I know it’s only September (and it was literally almost 90 degrees in Minnesota yesterday), but I can’t help but get excited as the seasons begin to change. Fall in Minnesota is beautiful, full of colorful leaves, apple orchards, pumpkin spice, and of course, Halloween. While the build up to Halloween tends to be fairly anticlimactic, this is by far my favorite time of year. As we approach *spooky time*, I’ve compiled a list of a few of my favorite podcasts that are guaranteed to keep you up at night.
***Just a disclaimer, some of these topics may be sensitive or triggering for some readers.
- The Generation Why Podcast
The Generation Why Podcast is one of the first podcasts to take the leap into True Crime mysteries. Aaron and Justin do a fabulous job of presenting the information of some solved, and some unsolved cases in an unbiased way that allows listeners to make their own judgements of the individuals involved. The Generation Why Podcast has hundreds of episodes, all focusing on unsolved murders, controversies, mysteries, and conspiracies.
- Serial
Serial is hosted by Sarah Koenig, and is by far one of the most well known investigative journalism podcasts. After the release of season 1 in 2014, Serial ranked number one on Itunes and remained there for several consecutive weeks. Season 1 focuses on the 1999 murder of 18 year old Baltimore student Hae Min Lee. Her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud Syed, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, yet to this day pleads his innocence. The podcast explores the case and trial in its entirety, giving listeners the opportunity to make a decision for themselves. Season 2 focuses on the case of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl (an Army soldier held hostage by the Taliban for 5 years, and then charged with desertion), and is just as binge-worthy. Season 3 is scheduled to drop on September 20th.
- S-Town
S-Town is also produced by the makers of Serial and This American life, but focuses on a different kind of story. The show takes a look into the life of John B. Mclemore, an antiquarian horologist and resident of Woodstock, Alabama. After reaching out the Brian Reed (the host of the podcast) to investigate a murder in his town, Brian ends up travelling to Woodstock to meet John. From their, the story of Mclemore and Woodstock unravels before the eyes (or I suppose ears) of listeners.
- In the Dark
In the Dark is also an investigative podcast, this time focusing in on the abduction of Jacob Wetterling, an 11-year old boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota. The case went unsolved for 27 years, and opened up a discussion on the mishandling evidence, and the national fear that followed. The Wetterling case lead to the nation’s national sex offender registry, and fueled the idea of “stranger danger”. Season two focuses on Curtis Flowers, a man that has been charged six times for the same crime.
While each of these podcasts are no doubt chilling, they also do an incredible job of opening up conversations on topics that many individuals may not think about on a daily basis, and give you a glimpse of the world around you that you may not even know exists. These shows are definitely not for the faint of heart, but they are no doubt ones that will keep you clicking “play next episode”.