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Title

Nightmare's Nest

Plot

In order to pursue his interests in peace, a reclusive scientist purchases a remote country manor. Little does he know that a malevolent spirit prowls the estate's grounds.

Episode

0310

Air Dates

  • First Run - July 17, 1975
  • Repeat - November 22, 1975

Actors

Writer

Listen

Rating

111
95     16


17 Responses to Episode 0310

A reclusive, emotionless scientist seeks solace at a mysterious country estate where he hopes to finish some important work in peace and quiet. At first the house seems the perfect setting, with its sprawling grounds, huge rooms, and garden maze. But soon the scientist comes to discover that the manor is haunted by a mysterious spirit who is seeking him out for a special purpose. This episode sets the mood of the story excellently and carries the characters and plot through to an interesting finish. Genre: Supernatural

Arnulfo S.

A monkish scientist purchases a remote estate to carry out his studies in seclusion. The house and the grounds are haunted by a seductive --- and predatory spirit.

Daniel Breakwood

My copy has a lot of digital glitching but is listenable. A mathemetician with stunted emotional development takes an isolated house in the country. The house, Mare's Nest (Or maybe Mayer's Nest), is still haunted, not by a ghost but by a vampire. The details of this particular brand of vampirism are interesting and the use of a droning buzz like some giant insect for the nightmares of vampire flight are good. Mildly chilling and generally quite good.

Arnold Redota

A confirmed intellect and bachelor wishes to retreat to a life of solitude and quiet and so purchases an estate in the middle of nowhere. Believing he has found his nirvana, he inquires of the housekeeper the history of the estate. She tells him a tale of frustrated love, gypsy curses, and a crypt in the middle of a maze on the grounds in which lay…

Nelson

First time I heard this episode was on Halloween Night some time in the early 90's when WHAM in Rochester, N.Y. briefly re-ran the series for about a year. Very apropos. This episode creates a fantastic atmosphere. You really feel the sense of isolation our protaganists are experiencing. And the eerie, gothic, romantic interludes between John and Stella have a similar feel to some of the scenes in Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula". The scenes of flying are well done (And we all know what you're really dreaming about when you dream you're flying). Gordon Gould turns in a great performance. His character is deeply flawed, but completely sympathetic. You find yourself rooting for him to finally find true love. Very powerful and jarring conclusion. This episode makes a great "triple feature" with RMT's "Dracula" and Carmilla". One of the Tops!

Tate

RMT only featured vampires a few times, if I recall correctly. "Carmilla" stands out as perhaps my favorite RMT. "Nightmare's Nest" is almost as good. The show is very spooky and the jarring ending is very well done. The vampire is portrayed in a sympathetic light, given the fact that she was actually a victim who in turn victimizes another poor soul. The sound effects employed when the two characters are flying were effective. The back story involving the Gypsy was absorbing; there was no padding in this show, it was entertaining and suspenseful throughout. The two creepiest parts: the curse levied by the dying Gypsy (I would love a translation) and the description of the dead man at the end. "Nightmare's Nest" packs a punch; a great show to listen to with the lights out. If you haven't already listened to it, what are you waiting for?

Jerwin Mostar

Several very interesting things about this show and broadcast: - The Gypsy guy (who was, frankly, a very sleazy, slimy character) was named "Gitano" (derivative of a Spanish work Egiptiano or "egyptian" as the Spaniards like others thought the gypsies to be of Egyptian descent). Note how "gypsies" aren't necessarily bad...just gypsy magic (pretty much like any other magic on the RMT was shown as having satanic origins). - I don't know what he was saying in his "curse" but how often in today's half-thought-out screenplays does one ever hear the Romany language spoken? The RMT was SO cool. - Speaking of "cool", listen to the public service announcement with the jazz music playing while Mike "Mannix" Connors talks about gun safety in the commercial break right after the second act. I'm not one to pine for the past that much as I'd much rather live in the future, but they truly don't make radio commercials like that one anymore... - Gordon Gould was frequently a "second banana" character, frequently a scientist. This show was his tour de force. - Though the RMT usually had a strong Christian worldview there occasionally was a show with a well-intentioned yet alway-twenty-steps-too-late priest like Ian Martin's character here. In fact, Martin seemed to directly reprise that character in another RMT. Maybe someone here remembers its title (I don't), but in that show Martin, while someone was choosing to let his soul slip away to the pit, as a priest was standing there saying he was feeling "Something was left unsaid." - The sound effect during the "kissing" scene was indeed well done and unique. - I think I liked "Carmilla" better because there was a sense of closure on that show, but this one was fascinating nonetheless. - Finally, speaking of "not making 'em like that anymore", I think this broadcast may have aired on Dallas/Fort Worth area radio. One of the first commercials was for "Kip's Big Boy" (restaurant)...cheers!

K. Moll

Great post K, but the public service announcement was made by Chuck “The Rifleman” Conners.

Max

Atmospheric, moody, interesting, and overall very well done. I think this one has risen to the top as one of my favorites!

Celena

Ian Martin wrote an aberrant vampire tale. Here we have John Masters (played by Gordon Gould), a lone wolf scientist who spent too much time on education and spent less time on love. He moves into a remote country house where the housekeeper, Martha Denton (played by Mary Jane Higby), tells him the back story of the house & the maze outside. The back story took place 10 years ago when Mr. Mayer (played by Ian Martin) had a daughter named Stella Mayer (played by Rosemary Rice) who fell in love with Rom Gitano (played by Robert Maxwell) who served the Mayer's home. The 2 lovebirds would sneak into the maze and show affection to each other. The father disliked this, so he fired Rom. Rom sneaks into Stella's room and asks her to steal the money from the family safe so they could build a relationship in the near future. She does so, but her father shoots and kills Rom. Rom's last dying words were the language of a gypsy curse. Stella became emotionally damaged, got psychiatric care, and ended up with Anemia (a decrease in amount of red blood cells, resulting in weariness and death). Stella's body was buried in the center temple of the maze. Her body was removed, but no one knows where. But on the night of a full moon, John Masters sees Stella and they embrace the darkness with kisses. He fell in love with her as she sucked the life out him while flying in the air and then drops him to his death. Father Dan, (played by Ian Martin again), Dr. Paul Holland (played by Robert Maxwell again), and Martha Denton notice Stella's body is back in her burial and John Masters's blood is completely gone. The Title of this should've been called "The Revenant" because that's exactly what Stella Mayer was; a supernatural being that returns from the dead. E.G. Marshall gets your attention in the first half of the story with his Prologue and adding the suspense where the natural becoming the supernatural. However, in the second half of the story along with his Epilogue, his narration kind of trailed off. I give props to our 5 actors in this, for they made their natural & supernatural characters believable. The sound effects of the cups clinking, the footsteps, coffee pouring, the crows, the door ajar, the crickets of the night, window tapping, the money safe opening, the gunshots, birds chirping, lifting the coffin lid, the hollowing wind, and Gordon Gould's scream at the 44-minute 40-second mark were a nice touch. As for the music, there was good violin music playing as the melancholy theme for the main character at the beginning. There was also dramatic tunes in every Act, but for a bloodsucking story such as this, it needed more frightening tunes. Check out Ep. #0034-THE DEADLY HOUR and listen to the bone-chilling tunes from the 43-minute 56-second mark. If you take that piece of music and place it into this episode, it would give you goosebumps.

Kurt

I enjoyed very much the visual image this story painted in my minds eye. Maybe it is just becasue I have seen the Movie "The SHining" but the maze seemed very vivid and added to the chills up your spine effect.

Chris

A good listen and good music to go with it. It's also an interesting take on the vampire legend and how it continues, and apparently it starts from a curse in this story (which I think was how the original story went as well now that I think of it).

Alec

Ian Martin wrote an aberrant vampire tale. Here we have John Masters (played by Gordon Gould), a lone wolf scientist who spent too much time on education and spent less time on love. He moves into a remote country house where the housekeeper, Martha Denton (played by Mary Jane Higby), tells him the back story of the house & the maze outside. The back story took place 10 years ago when Mr. Mayer (played by Ian Martin) had a daughter named Stella Mayer (played by Rosemary Rice) who fell in love with Rom Gitano (played by Robert Maxwell) who served the Mayer's home. The 2 lovebirds would sneak into the maze and show affection to each other. The father disliked this, so he fired Rom. Rom sneaks into Stella's room and asks her to steal the money from the family safe so they could build a relationship in the near future. She does so, but her father shoots and kills Rom. Rom's last dying words were the language of a gypsy curse. Stella became emotionally damaged, got psychiatric care, and ended up with Anemia (a decrease in amount of red blood cells, resulting in weariness and death). Stella's body was buried in the center temple of the maze. Her body was removed, but no one knows where. But on the night of a full moon, John Masters sees Stella and they embrace the darkness with kisses. He fell in love with her as she sucked the life out him while flying in the air and then drops him to his death. Father Dan, (played by Ian Martin again), Dr. Paul Holland (played by Robert Maxwell again), and Martha Denton notice Stella's body is back in her burial and John Masters's blood is completely gone. The Title of this should've been called "The Revenant" because that's exactly what Stella Mayer was; a supernatural being that returns from the dead. E.G. Marshall gets your attention in the first half of the story with his Prologue and adding the suspense where the natural becoming the supernatural. However, in the second half of the story along with his Epilogue, his narration kind of trailed off. I give props to our 5 actors in this, for they made their natural & supernatural characters believable. The sound effects of the cups clinking, the footsteps, coffee pouring, the crows, the door ajar, the crickets of the night, window tapping, the money safe opening, the gunshots, birds chirping, lifting the coffin lid, the hollowing wind, and Gordon Gould's scream at the 44-minute 40-second mark were a nice touch. As for the music, there was good violin music playing as the melancholy theme for the main character at the beginning. There was also dramatic tunes in every Act, but for a bloodsucking story such as this, it needed more frightening tunes. Check out Ep. #0034-THE DEADLY HOUR and listen to the bone-chilling tunes from the 43-minute 56-second mark. If you take that piece of music and place it into this episode, it would give you goosebumps. Great Fantasy-Mystery episode!

Russell

I would give this 3 out of 5 for good. I enjoyed very much the visual image this story painted in my minds eye. Maybe it is just becasue I have seen the Movie "The SHining" but the maze seemed very vivid and added to the chills up your spine effect.

Chris

They mention hitting a golf ball like Tiger Woods or a tennis ball like Pete Sampres, but this show is from 1975. Wikipedia says Tiger Woods was born in 1975. How can that be?

Tony

@Tony CBSRMT was reaired in 1998 and 2000 with Himan Brown as host.

Karen

That guy is way too bossy.

Commodore's watch


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