The Creaking Door (1964-1969) - "... the creaking door is opening, so do come in ..."
The Creaking Door [starting 64-04-29] was South African Radio's attempt to create a compelling program of highly suspenseful, dramatic thrillers with a supernatural bent for their sponsor, State Express Cigarettes. Some commentators insist it was conceived as a spin-off of the already successful Inner Sanctum episodes that had been syndicated for broadcast in Australia and South Africa during the 1950s. Given the format, one can see the inference, but in fact The Creaking Door stands on its own as a unique, well-produced, engaging supernatural thriller series on its own merit.
Not quite as chilling and melodramatic as Raymond Johnson, perhaps, but Peter Broomfield rightly camped up his delivery for The Creaking Door, and it worked. Indeed, given the reported conservative budget of each episode, it's a tribute to The Creaking Door's producers that they managed to tease so much quality out of such relatively humbly funded productions.
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CREAKING DOOR FIRST LINES
by Paladin (Lenny) via otrplus
Alive in His Grave (11/30/64)—Feeling the chill of these winter evenings? Wait until you’ve been with us a little while, you’ll freeze with fear.
Anna (12/21/64)—Listen very carefully as you enter our quarters. First, utter silence. Then, as the ear becomes attuned to its surroundings, you’ll gradually hear the whimpering sound of fear.
Aunt May (05/11/64)—Oh no…you won’t need that. Once you’re thru the creaking door, you’ll realize that everyone who enters here, leaves their mind behind.
Black Magic (xx/xx/xx)—Meet Lefty Finn, who is less out than in, the prisoner pinup boy. At the moment, Lefty is sitting in the charge room of a police station trying to convince the hard cops he’s telling the truth.
Bring Back Her Bones (06/24/64)—We’re going to take a little trip to the isle of Haiti, to the land of voodoo and zombies and walking dead. Don’t look too closely at the faces of the zombies, it would be terrible if you saw yourself.
Cards, The (10/19/64)—Mark you…it’s no place to come if you want to live it up a little. As a matter of fact, it’s rather a dead end.
Cat Woman (07/16/64)—Why are you hesitating? Oh I see…that apparition you met in your nightmare…oh yes…he’s here alright, ready to drive you out of your mind. (AKA Cat Whiskers)
Dangerous Dive (06/08/64)—Have you ever considered the poor deep sea diver? Now there is an interesting job for you…walking around the silent sea bed, thousands of feet under the surface.
Day of Truce, A (10/12/64) and/or (05/18/68)—Why the pause? Listening to the strange noises coming from about? Well, don’t let it worry you, it’s merely the articulation of a worried corpse. He finds that he cannot enter into the spirit of the thing.
Death for Sale (12/14/64)—Now, lend a fear to some grim happenings and hear what kind of profits Mark Deavers reaped when he put up death for sale.
Death in Ecstasy (xx/xx/xx)—The young woman’s face is so deathly a pallor, one would think she was no longer alive where it not for the labored breathing and the occasional moan as she stirs as if to shake the beads of perspiration from her fevered brow.
Death in Your Hands (12/07/64)—It’s no use you know…there’s no point in pretending we haven’t met before. Remember those horrible dreams? AKA Victory Over Death
Death on the Road (12/07/64)—Don’t worry, it’s always warm here. We keep the fires burning all the time. You’ll never guess what we use instead of coal.
Death Stays the Night (xx/xx/xx)—Tonight’s terrible tale takes place in an old ramshackled hotel where even death can spend the night providing he pays his money in advance payable to Archie Davis, the night receptionist.
Deep Water (04/02/66)—Did you ever meet a deep sea diver? Let me introduce to you Matt Conway who is an expert diver.
Devil’s Island (xx/xx/xx)—Imagine an island set in a sea that shines like molten lead, an island of palms and glorious sunsets.
Devil’s Prix (xx/xx/xx)—Imagine southern Italy. An olive palm above the sea. A bright red sportscar drives in and a man slips from behind the wheel.
Don’t Go Down the Mine (06/29/64)—Feeling the cold a little? There’s no point in pretending we haven’t met before. Remember those horrible dreams?
Don’t Take My Blood (01/05/65)—Do you subscribe to the view that some of us have power of the life and death over someone else? John does. He knows when people are going to die and that can be most upsetting for all concerned.
Dummy, The (05/18/64)—Be careful of my friend over there. He thinks he is a ventriloquist’s dummy.
Ever Lovin Doll (09/28/64) and/or (05/xx/67)—Let us help you step out…out of your mind.
Eye Witness, The (xx/xx/69)—Life can offer many surprises, but the most spine chilling surprise of all is when the hand of the unknown intrudes. Show open w/creaking door. Come in…feeling hot? Want a cold shiver down your spine? You’ll get it, just keep listening
Face to Face (06/01/64)—Tonight we’re going to listen to the music of the spheres. That’s right….haunting music. AKA Music of the Spheres.
Fall Guy (xx/xx/65)—We’re in the death house of the state prison. Tony Craven, 26, convicted murderer is being strapped in the electric chair.
Fortune Teller (xx/xx/66)—On a misty bridge, high above the turgid waters, a man stands…lonely, frightened, plucking up courage in his small shattered soul to leap into the depths below.
Ghost of Ellen Worth (xx/xx/xx)—The house is in an old cobbled street. In an upstairs studio, two men are pointing guns at each other like duelers pausing before the kill. AKA Slum Story.
Ghosts at Ridgeway (06/15/64)—Remember the nightmare you had the other night? You don’t? You’re going to have it again.
Girl Gold the Getaway (09/14/64)—I just met such a sad case…an old man begging for a coffin to sleep in for the night. It seems he was dead broke.
Golden Statue (07/23/66)—There is the city. There is the night. The twisted shapes of mist hanging like grotesque living beings in the lamplight. AKA Stone and Statue
Hangman (08/13/66)—It is a gray world for dawn is breaking. In the bedroom of a drab, unprepossessing house on the edge of the city, the hand on the alarm clock moves remorselessly and at exactly 5:00, the alarm is sounding.
Happier Dead (08/24/64)—Don’t take any notice of the unearthly laughter. One of our friends has just discovered that he is happier dead.
Harry Logan (05/04/64)—You’re welcome if you can stand the cold. Hundreds of friends are simply dying to come here. AKA I See Ghosts
Haunted Hangman (05/25/64)— You’ll meet some interesting people including our creaking door attorneys, Messrs Shaking, Whitelipped and Trembling. And it’s no secret how they got that way. AKA as Haunting and Hangman’s Rope.
He Died Yesterday (08/31/64)—Tonight’s flight from reason poses an odd situation. Can a perfect alibi save a murderer from hanging? A murderer who, mind you, died yesterday. AKA as Yesterday You Died.
His Parents Ghost—For some time, doctor Marcus Summers has been gazing down at the twitching, trembling figure of Julian Clinton. Gently wiping the beads of sweat from the brow of the young man slumped in the armchair.
House Where He Was Born (04/23/66)—On the end of a promontory jutting out into the Atlantic ocean, stands the gray, sinister bulk of Coldwell, the maximum security prison where men are locked up like animals. Wicked men. Dangerous men.
Hypnotist (07/06/66)—The moors are lonely, except for a few night creatures in the slight wind until the harsh, frightened sobbing of a pursued human being, a young girl, is heard.
Illusionist (05/14/66)—On the banks of the river, a man stumbles thru the mist…a haggard, white faced man. His face twisted with an anguish he can no longer bear.
Imposter (07/20/64)—It’s no good holding back. But don’t look too closely, otherwise you’ll see the dim outline of that horrible specter that appeared in your nightmares. AKA Informer and Masquerading as Tom Reed.
Inn Spectre (07/27/64)—Come, come my pet. But a word of warning…once you’ve crossed the threshold, don’t look over your shoulder too quickly. The things you would see would stay with you for the rest of your unnatural life.
Island of No Return (xx/xx/66)—It is night. The small island is deserted but for two men. The cold wind from the sea sweeps around and over them as they huddle over a fire.
Isle of Lost Souls (11/23/64)—Now there’s no reason to hesitate. You’ve no reason to fear…at least…not yet.
Killer Prowler (08/17/66)—Two young women alone in an apartment. They share the place. They’ve known each other for a long time. They are friends.
Killer Wife (06/18/66)—A man lies awake in the dark listening to the wind. AKA Devil Woman
Large as Life (02/14/65)—We’re in the waiting room of a prison hospital. A nurse comes up to a seated man, gives him a sedative and leaves.
Like Blood Sisters (08/10/64)—I must ask you to tread warily. We have some strange characters to contend with.
Man in the Lift (10/05/64)—Do you know what claustrophobia is? That’s the feeling you get when everything seems to be pressing in on you. People who suffer from claustrophobia should take care not to get themselves trapped in confined spaces.
Man in the Morgue (01/18/65)—We’ve got some rather interesting specimens on view here. An old skeleton and a skull or two which proved quite fascinating once I managed to remove the ahh…the ahh…outer covering. Come to think of it, one of those skulls looks just like you. AKA Not a Ghost of a Chance.
Midnight Express (01/25/65)—I can’t see a darned thing, you know that? Now darling, take it easy.
Mr Penwaters Yacht (xx/xx/xx)—The house stands by the edge of the wide river just where it joins the sea. It is a lonely house, not very old, built in the gem cracked magnificence of the pre war style.
Musical Ghost (04/30/66)--Imagine a tropical paradise. One of those islands in the sun that have become playgrounds of the very rich. There is a fine house on an old plantation.
Pregnant with Sound (xx/xx/66)—The house is small but tastefully furnished. A young lady with a sad face sits at the piano.
Room for the Night (xx/xx/xx)—It won’t take long, your visit, no more than half an hour. Of course, it may seem longer, but we promise to return you to where you’re sitting now…intact, except for your sanity.
Secret of the Mausoleum (02/01/65)—No, and if your telephone rings in the dark, dim, stillness of the night, don’t answer it…it might be me. AKA as Mystery of the M and Where the Dead Sleep.
Skull of Tom Sloan (xx/xx/65)—The face of murder isn’t pretty especially if it’s been exposed to the weather for weeks and months.
Snakes Alive (xx/xx/xx)— Three thousand three hundred years ago, an embalmed body stiff in the tight grasp of death is laid to rest in a dark, carved out tomb.
Three Wishes (11/02/64)—Have you ever wished for anything? I’m sure you must have done. But supposing your wish were to come true would you really like it?
Two in the Fog (05/07/66)—Meet Charles Barton , a nice enough young chap, unassuming, popular with his friends. Thoroughly decent and completely haunted.
Two Million Dollar Monster (xx/xx/xx)—You meet the most extraordinary people sitting on park benches all over the world. Imagine a rich film producer named Marvin Kenilworth III. He walks in the park, smoking.
Vagrant, The (04/29/64)—You know, some ghosts are awful liars. One of our people here tells the most fantastic stories of his life on earth and then he wonders why everyone sees thru him.
Village Of Daleside (07/06/64)—There are no lights in the village of Daleside. A few houses, a church, a general store….
White Scarf Strangler (03/01/65)—A heavy fog has rolled in from the ocean covering the coastal city with a gray, moist gauze.
Who Stopped the Train (11/16/64)—Hello!...Hello below there AKA Signalman, The Train
Notes
Cat Woman and Cat Whiskers are same show
Face to Face and Music of Spheres same show
Haunted Hangman, Hangman’s Rope and Haunting are same show
He Died Yesterday and Yesterday You Died are same show
Harry Logan and I See Ghosts are same show
Imposter, Informer, and Masquerading as Tom Reed are same show
Mystery of the M, Secret of the Mausoleum, and Where the Dead Sleep are same show
Death in Your Hands and Victory Over Death are same show
Who Stopped the Train and Signalman are same show
Golden Statue and Stone and Statue are same show
?’s Are Midnight Express and Who Stopped the Train the same
Replies
Paul: Are these in better shape than the ones that were in circulation a while back?
circulated where? Sorry I have no idea.
these are
The Vagrant.Mp3 - 14.1MB
I See Ghosts.Mp3 - 7.3MB
Aunt Mae.Mp3 - 7MB
The Dummy.mp3 - 7.4MB
The Haunted Hangman.Mp3 - 6.9MB
I got mine via Toronto about six or seven years ago and they're basically the same low-fi as the ones I checked out at the OTRR library a couple of years ago -- I'd checked the copies at OTRR after reading somewhere that someone had been found in SA who had more programs from the series, and that they were better quality (and I'd figured that OTRR would have them, but they didn't).
New to me
The Creaking Door (xx) The Oblong Box (1962)
http://www.mediafire.com/folder/2rhcowqdo70en/Springbok
New to me
The Creaking Door (xx) The Executioner 1962
http://www.mediafire.com/folder/2rhcowqdo70en/Springbok
Thank you
KNOCK HERE
I have seen comments that these might have been included with Inner Sanctum episodes (& visa versa?) but I think these are the South African ones
The Creaking Door (01) - The Vagrant.Mp3
The Creaking Door (02) - I See Ghosts.Mp3
The Creaking Door (03) - Aunt Mae.Mp3
The Creaking Door (04) - The Dummy.mp3
The Creaking Door (05) - The Haunted Hangman.Mp3
More to come
Next Five so ring the bell or KNOCK HERE
The Creaking Door (06) - Face to Face {Music of the Spheres}.mp3
The Creaking Door (07) - Dangerous Dive.mp3
The Creaking Door (08) - Ghost At Ridgeway.mp3
The Creaking Door (09) - Bring Back Her Bones.Mp3
The Creaking Door (10) - Don't Go Down The Mine.mp3
Just small files around the 6mb mark. I did notice a creaking door on the SABC broadcast at the moment.
11-15 so open the squeeky gate and PUSH OPEN HERE
The Creaking Door (11) - Village Of Daleside.Mp3
The Creaking Door (12) - The Cat Woman.Mp3
The Creaking Door (13) - The Imposter.mp3
The Creaking Door (14) - Inn Spectre.mp3
The Creaking Door (15) - A Room For The Night.Mp3
16-20 behind the Ivy HEAVE OPEN HERE
The Creaking Door (16) - Like Blood Sisters.Mp3
The Creaking Door (17) - Death In Your Hands.mp3
The Creaking Door (18) - Happier Dead Larger.mp3
The Creaking Door (18) - Happier Dead.Mp3
The Creaking Door (19) - Yesterday You Died.Mp3
The Creaking Door (20) - Mystery Of The M.Mp3
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