,
in which the outer edge of the door hadn't moved
half five inches in as many minutes. The whole ridiculous
charade had a kind of macabre thrill about it. It
(22:28):
was a scene from Malcolm's horror film, played exclusively for
our benefit. And then I saw her, the cat. I
don't think the others noticed at first, they were too
intent on watching the progress of that door. Even rivers
(22:50):
had ceased to chatter. In the far corner of the chamber,
dark untamable forces were gathering her green baleful eyes shone
like danger lamps, and as I peered at her, I
could see that their color was heightened by the blood
(23:11):
which still smeared her coat and reddened her mouth. And
still slowly, inexorably, with the precision of an expert, the
old man went on working that door. Even then, I
wasn't sure what the animal intended to do, or even
if she intended to do anything, until suddenly.
Speaker 6 (23:32):
The cat look out for the cat.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
The cat launched herself, not at Malcolm, but at the
luckless custodian.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Whoa Her eyes blazed.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
With ferocity, her hair bristled till she seemed twice her
normal size. Her tail lashed out like a tiger's when
the quarry is before it. The cat's claws found one
of his eyes, and I actually saw her tear through
it and down his cheek, leaving wide bands of red
(24:07):
where the blood seemed to spurt from every vein.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
Oh, look out, he can't hold it back.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
And yell of agony and terror.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
The man leapt back, dropping the chain which held back
the door. It ran like a lightning through the pulley block,
and the massive door slamed shut. In the instant before
the door had closed, I saw Malcolm's face. His eyes
stared as if dazed, and for once in his life,
he was speechless. Jack, help me get the door open,
(24:37):
for God's sake, help.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Me, I'm coming.
Speaker 6 (24:40):
Best.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Stay with you will, for God's sake, don't look.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
The end must have been quick, for when we managed
to wrench the door open, the spikes had done their work.
They had pierced right through the skull, so that as
the door opened, the body came with it, and he
fell to the floor, face turned upwards.
Speaker 7 (24:58):
Get your white out of here. He's there.
Speaker 5 (25:01):
I'll attend to the old man right.
Speaker 7 (25:04):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
The old custodian was leaning against the wooden pillar, holding
his reddening handkerchief to his eyes, while on the face
of poor Rivers there sat the cat, purring loudly as
she licked the blood which trickled through the gashed sockets
of his eyes. I pushed her away from her ghoulish meal,
(25:29):
and well, I hope no one will call me cruel,
because I seized one of the old executioner's swords from
its rack on the wall, and with one slash saw.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Her in two on the spot.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Poor Malcolm, he'd had his total experience, a good deal
more total than he'd bargained for. Cozy, wasn't it. You
see what I mean about cats? You never can tell?
Speaker 1 (26:21):
That was Vincent Price bringing you over the price of fear.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Also starring in this story Katz Cradle were Kenneth J.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Warren and Frederick Schrecker, with John Sampson and Bonnie Harron.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Katz Cradle was first recounted as the score by Bram Stoker,
dramatized by Richard Davis and produced by John Das
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.