13 creepy podcasts guaranteed to give you goosebumps
19 October 2018, 18:51 | Updated: 29 November 2018, 12:11
Here are the best podcasts to listen to if you want to hear some horror, storytelling, and urban legends.
Are you a fan of spooky podcasts? We're talking about people who love urban legends, paranormal stories, and horror fiction in audio format. You might be in the mood to scare yourself a bit, so we've compiled a list of 13 podcasts that will have you looking over your shoulder for ghosts and shadows in the night.
Light a candle, get into bed, but leave the lights on, because some of these pods aren't for the faint of heart.
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1) Spooked
The Spooked Podcast comes courtesy of WNYC Snap Judgement. If you're a fan of first person ghost and paranormal stories, you'll love Spooked. From exorcisms to ghostly relatives and otherworldly voices, you'll get your fill of the supernatural with this roughly half hour podcast.
Type of podcast: Supernatural storytelling
2) Lore
Perhaps the most talked about supernatural storytelling podcast, Aaron Mahnke presents historical non-fiction(ish) like no one else. Lore takes unsettling folklore from history and shares them in a spooky and compelling minimal format. Lore is so popular, it was even adapted into an Amazon Prime series.
Type of podcast: Supernatural anthology/storytelling
3) The NoSleep Podcast
Each episode of the NoSleep podcast boasts deeply unsettling fictional tales designed to spook and horrify. The narrated tales are immersive and dramatic in a way that audio fiction fans will surely love.
Type of podcast: Anthology horror fiction
4) The Black Tapes
Any fans of creepy unsolved mysteries will enjoy The Black Tapes. The premise of the podcast sees a fictional journalist trying to unlock the paranormal mysteries behind a series of tapes belonging to the "enigmatic Dr. Strand". For fans of fictionalised scripted radio documentaries, the Black Tapes is pretty gripping.
Type of podcast: Serial fiction
5) Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast
The stories told on this podcast come from audience submissions to the LetsNotMeet reddit community. The show's host reads creepy, horrifying, and unbelievable stories of bizarre occurrences that will make you think your life is actually pretty normal. From stalkers, to creepy strangers, and even scary work colleagues, the stories on Let's Not Meet will have you thinking carefully about every interaction you have from now on.
Type of podcast: Non-fiction storytelling
6) Unobscured
Relatively new podcast, Unobscured, comes from the mind of Lore's Aaron Mahnke. While Lore focuses on a couple of different tales each episode, Unobscured is diving deep into a specific subject each season. In its first season, Unobscured explores the story behind the Salem Witch Trials. Anyone interested in this particularly dark and strange part of history is sure to love this detailed slow burner.
Type of podcast: Serial Storytelling
7) The Apex & The Abyss
The Apex & The Abyss explores a different crime story or mystery every episode. It strips back some of the trappings of other overly produced true crime podcasts and focuses on simply telling a story. If you want to hear about cold cases, unbelievable criminals, and seedy characters, you'll enjoy The Apex & The Abyss.
Type of podcast: True crime anthology
8) The Truth
Not every episode of The Truth podcast is about the paranormal or supernatural, but most episodes will unsettle you in some way. The anthology fiction series features original works acted and performed by incredibly talented voices that will convince you that there is actually a film in your head.
Type of podcast: Anthology fiction
9) Knifepoint Horror
Knifepoint Horror is a storytelling podcast narrated by Soran Narnia. Fans of slow burn storytelling will enjoy the building sense of horror in each episode as he lays out unsettling descriptions meant to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It might be wise to listen to this one with the lights on.
Type of podcast: Horror anthology
10) Welcome to Night Vale
File Welcome to Night Vale under weird and wonderful paranormal fiction. Welcome to Night Vale has been around since 2012 and has created a strange world of characters, what might be considered "inside jokes", and other bizarre doctrines. Listening to Welcome to Night Vale does have the interesting effect of making you feel as though you are a resident of this odd little town.
Type of podcast: Paranormal fiction
11) Limetown
What happens when over 300 people from a small town simply vanish? Limetown explores the fictional drama of a journalist trying to get to the bottom of a deeply unsettling mystery. For fans of audio and radio dramas.
Type of podcast: Serial fiction
12) Bedtime Stories
Bedtime Stories is sure to give you your paranormal/true crime/conspiracy theory fix. People who love hearing about strange theories, unsolved mysteries and horrifying historical events will love Bedtime Stories. The episodes are short and digestible but will definitely leave you wanting more.
Type of podcast: Supernatural anthology/storytelling
13) Creepy
The podcast calls itself a podcast dedicated to telling "the most famous chilling and disturbing creepypastas and urban legends". We couldn't agree more. For fans of urban legends and storytelling, Creepy is a solid and highly entertaining listen that lives up to its name.
Type of podcast: Anthology fiction
