Hmmm. I find myself wanting to split this story. One portion contains the observation that we have a fairly spooky episode. The other portion involves the interpretation of this tale. The combination, methinks, gives a good tale. It is spooky, particularly the howling, yearning pleas from the dead daughter. The recently departed Bob Dryden, as Helper, consistently plays impish devil types with effectiveness. He could sound old, middle aged or devilish most effectively. The crack that mysteriously won’t mend is intriguing. This reminds me: there is an excellent Inner Sanctum, with Boris Karloff, “The Wailing Wallâ€. It is a masterpiece and if anyone would like a copy let me know and I’d be happy to send it. Back to the story: The wailing is effective.
What really is interesting here is what is not said, or demonstrated. The story requires much interpretation. We can take it, that the existence of the “soundsâ€ of the daughter and Helper are real. We can also conclude that Nora and Paul are not “crackedâ€ themselves. The wall nicely represents a couple of things: a crack in Nora’s heart that cannot be filled, and also a split in her religious faith. With these in mind, we see that the “devilâ€ moves in to take advantage of Nora’s yearning for her daughter. Most interesting, and unusual, (though not so unusual for the great CBSRMT) concerns a conclusion that results in the devil winning. We must assume he claims Nora’s soul. Helper told her she could have her daughter back—at a price. Here, as in “The Monkey’s Pawâ€, a grieving mother wants her dead offspring back and then uses up her last wish to send the offspring back. Why? Because the offspring is pretty much an animated corpse. So, is Nora doomed? Was her daughter caught in the devil’s clutches here, or was he luring the mother with sound effects? In other words, if he had the daughter caught and tormented, why is she not in Heaven? Many questions. It is also interesting to note the wall sealing up after this is over. Ahhh…it sucked up a soul. Or is it closed because Nora wanted her daughter to remain dead? Thus its symbolism transforms. I’m looking forward to hearing some comments on this.

I would also like to ask a question of the reviewers in general. When we review these episodes I hope all think it is appropriate to criticize as well as praise. My question is this: do you reviewers agree that an episode should get an honest review? If an episode screams “slam meâ€, then slam it! I think it is a part of the fun. I have wondered about this in the past.