What’s your favorite Halloween tradition? I personally love curling into a ball and consuming only spooky media for the duration of the holiday. If that speaks to you, why don’t you try listening to some spooky podcasts this year?
These podcasts come in all forms. Some are single-story audio dramas, while others are horror anthology shows. And some aren’t fiction, but cover actual real-life creepy events.
Alice Isn’t Dead
“Alice Isn’t Dead” is by the same people behind radio show-style horror podcast “Welcome to Night Vale” and serial sci-fi audio drama “Within The Wires,” so you know you’re in good hands. The 30 episode-long single-story series follows the audio diaries of a truck driver, Keisha, who is driving across the country in search of her wife Alice, another truck driver who went missing and is now presumed dead.
Haunted House Flippers
An amateur ghost hunter and his increasingly irate wife inherit an old house and are deadset on renovating it—what could go wrong?
If you like HGTV house flipping shows and that one bit from comedy series “Nathan For You” with the ghost realtor, then this single story series is for you.
Stories After Dark
If you’re into true crime, give “Stories After Dark” a try. This Filipino podcast covers local true crime cases—some gruesome solved cases, and some more open-ended.
The Magnus Archives
Do you ever find yourself spending an hour reading old SCP entries and looking up other shadowy fictional organizations? If so, you might want to give “The Magnus Archives” a try. The fiction anthology podcast follows head archivist Jonathan Sims and his team as they explore the archives of the Magnus Institute. The episodes at first start off as unconnected, disparate stories, but soon you’ll find that there’s an overarching story threading everything together.
Creepsilog
Like a silog, “Creepsilog” is a mixed meal: It’s a Pinoy comedy podcast that covers paranormal events, strange and mysterious phenomena, and true crime.
A World Where
“A World Where” is an anthology speculative fiction show, with each episode taking place in different dystopian futures. These dystopias are also extremely real: They’re all the logical endpoint of many of our current issues like climate change and capitalism. It’s a little like “Black Mirror” in that regard.
The show is also binaural, which means that listening to the show with headphones on really puts you in the middle of the story.
Nightlight
“Nightlight” is another high production horror anthology show. What I like about this show is that it’s made to highlight Black talent. Each episode is helmed by a different Black writer, and all the characters are portrayed by Black actors.
Wrong Station
“The Wrong Station” is another horror anthology show that presents little horrific vignettes each episode. Its format is a little like “Welcome To Nightvale” or “Lights Out”: You’re listening to a radio station that’s…a little bit different.
Wag Kang Lilingon
The two hosts of “Wag Kang Lilingon” discuss horror media and read out some horror stories themselves. If you like hearing two friends making lighthearted chika about supernatural stuff, this is for you.
The Man in the Window
“The Man in the Window” is an investigative podcast series by Wondery and the L.A. Times. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paige St. John takes you with her as she investigates the Golden State Killer.
Art by Pammy Orlina
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