It was April, 1813, exactly two hundred years ago, when six prominent New Yorkers, among them Alexander Hamilton, gathered monthly to entertain each other by sharing tales of terror often acting them out by the light of a solitary candle. They called themselves THE LIGHTS OUT CLUB. Membership was by invitation only, very exclusive. From then on, members met in out of the way, dangerous, downtown locations to tell their stories in near darkness.
To gain entrance into their secret society, a candidate had to deliver a strange tale deemed terrifying enough by all members. Through the years, their legacy has been passed on to new generations. Members came from all walks of life, including ORSON WELLES, LEGS DIAMOND, CASEY STENGEL, MAYOR JIMMY WALKER, NORMAN MAILER, LEONARD BERNSTEIN, CARL SAGAN and SOPHIE TUCKER, and many others.
In the late 1930s LIGHTS OUT became a famous radio program created by club members Wyllis Cooper and Arch Obler. It reached television in 1948. Later, many of the supernatural stories were adapted by club member ROD SERLING for the Twilight Zone. ALFRED HITCHCOCK even used a few for his television show. Since then, thousands of creative artists, writers and filmmakers have been influenced by The Lights Out Club.
Now, throughout 2013, some current members of THE LIGHTS OUT CLUB have finally agreed to perform for us a few of their favorite stories from the Masters of of Modern Horror, including EDGAR ALLAN POE, H.P.LOVECRAFT, ROBERT E. HOWARD, W.W.JACOBS, SAKI, ARCH OBLER and more !
APRIL 13, 20, 27, MAY 4
TALES TO MAKE YOU SCREAM
MAY 11, 18, 25, JUNE 1
TALES TO KEEP YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT
JUNE 8, 15, 22, 29
TALES TO MAKE YOU SQUIRM
JULY 6, 13, 20, 27
TALES TO MAKE YOUR BLOOD RUN COLD
AUGUST 3, 10, 17, 24
TALES FROM BEYOND