It doesn’t really feel like lengthy for the reason that begin of summer season, however imagine it or not, Halloween is true across the nook. Because the darkish nights roll in, fall is the right time for Gothic novels, spooky horror films, and, after all, hauntingly good podcasts — mug of pumpkin-spiced chai elective. There are many scary podcasts to select from, whether or not you’re on the lookout for fictional dramas or strange-but-true tales of issues going bump within the night time. No matter you’re h(a)unting for, you’ll discover one thing in our checklist of the very best scary podcasts. And if you happen to’re on the lookout for one thing that gained’t go away you cowering below the covers, take a look at our roundup of the best podcasts.
Audio drama/fiction
The No Sleep Podcast
This award-winning anthology of brief authentic horror tales is now in its 18th season, with over 500 episodes to hearken to. Every episode has a haunting, atmospheric soundtrack that ensures you’re actually immersed within the story. Be warned, although — because the identify suggests, that is positively not a podcast to hearken to in mattress except you propose on staying awake all night time.
Blackwood
It might solely have seven episodes, however Blackwood is the kind of spooky audio drama that you just’ll wish to hearken to throughout daytime. It follows the story of a trio of podcasters investigating the legend of an area monster, The Blackwood Bugman. It’s a kind of found-footage drama, with listeners stumbling throughout the podcasters’ tapes and discovering that the legend is likely to be solely too actual — and that there could also be a cause the creature has remained a secret for therefore lengthy.
Archive 81
Whether or not you’ve seen the Netflix collection of the identical identify or not (that was sadly canceled after only one season), this found-footage podcast about “horror, cities, and the unconscious” is value a pay attention. Archive 81 began again in 2016 and tells the story of Dan Powell, an archivist working on the Housing Historic Committee of New York State. The season kicks off with recordings made by Dan — after which we discover out that Dan himself is lacking, and the present is definitely being hosted by Mark, Dan’s good friend, who’s trying to find him. From there, issues simply proceed to get stranger and stranger. This is likely one of the most unnerving podcasts on our checklist — its sense of unpredictability is what makes it so spooky. There are three seasons and two miniseries to hearken to.
Unwell
On this gothic story, Lily returns to Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to look after her estranged mom, Dot. The city’s vibe is a bit Twin Peaks-y — don’t dine on the solely late-night restaurant — and the boarding home the place Dot lives has an unsettling ambiance … and it’s not simply the stress between mom and daughter. Fortunately, there’s quite a lot of humor to get you thru these moments as nicely. There are over 75 episodes, and season 4 has simply wrapped.
Ghosts within the Burbs
That is a kind of podcasts that may have you ever questioning what’s actual and what isn’t. You’ll wish to start at the beginning to get the complete arc, although every episode is its personal discrete story. Right here’s the premise: Liz Sower, a former librarian, meets completely different Wellesley, Massachusettes, residents who inform her about their ghostly encounters. Think about it frights for suburbanites.
The White Vault
Should you’ve ever seen The Factor, then you realize that scientists plus an remoted analysis station equals horror. In The White Vault, a staff treks to Svalbard, Norway, to make repairs at a distant monitoring station. The story is instructed in a found-footage format, with a forged of characters making an attempt to determine what’s occurring — particularly after they work out they’ve larger issues than a malfunctioning transmitter.
The Horror of Dolores Roach
Quickly to be a TV show on Amazon, The Horror of Dolores Roach truly began as a one-woman play starring Daphne Rubin-Vega. Over the course of eight episodes, Rubin-Vega’s character, the titular Dolores, goes from former inmate to masseuse to a modern-day Sweeney Todd. Macabre morsels, developing.
The Magnus Archives
This podcast has been round since 2016, so there’s loads of materials to maintain you entertained. Jonathan Sims works for the Magnus Institute, a corporation that researches the extraordinary. He’s recording completely different creepy occurrences from the archives, however because the episodes proceed, you’ll begin to understand these tales would possibly someway be related …
Alice Isn’t Useless
A truck driver is recording an audio diary as she escorts her cargo round America, narrating the factories and roadsides she’s passing. However her journey isn’t in regards to the travel-sized deodorant in her 16-wheeler. She’s on the lookout for her spouse, Alice. Rapidly, although, somebody — no, somefactor — begins following her, too. Should you benefit from the podcast, now you can pick up the novel.
Limetown
Mixing interviews, information stories, and a public radio-esque voiceover, Limetown virtually sounds prefer it could possibly be actual. Reporter Lia Haddock investigates the unexplained disappearance of all 326 residents of a mysterious city. How might so many individuals merely vanish, and why was the city’s analysis facility so secretive within the first place?
Eerie (true?) tales
Ghost City
If haunted accommodations, paranormal experiences, deserted buildings, notorious true crimes, and the extraordinary are your bag, you’ll love Ghost City. Jason Horton and Rebecca Leib focus on and discover some actually out-there matters on a weekly foundation, from The Swiss Guard Murders of 1998 to the satan doorways of Notre Dame Cathedral and their darkish historical past.
Rituals
Whether or not you really liked the remake of The Craft or favor the darkish, edgy ’90s model, Ritual is a podcast about all-things occult. Each week, co-hosts Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz take a deep dive into the darkish arts, the magical, and the downright unusual occult happenings all through historical past. It is a nice pay attention for Halloween.
Spirits
This podcast’s intelligent title offers you an thought of its material and the way the hosts calm down to file the episodes — discussing spirits whereas sipping spirits. Hosts Julia Schifini and Amanda McLoughlin have a love of myths and legends, and so they focus on mermaids, ouija boards, clowns, and concrete legends over a glass or two. There’s a number of banter between the 2 to assist maintain the tone mild.
Final Podcast on the Left
With over 750 episodes and counting, Final Podcast on the Left is likely one of the hottest horror podcasts on the market. Every episode tackles actual and imagined horrors, from the newest true crime information and serial killers to tales of haunted homes and witch trials.
Cupboard of Curiosities
Should you like your creepy tales with a aspect of historical past, Aaron Mahnke’s Cupboard of Curiosities ticks each containers. Tune in twice every week for 2 bite-sized tales which are as weird as they’re unsettling — just like the seemingly innocuous board sport with suspected ties to Nazi Germany.
Camp Monsters
Collect around the campfire for tales of unattainable creatures in North America’s wildest areas. Camp Monsters reminds you of that point you thought you noticed one thing scurry into the woods, simply past the beam of your flashlight, or heard a twig crack behind you and knew it was a creature too giant to be a raccoon. Prove the lights, make some s’mores, and discover a good friend to cozy up with for this spooky podcast.
Spooked
Spooked began as a Halloween episode of Snap Judgment, however now it’s a separate collection. Host Glynn Washington admits there are some issues that defy clarification, and the collected tales from actual individuals could have even skeptics questioning, “What if?” Our favourite episodes embrace Shadow Males, The Curse, and Misplaced in Time — all from season one.
Lore
Should you haven’t but heard this folklore podcast — which can also be an Amazon Prime TV collection — it’s the right season for it. The early episodes are particularly good, with tales of creepy dolls, warlock cults, and curses. Creator Aaron Mahnke’s voice actually attracts you into every story, and his staff deeply researches the historical past behind vampires, werewolves, and different supernatural beings from all over the world, in addition to mortal murderers like H.H. Holmes.
Unobscured
One other podcast from Lore’s Mahnke, every season is a deep dive into a specific topic. The primary is the Salem witch trials, the second is spiritualism — and the third is Jack The Ripper. If what you principally keep in mind about Seventeenth-century Salem comes from The Crucible, the primary season provides you with much more element, together with historians’ views on the tragic occasions.
Haunted Locations
Should you love ghost excursions, Spotify-exclusive Haunted Locations is the right pay attention. From Denmark’s Dragsholm Fort to the Roman Colosseum to a Serbian city known as Kisiljevo, these areas all have histories of paranormal presences. We’d advocate maintaining the lights on for this one.
Unusual and Uncommon
Who begins off a podcast about curses by discussing the bubonic plague and Romeo and Juliet? That may be Alyson Horrocks, host of Unusual and Uncommon (to not be confused with Allison Horrocks, co-host of the American Girls podcast). A melange of otherworldly entities and strange murders, every episode is nicely researched, fascinating, and freaky.
Pleasing Terrors
Storyteller Mike Brown is a tour information in Charleston, South Carolina, and places his experience to make use of recounting creepy tales of hauntings, historical past, and folklore. Like Alyson Horrocks, Brown likes to meld seemingly unrelated topics in his tales, like The Wizard of Oz and the Black Dahlia homicide.
The Darkish Histories Podcast
One other podcast that skips between paranormal and true crime, Darkish Histories brings some unusual tales to mild. Host Ben Cutmore’s lulling British accent would possibly make it easier to go to sleep … if the matters weren’t doubtless to provide you nightmares.
For horror film followers
Each Horror Film on Netflix
Even if you happen to’re a gore hound who’s seen each single horror film going, we assure the Each Horror Film on Netflix podcast will introduce you to some lesser-known films you’ve by no means heard of (and a few you would like had stayed that method). New epsiodes drop each Thursday, and the staff watches, critiques, and discusses each film on Netflix. Latest highlights embrace Umma, Eerie, and John Carpenter’s Vampires.
Who Goes There
Beneficial by Dread Central and hosted by Matt Smith, Jorge Gonzalez, Chris Franco, and the occasional particular visitor, Who Goes There appears at a unique horror film every episode. An informal tackle film dialogue, there’s little or no preparation, loads of humor, and a wholesome dose of cynicism, too. It’s been on the go since 2013, so there are over 200 episodes to hearken to.
Horror Film Survival Information
Should you’re the detail-oriented kind who will get caught up questioning precisely the way you get to be The Remaining Lady or looking down obscure particulars in each horror movie you watch — that is the podcast for you. Every episode sees hosts Teri Gamble and Julia Marchese take a deep dive into horror, exploring various casting decisions, choosing out weird particulars, and filling you in on information you by no means knew — or knew you wanted to know — about your favourite horror films.
School of Horror
Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West don’t simply love horror films, they research them. Each have written books on the subject and convey educational, feminist views to the dissection of movies like The School, Evening of the Dwelling Useless, and Candyman. It’s method much less scary than truly watching the movies themselves — but nonetheless entertaining. However they do intersperse clips, so be warned — you possibly can’t escape the creepy voice of the Babadook.
For scaredy cats and youngsters
Stuff You Missed in Historical past Class
Hearken to the SYMHC podcast and be taught in regards to the marvelous Edward Gorey, the disappearance of Aaron Burr’s daughter, and the historical past of Halloween sweet. The matters aren’t all the time creepy, however even when they’re, the way in which the hosts discuss them isn’t.
Shedunnit
If you wish to eschew ghosts, goblins, and ghouls of every kind however nonetheless like a little bit of a scare, mysteries are a good way to go. Shedunnit is all about a few of the greatest mysteries, these from the golden age of detective fiction. Caroline Crampton hosts the present, which appears on the authors behind the tales. Prepare so as to add much more books to your studying checklist.
Unspookable
That is the form of podcast you’ll want existed if you had been a child — if you happen to had been the type who beloved R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike books. Talking of Pike, you would possibly wish to maintain your eyes peeled for Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club, based mostly on the ebook of the identical identify. Again to the podcast! Every episode revolves round city legends like Bloody Mary or Slender Man, with host Elise Parisian explaining every legend and its origins — or matters starting from ouija boards to mummification. It’s advised for ages eight and up.
My Neighbors Are Useless
Should you watch scary films by way of your fingers, likelihood is you miss the characters within the background, like a clerk who sells the kids who’re about to be murdered their beer and snacks. In My Neighbors Are Useless, Adam Peacock has different comedians improv as these lesser-known survivors who watched the horror go down.
The Creeping Hour
It is a nice podcast for youths aged eight and older. The hosts are three buddies who listened to so many horror tales that they grew to become monsters themselves, however that hasn’t stopped them from telling scary tales. There are solely eight episodes, but it surely’s nonetheless nicely value a pay attention.
A Very Deadly Homicide
A Very Deadly Homicide is form of like Limetown’s humorous cousin. It’s a parody of S-City-style podcasts from The Onion. David Pascall is a reporter who’s on a quest to win a Pulitzer Prize, and he thinks he’s discovered the profitable story with the thriller he’s sharing on the podcast. A promenade queen’s homicide has taken a small city abruptly, and Pascall desires to unravel the case. It has a brief run of simply six episodes — so you possibly can simply binge by way of it in a single sitting.
Editors’ Suggestions