By the looks of the crunchy leaves on the ground and the PSL cups in hand, it’s finally Fall. All summer long we wait for October—the perfect month for cozying up on the couch with a hot drink and a horror movie. However, as we daydream about cozy Fall days and Halloween festivities, we forget that October also means midterm season for students. We don’t have time to live out the fantasies of horror movie marathons and leisurely walks through an apple orchard. Luckily, there is still a way to get yourself in the spooky spirit of October without setting aside a 3 hour block. With topics ranging from gruesome murders to paranormal tales, listening to a creepy podcast is bound to leave you feeling splendidly spooked just in time for Halloween.
Review by Kirah Ougniwi, 4th Year English and Creative Writing student
Mile Higher is a podcast run by husband and wife Josh and Kendall. They talk about everything, but center on murder mystery stories, missing people cases, dark conspiracies, aliens, you name it. I like Mile Higher because they format the podcast like a conversation between friends. It’s super informal so it doesn’t feel like you’re listening to a Ted Talk, but rather having a conversation with your friends. They also upload the podcast on YouTube where you can see them sitting and playing with their puppies, which adds to the feel. I also like the way they incorporate different topics ranging from what’s going on in the world today, funny things they found, cool things you can try, as well as spookier topics like missing people, murder cases, and dark conspiracies. The format doesn’t make you feel emotionally drained by the main topics being discussed, and their informal delivery doesn’t make it too scary either!
Favourite Episode: The episode on the disappearance of Maura Murray
Review by Jill O’Craven, 4th Year Classical Studies student
This show has a ton of variety and has covered many different subjects, but they’re all related to crime. There are stories of murder, fraud, theft, and assault (as you might expect) but other episodes look at different things like how polygraphs work, how to fake your death, a network of priests helping women obtain abortions, or behind the scenes of an edibles business. You never know what a new episode will hold, but you can bet it will be fascinating.
Favourite Episode: Episode 48: ‘Eight Years’; it’s about someone who ran a Harry Potter fansite and wound up with a serious stalker.
Review by Karen Sayer, Technical Writer/Editor and Western mom
Someone Knows Something is a CBC podcast about cold cases. The host, David Ridgen, knows how to weave a compelling story. He’s a seasoned investigative journalist and knows how to dig and ask questions in a non-threatening but persistent way. Four out of the five seasons are about unsolved disappearances or murders in Canada, mostly in small towns. David gets very close to the families of the victims and engages them as he conducts his research, often bringing them along as he re-interviews people connected to the original cases. Not all of David’s investigations result in complete answers, but it’s the kind of podcast where you can’t wait for the next episode—like a book that you can’t put down. Plus it’s Canadian!
Favourite Season: I think the best two seasons so far are Season 1, about the mysterious disappearance of five-year-old Adrien McNaughton while on a fishing trip with his family in Eastern Ontario, and Season 3, about the murders of black teenagers Charles Moore and Henry Dee, in 1964 Mississippi.
Review by Jill O’Craven, 4th Year Classical Studies student
The opening to this podcast sums it up neatly: “One third of all murder cases in America remain open. Each one is called a cold case, and only 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare cases.” Serial killers, personal murders, robberies, and more. Sometimes they have a suspect, but just can’t prove it. Sometimes they have the wrong suspect. Sometimes they have no suspect at all. The cases remain open, but pushed aside, forgotten by most but never by those affected. Until one day, something new comes to light, or someone looks at things a little differently.
Favourite Episode: ‘A Killer Slips Away.’. They had a witness, a tipster, a fingerprint, a suspect, but it still took years for things to fall together.
Review by Sydney Stewart, 3rd Year International Relations student
My Favourite Murder is probably the only true crime podcast that will both terrify you and make you laugh out loud. If you’re looking for two experts to give you the facts of true crime, this is not the podcast for you. If you’re looking to make two new best friends that share your weird interest in murder then you’ll love this podcast. Comedians Karen and Georgia bring an amazing chemistry and lots of girl power that will make you binge My Favourite Murder.
Favourite Episode: Episode 7: ‘Seven Murders in Heaven’ in which Karen and Georgia tell their favourite unsolved murders. It is the perfect spooky introduction to what will be your newest obsession.
Review by Jill O’Craven, 4th Year Classical Studies student
From Area 51 to GMOs to the Prison Industrial Complex, this podcast covers a wide variety of popular conspiracy theories. They do one episode giving the background information and official narrative, then a second episode a week later delving into the main theories or variants surrounding the topic. A very interesting and well-researched listen, but its scripted nature is often quite apparent and the two hosts are almost indistinguishable in terms of character. Sometimes verges on seeming judgmental and condescending of conspiracy theorists, despite that being a likely target audience.
Favourite Episode: The Marilyn Monroe ones (29/30); there’s a lot of really intricate details and she’s well known (though I’m not sure how well known the theories are).
I used to think podcasts were only for people who went on long jogs. But then I realized how much time throughout my day I spend waiting around or daydreaming—time that could be filled with an entertaining or educational podcast. With any of these 6 podcast recommendations, you can indulge in the spookiness of the season while waiting for the bus, cooking, or getting ready in the morning—but based on personal experience, I do not recommend listening while walking in the dark or home alone.
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