Halloween is just around the corner and with it comes a landslide of spooky content from every direction. Halloween-themed movies, shows, books and even music are on the top of everyone’s radars with major platforms like Netflix and Spotify curating spooky movie and music recommendations for every occasion.
During this Halloween content overload, podcasts often fly under the radar. Despite being a content medium that has recently gained massive amounts of momentum people often overlook them when trying to get in the mood for this haunted holiday, and for no good reason!
There are tons of podcasts chock-full of creepy content which will entertain you, and if you’re in the mood, scare you more than any Halloween movie.
My Favorite Murder hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark takes a classic true-crime podcast and mixes it with some much-needed comic relief. The name of the podcast is pretty self-explanatory: the hosts pick their favourite murders for brave people to listen to and spook the pants off them. Despite the fact that there isn’t any visual component to the stories, the details themselves will be enough to keep you up at night. The comedic aspect of this podcast helps to balance out the overwhelming gloom of these disturbingly true stories and make them easier to digest.
Lore by Aaron Mahnke is a podcast that delves into folklores and spooky historical instances from various cultures. Some of the episodes are based on facts and others are based on myths so listeners get a nice mix of both. Not only is Lore creepy, but it is also informative and you’ll finish each episode feeling like you learned something.
Palimpsest brings the gothic genre into podcast form, which is unique to other spooky podcasts. It’s basically a Shirley Jackson novel in podcast form. There are two seasons so far (with a third in the works) that follow an individual storyline each. The stories are haunting and psychologically driven. This is a great option for people who find true-crime a little too close for comfort but still want to get into the Halloween mood.
If you’re someone who believes in the supernatural and you really want to freak yourself out this Halloween, listen to The Black Tapes. This docudrama follows a reporter working with a paranormal investigator to find the truth behind the mysterious “black tapes.” If you want to find out what exactly those black tapes are you’re going to have to listen to the podcast to find out. All I’m going to say is this – be prepared to be thoroughly freaked out and possibly question your stance on the paranormal.
If you’re stuck in the car this Halloween, or racked with work and projects, and don’t have time to take a Netflix break —fear not (or fear a-lot) — you can still indulge your mentally masochistic tendencies and scare yourself half to death by tuning into a frightening podcast.
No attention to a screen is required, so this is perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit while multitasking. Just make sure you have your nightlights ready, and maybe a friend to keep you company.