War Of The Worlds!

War of the Worlds was a radio drama aired on Halloween in 1938 by Orson Welles. This particular radio drama cause a huge controversy and buzz and may be known as one of the most critically acclaimed dramas ever to be made on the radio.

Due to the clever scheduling times, many listeners tuned in after the drama had already started, and therefore what they heard they believed to be real. Listeners had missed the initial introduction stressing that this drama was fiction. The context of the drama was completly misinterpreted causing mass hysteria and a sense of general panic. War of the Worlds was recorded in the style of a normal radio broadcast (which explains why listeners were confused). The theme was a horrific alien invasion, and when listening on air, this seemed geniunely real.

There were very typical radio drama codes and conventions included in ‘War of the Worlds’, for example the address was mainly used in a direct nature, this makes us feel more involved as listeners and gives the impression of reality. The accents were typically recieved pronunciation American,which were more common accents in the 1930s. There are also plenty of effective sound effects such as explosions, cannon fires and screaming. These all add to making the drama seem more real, and in the horror genre, seem more scary. However the music throughtout was very misplaced and extravagent, but Welles did this to create the effect of a real radio programme of the time.