Podcasts are a dime a dozen these days — but fortunately for horror fans, the quality quite closely matches the quantity. Also, quite luckily for the fans of the horror genre, the popularity of podcast creation is still on the rise.
Like audiobooks, podcasts have turned into a popular form of entertainment because it only requires that we listen. We can listen to music, an audiobook, and even podcasts while we’re doing our daily routine: when we’re getting ready for work in the morning, while we’re working out, while we’re commuting to or from work, and when we’re taking a relaxing bath. And with horror podcasts, we at Puzzle Box Horror especially enjoy allowing these creepy stories into our brains during the relentlessly sleepless nights, when an audio-only creepfest entitles us to retreat to the safety of our comfiest blanket while the darkness envelopes us entirely …
10. Ghosts in the Burbs
Ghosts in the Burbs is a podcast made by a children’s librarian, who interviews her neighbors in Wellsley, Massachusetts about stories that no one would ever want to tell children. While she doesn’t bring all the special effects of music, special editing, or anything extraordinary, it’s her content that drives the creepy content of her podcast–while the stories don’t need to be heard in any particular order, we still recommend that you start at the beginning so you can get the full experience that Liz brings us with her dark tales that lurk in the otherwise sunny Wellesley.
9. The NoSleep Podcast
If you follow the NoSleep subreddit, then you’re probably not a stranger to the NoSleep Podcast, but if you’ve never heard it before, then give it a listen–there are so many plausible horror short stories that are a variety of styles as well as perspectives, but the one thing that they all share is the quality of scares. You’ll be consistently spooked by the stories told by NoSleep and you can thank us later.
8. PseudoPod
It seems like PseudoPod is kind of a horror-household name, they have amazing narrators, read some of the best horror short stories, that have come from some of the best authors around. There is something for everyone with this insanely simple and blood-curdling story-telling experience, it stands to reason if you don’t like one you should try another one, you’ll find something that you’re bound to enjoy.
7. Knifepoint Horror
Where other podcasts have an amazing track, or melodious narrators with voices of angels, who can emote through their presence of voice alone, Knifepoint Horror seems to only use the strengths of the narrator voices as well as limited sound effects somehow makes it feel like you’re there in the room with the characters. It makes you feel as if you might be the one that will next fall victim to the horrors that the characters are made to face. We highly recommend this podcast if you want something that will make your skin crawl at its best points and intrigue you at its slowest parts.
6. The Other Stories
A self-proclaimed modern take on the Twilight Zone, it doesn’t fail to deliver with its eclectic collection of author contributions as well as narrators along with stellar audio effects make this an immersive experience, but what really makes this podcast special is the agonizingly spooky and mysterious nature of these short stories. The variety available with The Other Stories is perhaps one of its most attractive qualities of this horror, sci-fi, and thriller fiction show–but there’s also the themes that they tackle with each chapter. We even came up with a list of our favorites, so take a look at this podcast, we guarantee you won’t regret it!
5. Limetown
This horror mystery podcast gives the feeling that there is something real going on, it has the depth of a real news story–kind of like a forensic crime documentary. There is something wonderful about the production value of this particular podcast, as it features a fictional host of the fictional American Public Radio who is trying to solve the mystery of several hundred people vanishing from a town in Tennessee a decade ago. The interesting thing about this particular ongoing story is that there are moments where, despite being reminded that it’s pure fiction, that you can’t really be sure of whether or not it’s real. What’s more, there are moments where you might entertain conspiratorial beliefs about it being an elaborate cover-up. Regardless, it smacks hard of the Orson Welles’ adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic War of the Worlds as a radio broadcast that convinced many people that the world was being invaded by creatures from another planet.
4. Video Palace
So if you were to stumble upon Video Palace without any previous knowledge of what they were about, you might think that the narrative was a true story–it starts when the narrator’s girlfriend wakes him up after he began sleep-talking in a non-existent language. They decide to do a full investigation into what could be causing this and what they end up finding is something of a mystery that needs to be solved. The thing that really makes this fictional podcast feel all-the-more real, is the real-life writers, bloggers, and filmmakers that have their own history in the horror genre.
3. Unwell
There’s something very unwell about Mount Absalom, Ohio–even if everything about it screams hospitality. When Lily Harper returns home to Mount Absalom to look after her mother, Dot, she encounters all of the things she hated about visiting her mother during the summers. This podcast is amazingly done, with impeccable audio and a quirky sense of humor that doesn’t overwhelm the darkness and malice that lays beneath the facade of niceties. If you want to disappear into a story, then this is an incredible one to immerse yourself in.
2. The Magnus Archives
You likely won’t find a better anthology podcast throughout the entire horror genre than the Magnus Archives. This series plays out each episode with total impartiality. Research briefs are presented to listeners without objective, and each new, terrifying fact pulls people into the story deeper and deeper. Quickly you’ll catch on to the different researchers in this podcast and recognize them throughout episodes. One of our favorite elements of the Magnus Archives is how fearlessly and boldly they face each new storyline. The show, its researchers, and presenters have a fascinating and eerie way of pulling you into each story. Have fun submerging yourself in the Archives.
1. Alice Isn’t Dead
We are shameless fans of Alice Isn’t Dead, and we honestly cannot recommend it to you enough. The story focuses on a female truck driver who finds herself searching for her wife, who is presumed dead. This woman explores unexpected places in her efforts to turn over every rock to find her wife. It’s hard to say which element of the show is our favorite; the production, the stunning score, and the captivating actress who voices the series all keep pulling us back for more. It’s a podcast that will keep you on your toes and continually tuning in. Trust us and take a listen to just one episode. You’ll be hooked and wanting answers just like the rest of us.
This compilation is a unique collection of channels, but we hope you gained something from our tribute to horror podcasts. You now have hours of content to comb through, at no cost to you. We wanted to note; the wildly popular Lore Podcast did not quite make our list because it’s not completely horror-based. However, you can still check out our list of some of the scariest Lore episodes. Let us know if you enjoy these podcasts and if there are any new horror channels we should add to future discussions.
