(Krista Mills / The Quill)
I am a huge proponent of podcasts. They’re great to listen to while crafting, walking, or even studying. I’m also someone with a low tolerance for horror – an overactive imagination does not do well come bedtime after several hours of scary stories.
That being said, I love horror podcasts. My roommate and my Nerdboy both roll their eyes while I cringe on the sofa, listening to such podcasts. #yolo. I’ve compiled a list of my top four favourite horror podcasts for this Halloween season!
1.Welcome to Night Vale
Written and produced by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, Welcome to Night Vale (WTNV) began in 2012. Starring Cecil Baldwin as Cecil Gershwin Palmer, WTNV follows the goings-on of the fictional town of Night Vale. It may not be entirely horror, but some very strange things happen in this town. The things that are considered normal here (spider literacy, deadly dopplegangers, and a vague yet ominous government agency) are not normal in the real world. The real ‘horror’ that happens in the second arc of the show with the appearance of Desert Bluffs and Strex Corp. I’ve been listening to Night Vale for two and a half years and have seen a live show, and I honestly couldn’t say more positive things about it. 8/10 (10/10 as a whole, 4/10 for horror).
2.We’re Alive: A Story of Survival
Co-created by KC Wayland and Shane Salk, and written, directed, and produced by Wayland, We’re Alive is a full-cast podcast. This means that all the main characters have their own voices. The story takes place largely in Los Angeles, California, and follows a group of survivors trying to make their way in the dystopian world they find themselves in. The core group of survivors deal not only with zombies, but with rival groups of malicious survivors, lack of food, and a militia-style government. We’re Alive started during the influx of zombie apocalypse-related content in 2009. It ended in the summer of 2014, and continues with a sequel podcast: We’re Alive: The Lockdown. 8/10.
3.Alice Isn’t Dead
Another podcast written by Joseph Fink, and produced by Night Vale Presents, Alice Isn’t Dead follows a woman who is trying to find evidence that her wife Alice isn’t, well, dead. The main character, who is not given a name and voiced by Jasika Nicole, is a truck driver narrating her experiences to her wife. She encounters a murderous entity she calls the Thistle Man in the first episode, and he continues to haunt her throughout the ten episode first season. I would rate it 9/10 on the horror scale, and am excitedly awaiting the second season.
4.NoSleep
Produced by David Cummings and taken from the Reddit thread /r/nosleep, this podcast legitimately frightens me on the regular, and I love it. The podcast has been running for eight seasons, which equates to roughly five years, and features several regular narrators. A particularly chilling, stand-out tale is season one’s Penpal. The first three seasons featured 45 minute to one hour, and are currently divided into either full, premium episodes for season pass holders, or two or three story free episodes for everyone. I can honestly say this is a 10/10. Would recommend.