Check Out These Bone-Chilling Horror Fiction Podcasts
The Halloween season is upon us once again, so there’s no better time to get into a scary-good new podcast. If you’re looking for tales that will keep you up nights or get you in the mood as you make a trip out to the local haunted house, these horror fiction podcasts are sure to send a chill down your spine.
“The NoSleep Podcast”
Now in its 18th season, “The NoSleep Podcast” is one of the longest-running and most popular horror fiction podcasts on the internet. NoSleep began back in 2011, spinning off from a Reddit forum dedicated to user-submitted horror stories. If you’re looking for a new listening obsession, there are nearly 500 episodes to comb through, including fan favorites like “Down in the Library Basement,” “A Seaside British Pub,” and “The Whistling Girl.” While you can start from episode one, the website offers a selection of top episodes to help new listeners get into the podcast as well as helpful trigger warnings for each episode.
“Pseudopod”
“Pseudopod” is a treasure trove of terror, offering a deep catalog of dark tales spanning more than 800 episodes. Over its 17 years, “Pseudopod” has earned a reputation for excellence that allows it to attract top talent in the horror genre, including popular authors like Hailey Piper, Laird Barron, Lucy Snyder, and Maurice Broaddus. It’s also an excellent way to hear stories from horror fiction legends and luminaries like Fritz Leiber, Karl Edward Wagner, and Thomas Ligotti. And it's not just the fiction that’s excellent — you also get great production values and music to get you in the mood.
“Blackwood”
“Blackwood” is a six-episode serialized podcast that follows three teenagers on the trail of a local legend. Molly Weaver, Bryan Anderson, and Nathan Howell investigate a creature called The Blackwood Bugman and along the way uncover terrible secrets from their town’s past. The show takes on a true crime-style approach, immersing the listener in the mystery and forging a connection with the three core characters as they draw deeper into murky waters. With all six episodes clocking in at just over 2.5 hours, “Blackwood” is a great choice if you want a quick fix of fright on your autumn road trip.
“Video Palace”
“Video Palace” comes to you from Shudder, the popular horror streaming platform, and tells the story of a videotape collector who begins speaking in an unknown language in his sleep after watching a mysterious tape. The 10-episode series follows Mark and his girlfriend, Tamra, as they unspool the origin of the mysterious VHS tape and are drawn closer to an infamous video store — the Video Palace. If you can’t get enough of “Video Palace,” the creators of the podcast also released a collection of stories related to the show in 2020, entitled “Video Palace: In Search of the Eyeless Man.”
Spooky season is here, so treat your ears to a great horror fiction podcast and get yourself in the mood for fall. And yes, it’s okay if you feel like you need to sleep with the lights on after you’re done listening.