It seems that these days, podcasts are the new TV. I mean, what’s not to like? You can listen to anything from the latest news in politics, true crime case analysis, a complex audio drama, or even just some friends playing Dungeons and Dragons all while multitasking. You can be productive and entertained at the same time! What a concept. To be completely honest, I’m listening to a podcast while writing this very article. Basically, podcasts are awesome, and there’s a lot of great ones to creep you out as we get closer to Halloween. Here are just five of them!
The NoSleep Podcast
If you frequent Reddit, you’re probably familiar with r/NoSleep. It’s a subreddit where writers can post their original, fictional horror stories. They deal with sensitive and mature topics, so they aren’t tales for the faint of heart. Sometimes they are short and sweet and sometimes they can be the length of a full-blown novel. The catch? Everyone in the comments must treat the stories like they’re real. The NoSleep Podcast takes the best of these stories and reads them aloud, complete with a full cast of talented voice actors and immersive sound effects. With 13 seasons as of writing this, there is no shortage of scares here.
Let’s Get Haunted!
Looking for something a little more lighthearted? Let’s Get Haunted! is a fresh breath of air in the horror/true crime podcast genre. Each week, your hosts Nat and Aly take you through a mysterious and unexplained paranormal or generally odd incident. From the Salem Witch Trials to Area 51, there’s always a laugh to be had when listening no matter the topic. Nat and Aly have a dynamic that’s pretty similar to that of Buzzfeed Unsolved’s resident ghoul boys Ryan and Shane. Nat and Aly often make hilarious interjections while detailing that week’s spooky event, usually in the form of a “nut button”, which, as you can guess says “Nut!” in a robotic voice every time it’s pressed. Podcasters who love memes and creepy things? Nut.
Crime Junkie
Okay, I had to include a true crime podcast on this list. After all, the truth is stranger than fiction. Crime Junkie stands out among the plethora of true crime podcasts for a few reasons. Ash and Brit, your hosts, are committed to doing great research on each case they cover – typically ones that are underreported or unsolved. They both take each case very seriously and cover them with the right balance of respect and inquiry. As another cool bonus, both Ash and Brit are local to Indianapolis! In fact, they just stopped by Clowes Memorial Hall on their Crime Junkie live show tour not too long along. Quite a few of the cases they cover take place in Indiana, and it’s clear that these badass ladies have a passion for bringing awareness to unsolved cases here in the Hoosier state.
Limetown
Halloween is all about sharing suspenseful stories, and if Limetown isn’t a perfect story for the season then I don’t know what is. It’s an incredibly produced fictional audio drama, done in the style of an investigative journalist report but with a plot similar to Stranger Things. Our narrator, Lia, crawls down the deep rabbit hole of Limetown: a town in Tenessee created for the scientists (and their families) to live in during their work on a super-secret government project. The strange part? All 300 people in Limetown randomly disappeared without a trace. For ten years, no survivors have surfaced to explain what exactly happened that night… until Lia digs into the mystery. Full of twists and turns, you’ll be on the edge of your proverbial seat as Lia realizes the serious danger she might be in as she investigates the question: just what happened to the people of Limetown?
The Last Movie
Finally on our list is another fictional audio drama. Our narrators, Nic and MK, delve into the alleged existence of a film informally known as “The Last Movie”, among other names. Why the ominous name? It’s because it’s whispered that The Last Movie is quite literally the last movie you’ll ever see: every audience member was driven to insanity after viewing, ending up brutally killing each other or themselves. Nic and MK explore all the questions surrounding the legend: Does it even really exist? Who made The Last Movie? Why? What happens if you watch it? And more importantly, what the hell is it about? With only six hour-long episodes, The Last Movie is a bingeable treat that is sure to get you in the mood to watch some horror movies. Just maybe not the last movie.
Were you scared just by reading the descriptions of these podcasts? Good. That’s just the mood these podcast creators wanted you to feel. And with Halloween right around the corner, there’s no better time to start listening! The only thing scarier than these podcasts is the number of ads for Squarespace you’ll hear while listening to them. The absolute easiest way to make a website AND a 10% discount? Spine-chilling.