I didn't see a thread for this and as i am a rabid OTR junkie, and have collected tens of thousands of them over the years i would love to share and discover new shows with others.
i am collecting the very best of the ones i have heard so far, and some day in the next year hope to upload them somewhere where people can download them as I have from many sources online.
one of my favorite sources is the
archive.org, which is amazing resource i have used so much over the years. whether it be old safety films, feature films, commercials- anything that has passed into the public domain can be found on this site. their collection of OTR is vast, and if you are looking for something its worth checking them out.
my second favorite is the one-new-show-a-day site,
http://boxcars711.podomatic.com/
i like this one for its more in-depth info about the show featured, and the links last for years for download so its worth it to scroll down and look at everything they have there.
anyway, i favor suspense and horror OTR almost exclusively. not really into comedy or adventure or western. love "inner sanctum" and "nightfall" and "cbs radio mystery theatre" and stuff like that.
i don't think it gets any better than orson welles' suspense episode, "the hitchhiker". pretty much set the standard for me and i have yet to find one that is as effective and eerie as that, though these have came close:
"Nicky" from the series "The Clock"- about a gangster who stages his own execution, but something goes wrong. this one is LOADED with organ-drenched atmosphere and comes right out of the gate being eerie as all get-out.
"The Wellington Boot"- from the series "Whitehall 1212" This series was British, and focused on recounting actual crimes. This one, by far the eeriest in the series, is about a little girl who goes missing, leaving only a wellington boot behind. A real life boogeyman story.
"Safe in the Arms of Jesus" from the series "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre". This one in my opinion really pushes the envelope, about a child who discovers religion and becomes something of a fanatic. telling you anymore would ruin it.
"the Thirteenth Floor" from the "Murder at Midnight" series- I'm partial to the "noir'ish ones, the ones that combine the hardboiled with the supernatural as "Nicky" did above. to me that is a scarifying combination and this episode, about a girl who is being pursued by the man she doublecrossed, is ghoulish fun. "I'm gonna cut you open, to see if you have a heart". good fun!
anyway, if anyone has any favorites or sites to recommend, please do!