Autumn is a season full of friends cramming into tight cars to go on long drives to pumpkin patches, apple orchards, corn mazes, and Halloween Horror Nights. The perfect option for filling in the silence of the road when conversations just won’t due is a podcast. Podcasts come in all genres, lengths and formats, but around this time of year horror and mystery podcasts are the perfect option for keeping a listener on the edge of their seat. Here are my top choices, in no particular order, to keep your heart racing:
Alice Isn’t Dead
Alice Isn’t Dead is a podcast produced by the same crew behind the podcast hit Welcome to Nightvale. This podcast follows a truck driver traveling across the United States in search of her wife she thought was dead. On her journey, she runs into some not so human figures, towns lost to time, and a conspiracy running deeper than just a missing wife. All episodes of Alice Isn’t Dead are short and sweet at less than a half hour long and the show updates every other Tuesday.
Courtesy: Night Vale Presents
The Black Tapes
The Black Tapes is a docudrama podcast series hosted by Alex Reagan, a journalist, searching for the truth of paranormal activities. The series begins with Reagan interviewing and investigating a man who has spent his life working towards debunking paranormal claims. It’s his “black tapes” that are in question throughout the podcast. These are his cases that he hasn’t been able to fully debunk, but claims there must be some scientific reasoning behind. The Black Tapes is a bi-weekly updating podcast with episodes averaging 40 minutes.
My Favorite Murder
My Favorite Murder is an upbeat weekly true crime podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark in which they tell the tales of their favorite murders and deaths, and occasionally some hometown crime stories from friends and fans. The whole podcast is very lighthearted and laughable for the subject matter that they are discussing and it’s wonderful. The time span of a normal episode ranges from an hour to two.
TANIS
Tanis is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Nic Silver following the myth of Tanis. Tanis is an exciting mystery filled podcast that has an ability to blur the lines of reality. The legend of Tanis is one that few have ever heard muttered and even fewer have learned about outside of its name alone. The basis of what we know is that someone is seeking Tanis, runners are wanted, and you can’t look back. The average length of episodes is 45 minutes.
Courtesy: Tanis Podcast
Lore
Lore is a true life scary story podcast that works to reveal the roots of our fears through exploring the people, creatures, and places of our worst nightmares. There is currently a book series created from the most popular episodes of the podcast a television program being released on Friday, Oct. 13th, through Amazon Prime Video based on the series. Every episode has the capability of taking you back to telling your scariest story around campfires. All episodes average a length of 30 minutes and are released every two weeks on Mondays.
Limetown
Limetown is a podcast investigating the disappearance of over 300 people from a small Tennessee town over 10 years and follows Lia Haddock as she tries to uncover what exactly happened to the people of Limetown. Limetown is a podcast that has the capability of blurring the lines of fiction and reality; when I first listened to the show there was nothing online about it and it truly had me questioning if Limetown was real (which definitely added layers to the paranoia that this show has caused me). This is an exciting, anxiety-inducing show whose run time ranges from just over a minute to 35 minutes. All of season one is currently available and season two currently has no release date scheduled.
Courtesy: Two-Up Productions
Someone Knows Something
Someone Knows Something is a podcast produced by the CBC and is hosted by David Ridgen. The series is an investigation of Canadian cold cases, with season one focusing on the case of Adrien McNaughton and season two focusing on Sheryl Sheppard. Someone Knows Something has helped to uncover real leads and tips for law enforcement to continue to pursue these unsolved cases. The episodes almost feel like you’re listening to an extended episode of Dateline.
Sword and Scale
Sword and Scale is a podcast that uncovers the dark, gruesome underworld of crime and the criminal justice system. The true crime cases that they cover range from murder to abduction to rape and to all around bizarre forms crime; nothing is off limits. The voice of the narrator causes the statement of facts in correlation to the different stories sound otherworldly and eerie. Every episode is just over an hour in length and is updated every two weeks.
Courtesy: Sword and Scale
Cults
Cults is a newer podcast that delves into the discussion of famous cults including their beliefs, actions, mysteries and what is going through the minds of those that choose to join and lead them. So far, they have released episodes surrounding the Manson Family and Heaven’s Gate. The average episode length is just under an hour and new episodes are uploaded every Tuesday.
All podcasts are available for download on iTunes, Google Play and wherever else podcasts are available.