Tri-State University will bring back a Halloween classic when it broadcasts Orson Welles’s adaptation of the thriller War of the Worlds Halloween night. Originally broadcasted in October 1938, TSU’s radio station WEAX 88.3 FM will pay tribute to the masterpiece on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. 

“Most of us are familiar with the basic plot of War of the Worlds, and most people are aware of the panic Orson Welles adaptation caused, but few people have actually heard that original broadcast,” said Josh Hornbacher, WEAX Operations Manager. “The broadcast seems tame by today's standards, but the fear that it caused in 1938 really shows what can be accomplished with a few well placed sound effects. Theatre of the mind can be a powerful thing.”

H. G. Wells’ novel is about a Martian invasion of Earth at the end of the 19th century. The story was adapted for the radio and played on air by Orson Welles and the staff of CBS’s Mercury Theatre On The Air. The live broadcast reportedly frightened many listeners into believing that an actual Martian invasion was in progress. WEAX will play the complete uncut, original broadcast.