The Halloween season is upon us. Besides stuffing ourselves with pre-Halloween candy (because who can resist all the cute packaging?!) and consuming all things pumpkin and cinnamon, it is the time of year to indulge in all things spooky too.
Now I consider myself faint of heart and can honestly say that horror movies absolutely terrify me; on the other hand, I love podcasts. There is just something about having someone talking in to your ear that’s very comforting, even if they’re telling stories meant to frighten you. Plus, podcasts make doing those mundane day-to-day things more interesting, like walking to class, cleaning your room or the absolute worst thing of folding laundry; that’s an incentive for you to start if you’re new to podcasts!
So grab your headphones, here are 5 creepy podcasts perfect for Halloween.
1. The No Sleep Podcast
Excellently produced, The No Sleep Podcast has a slew of talented voice actors that narrate stories gathered from Reddit’s r/nosleep, horror stories written by users. Topics range from everything real to imaginary- monsters and demons to murderers and cannibals; there’s something for everyone. Their hundreds of 2-hour long episodes make it perfect for binge listening!
2. The Black Tapes
This fictional podcast follows an investigative journalist Alex and her oftentimes nosy attempts to pry into the life of a Dr. Strand, whose mysterious past and occupation provide hours of spooky entertainment.
3. Welcome to Night Vale
A mock radio show set in a town nothing short of bizarre. This is perfect if you like the idea of people randomly disappearing, cloned football players, and middle school children in terrible predicaments; oh, also the original music! This podcast practically bleeds creepy and uncanny, which creates the best vibe for Halloween.
4. Darkest Night
Each episode of the Darkest Night is an individual story that contributes to an overarching plot. Every time, the new chapter is gorier and more sinister than the previous one. Outright disgusting sound effects (think squelching body parts…) and frightening descriptions of gore make this podcast perfect for the more adventurous and daring listeners.
5. Lore
Of course, we have Lore! This, in my humble opinion, is one of the best podcasts ever. Judging by how popular it is (A TV show is on its way!), many think so too. The writer and host Aaron Mahnke has a way with words, and each episode is brilliantly well-written; stories weave seamlessly into each other that captivates one’s attention to the very end. Lore ties together myth and facts with the episodes on the history of witchcraft, legendary serial killers, ghosts in asylums, and folk tales on monsters- it’s the thorough exploration of those characters that frighten us and an amazing content no matter which season you are on.