CBS Radio Mystery Theater CBS · 1940s

A Coffin For The Devil

· GHOST OF RADIO ·
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On a moonless night in a forgotten corner of New England, a traveling preacher arrives at a decaying plantation with a holy mission and a burden that may damn his very soul. When he discovers that the master of the house has made a pact with forces beyond human comprehension—trading his immortal soul for earthly power—our protagonist must decide whether redemption is possible, or if some evils run too deep to be saved by faith alone. As midnight approaches and the boundaries between the natural and supernatural grow perilously thin, listeners will find themselves gripping their radios in delicious dread, wondering whether the preacher's conviction or the devil's cunning will prove stronger. The sound design is masterful: creaking floorboards become instruments of terror, distant howls transform into something altogether more sinister, and a single, ominous coffin waiting in the cellar begins to feel like the only honest thing in a house built on lies and darkness.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater was a beacon for suspense enthusiasts during its eight-year run, reviving the golden age of radio drama when imagination and sound design could terrify far more effectively than any visual effect. Episodes like "A Coffin For The Devil" showcase the program's remarkable ability to blend genuine theological horror with psychological complexity, creating stories that linger long after the final commercial break. The show's writers understood that the deepest fears aren't always monsters—sometimes they're the choices we make and the prices we're willing to pay.

Don your headphones and step into the darkness. This is a tale that rewards late-night listening, where every creak and whisper pulls you deeper into moral peril. "A Coffin For The Devil" awaits.