Nine Creepy Podcasts Guaranteed to Scare You
It’s that special time of year again when everyone is looking for a good scary story. And while podcasts are more likely to conjure up images of tender interviews with creative people and soothing voices from NPR, more shows are moving into old radio drama territory, creating disturbing (and exciting) stories from real-life crime to horror. I hope you brought an extra pair of pants because these podcasts are terrifying.
Lore
This award-winning podcast organized by author Aaron Manke, is dedicated to the truth of history, lying at the heart of conventional folklore, fairy tales and ghosts. Each episode is dedicated to a different topic and dives deep into the depths of our real story to reveal the dark side of human nature. You will quickly realize that truth is often stranger and more terrifying than fiction.
Snap Judgment Presents: Spooked
What originally started out as an episodic special edition of the Snap Judgment podcast hosted by Glynn Washington has since grown into a show of its own. Spooked is a true story of real people about ghosts, monsters, curses and other encounters with the unknown. This is a fairly new show as a standalone show, so don’t expect to deal with a huge backlog, but it’s great stuff. One episode is enough to make you fully hooked and want more.
Limetown
This podcast from Two-Up Productions follows American Public Radio reporter Leah Haddock, who is investigating the mysterious disappearance of more than 300 people at the Tennessee Neuroscience Research Center. If the popular Serial podcast focused on the darkly bizarre and inexplicable, it would sound like this.
Alice is not dead
From the people who gave you Welcome to Night Vale , this podcast is a series of audio diaries of a truck driver in search of his wife, whom she believed to be dead. During her travels across the country, she meets all kinds of mysterious places and dangers. If you like the surreal, eerie, small-town atmosphere of Twin Peaks, this podcast is worth listening to.
Black ribbons
Another great non-fiction podcast about radio host – fake Alex Reagan – who investigates the unsolved cases or black tapes of fictional paranormal researcher Dr. Richard Strand. Everything seems real enough to give goosebumps. If you like NPR’s approach to your fears, this show is a lot of fun.
Horror with the edge of a knife
If you enjoy telling stories around the campfire, the Knifepoint Horror podcast is for you. These tales are not so much a production as they are simple disturbing confessions. Master Soren Narnia uses almost nothing but her voice to tell you a story that’s real enough to make you question every shadow you see at night.
Wicked library
Hosted by Daniel Foytick, this podcast features stories from a wide variety of independent horror writers looking to give you a heart attack. Each issue has a new story read by one of the show’s top readers, interviews, and music by indie composers. Think of Wicked Library as a grand showcase of indie horror.
NoSleep podcast
This popular horror anthology began as a NoSleep subreddit where users shared their best horror stories and frightening events. It soon morphed into a podcast that turned the best stories into audiobook-style stories that you could listen to on the go. The only rule is that each story must be told in the first person, as if it really happened. Each episode contains about five stories that will keep you awake at night.
Anything ghost
This podcast has been delivering true ghost stories from real people since 2006. The show is a mixture of host Lex Wahl reading personal paranormal and local ghost legends via email, and callers sharing their horror stories. Depending on the length of the story, each episode contains between five and 10 stories that you will want to listen to with the lights off.