A Muse, an Actor and a Fuzzy individual

Radio shows and horror have always had a ghoulishly good relationship. Alfred Hitchcock’s directorial efforts haunted the ears of listeners in the 1940s and ‘50s, Boris Karloff was a creeptastic staple on old-school shows, and who could ever forget Orson Welles’ infamous War of the Worlds broadcast on the night before Halloween 1938? Horror fans now find their scares in more high-tech ways, but radio shows are coming back in the Internet age thanks to the downloadable program, Tales from Beyond the Pale. Each of the 10 30-minute episodes in Season 1 are hosted by Glass Eye Pix CEO Larry Fessenden, and written and directed by a number of horror filmmakers, including Joe Maggio (Bitter Feast), Paul Solet (Grace) and JT Petty (The Burrowers). The acting talent involved is impressive, too, from Hellboy co-stars Ron Perlman and Doug Jones reteaming for Jeff Buhler’s This Oracle Moon to Vincent D’Onofrio lending his vocal skill to the first episode debuting online today, Maggio’s Man on the Ledge. Episodes will be available on the Tales from Beyond the Pale website for $1.99 each, with an expansion soon to iTunes, Amazon and other outlets. In December, the first season will be collected in a deluxe CD package. But come on: Christmas is a time for giving gifts, not scaring the bejeebers out of people, so listen to them around Halloween for best horrific effect. Check out the website or follow the program’s Twitter feed for more info, and watch this exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Man on the Ledge, featuring interviews with D’Onofrio and John Speredakos.

Photo courtesy of Glass Eye Pix