Guest piece: 5 podcasts to get scared by and obsessed with
If you’re not a movie person it can sometimes be difficult to find a way to get into the Halloween spirit. Whether it be the blood or having to allot an hour and 30-something minutes to a screen (with no interruptions because you’ll miss something), not liking scary movies is okay. But finding a replacement that fulfills the need to get scared can be difficult. Thank God for podcasts. Not only have podcasts become more popular over the years, but in true old school radio show fashion, fiction podcasts have also gained traction.
So if you want to get a little spooked but only have time to spare on your morning commute or while cleaning the house, consider these five podcasts:
1. “Welcome to Night Vale”
Something of a cult classic in the podcast world, “Welcome to Night Vale” is presented as a community radio broadcast covering the happenings of Night Vale, a small desert community located somewhere in the American West. From neighborhood angels to hooded figures in the dog park to entirely normal mysterious happenings, this is a great podcast for someone who likes to be unsettled more than scared. And even the unsettling is pretty moderate. If anything, you may be confused more than anything (but while being thoroughly entertained by your radio host, Cecil).
Status: ongoing
2. “The Black Tapes”
If the paranormal and its culture is more your thing, then add “The Black Tapes” to your queue. Produced and presented as a serialized work, it follows journalist Alex Reagan in what starts as a feature on paranormal skeptic Dr. Strand but what spins into an exploration of the doctor’s collection of unsolved cases. This one is not for the light of heart, especially those who get easily scared by bumps in the night or oddly shaped shadows.
Status: 30 episodes
3. “The Left Right Game”
Inspired by a series posted on the r/nosleep subreddit, “The Left Right Game” is another serialized podcast. But rather than following a journalist in real-time, we listen to recordings a missing person, Alice Sharman, has sent to her old friend Tom. Alongside Tom, the listener learns about Alice’s research into a paranormal game, its players and the costs that come with playing. The impressive sound production, thrilling plot and immersive world-building make for an exhilarating listening experience. But that exhilaration comes with a cost (i.e., plenty of sound scares that will jolt you from whatever you’re doing and unexpected turns in the plot).
Status: 10 episodes
4. “The Magnus Archives”
Structured as a series of statements being recorded via tape recorder and eventually spiraling into a fleshed-out plot (still being recorded via tape recorder), “The Magnus Archives” follows the newly appointed head archivist, Jonathan Sims, and the unsettling happenings in and around the Magnus Institute. The episodes (or “statements”) include everything from the paranormal to instances of gore and body horror to witchery. So, whatever your poison may be, there is sure to be an episode to unsettle you.
Status: ongoing
5. “Alice Isn’t Dead”
We listen in on a truck driver’s audio diaries as she searches for her missing and presumed dead wife. But as she drives across America, the truck driver learns her wife and the life she lived isn’t what she thought them to be. She comes to terms with these findings while encountering people and places that seem separate from reality. The series is yet another “not as scary as it is unsettling” podcast, but its addictive qualities make it worth a binge.
Status: 30 episodes (10 bonus)
Lydia Velazquez is a senior studying English with a minor in journalism. She is from Brookeville, Maryland and misses the narrow east coast roads. Her only personality traits are liking oatmeal, wearing Doc Martens, and using Letterboxd.
@lydmvel