Spooky Stories: Live radio play brings life to horror storytelling

James Johonnott

Get your Halloween creepy vibes and horror fix with some spooky stories, eerie performances, and live sound effects. “The Live Radio Collection: Spooky Halloween Show,” performed by the Speck of Dust Theatre Company at The Plus on Oct. 21, is a collection of five spooky radio dramas, read aloud with live Foley sound effects.

The collection includes the “Alabama Mermaid,” “Hansel and Gretel Revisited,” “If the Devil Comes for Me,” and “Effluvia Falls.” The collection also includes “Memento Mori: A Rock Opera” – a preview of the original horror-rock opera Speck of Dust will perform next year. “Alabama Mermaid” was written by Jessica Wright Buha and is the winner of the coveted Bloody Axe Award at the Deathscribe horror storytelling competition.

A toddler is stolen by river mermaids with big, pale eyes and cobweb hair, and his mother grieves until her humanity is taken as well. “Hansel and Gretel Revisited,” written by Logan Toftness, is a twist on what happens, post-therapy, when Hansel & Gretel find themselves back in the woods at a strange house. “Memento Mori: A Rock Opera,” written by Logan Toftness and Josh Hammes-Murray, is a sneak peak into the original horror rock opera produced by Speck of Dust for October 2019.

A wanna-be serial killer and his would-be victim share a horror comedy rock song about an interesting blog. “If the Devil Comes for Me” was written by Jessica Wright Buha. The devil has a daughter who’s going to be hanged unless a deal is struck. “Effluvia Falls” was written by Joe Janes, and was originally presented by Strawdog Theater in Chicago. In a nice little town not so far from here, a little girl tries to return a watch and a doctor provides medicine for a nasty cough.

The Live Radio Collection: Spooky Halloween Show • Oct. 21, 6:30pm • The Plus, 208 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire • $5 GA • Find it on Facebook.