At very long last, Spooky Season is upon us. While there are all sorts of ways to commemorate this sacred time—watching horror movies, consuming pumpkin-flavored things, feeling vaguely like your only valid responsibility should be working on your pun-based costume—I hope that you’ll also find time to lend an ear to some fantastically creepy podcasts. Whether you want to laugh, cry, or attempt to hide behind your freestanding closet, Halloween 2019 has the perfect podcast for you. (That said, Halloween 2019 does not have a way to keep you from getting fired if you do nothing but work on your costume, but it does have plenty of podcasts where you could call in and talk about it, if that helps.)
Unexplained
Season 4, Episodes 1-2: “Alone with Everybody”
The two-part premiere of Unexplained’s latest season tells one of the most unsettling ghost stories you’re likely to hear. Host Richard MacLean Smith draws his listeners into the ordeal of a young family who moved into an imposing stone farmhouse in the Welsh countryside in 1989—only to watch their hopes and dreams for the future disappear in a swirl of strange occurrences. What starts as unexplained noises and puzzling mail escalates into a series of events that will eventually attract film crews, spiritualists, historians, ghost-hunters, and investigators, along with bystanders, journalists, and unswerving skeptics. With his characteristic soothing delivery and visual narrative style, along with touches of atmospheric music and high-quality production, MacLean Smith recreates the story rather than simply telling it, resulting in a surround-sound spooky story that’s likely to leave echoes long after you’ve stopped listening.
Ghosted! by Roz Drezfalez
Episode 34: “Jeffery Self”
On Ghosted!, Roz Drezfalez, genderfluid performer and drag queen, interviews an array of comedians, writers, psychic mediums, and everyday people about their paranormal experiences. Pairing a sparkling wit with some genuinely creepy stories, Roz pulls off a podcast that feels a lot like a slumber party, where fits of laughter alternate with stone-faced attempts to summon Bloody Mary. In her 34th episode, Roz reads a listener-submitted ghost story, and talks with writer, actor, and comedian Jeffery Self, who shares his experiences living in two haunted homes. Roz and Jeffery have a natural back-and-forth that makes for entertaining listening (when the conversation turns to Jeffrey’s husband, Roz notes that “for one relationship, that’s a lot of waking up with ghosts”)—but as fun as Ghosted! is, don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking about Jeffery’s ghosts the next time you’re trying to sleep.
It’s Haunted…What Now?
Season 1, Episode 8: “The Doll’s Mouth Didn’t Move Like it Normally Did & More…”
It’s Haunted…What Now? is a podcast all about haunted objects. With a calm, soft-spoken style, host Lanie reads out listener submissions of real-life encounters with items that seem to be haunted, in stories that can be both frightening and touching. (As a note to the first-time listener, the ads in this podcast are dropped in without warning, sometimes mid-sentence. But don’t be afraid—the podcast will return. And will make you afraid of other things.) In her eighth episode, Lanie shares the origins of her fear of dolls; she then moves on to stories of a child who misses her uncle, a door with a mind of its own, a college student singled out by a ghost, and a deeply disturbing voicemail. The unassuming, everyday nature of these occurrences makes them feel that much closer, and that much more likely to leave you jumping at sudden sounds.
On a Dark, Cold Night
Episode 40: “All Hallowtide”
On a Dark, Cold Night is a spooky fiction podcast hosted by a nameless narrator, who’s lonely, whimsical, and…well, it’s hard to say exactly what she is, but definitely not your average human. Each episode, podcast creator Kristen Zaza gives a committed performance as the narrator who haunts her listeners with tales of strange vanishings, lights that won’t turn off, and howlings that may or may not be the wind. As the narrator’s own tortured life creeps into the frame more and more, her introductions constitute a story arc of their own, propelling the podcast forward even when the stories of each episode appear disconnected. In Episode 40, “Allhallowtide,” she shares a recollection of her own, of an autumn when she wandered into a festival of the dead, and into a graveyard with many surprises in store.
Guide to the Unknown
Episode 73: “White House Hauntings & ‘Little Brother'”
Guide to the Unknown is an effervescent comedy-horror podcast hosted by a brother-sister pair, Will Rogers and Kristen Rogers Anderson. Balancing their interest in urban legends, paranormal stories, horror, and jokes, Will and Kirsten attack one creepy tale after another with the easy, nimble banter peculiar to siblings. Their 73rd episode takes listeners on a tour of ghost sightings in the White House—where visitors and residents over the years have been repeatedly freaked out by the likes of Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Abraham Lincoln, whose specters reportedly wander the halls. Will and Kristen then dive into a different topic that is arguably just as creepy: a series of cryptic emails that Will’s been receiving from someone known as Little Brother, which contain coordinates, ciphers, ominous predictions, and references to the infamous, unsolved mystery of the Dyatlov Pass.
Historical Hotties
Season 2, Episode 9: “Movie Monsters”
Historical Hotties is legitimately one of the most delightful podcasts you could ever come across. Joined by a rotating roster of guests, sisters Whitney & Lindsey Nelsen take a gleeful approach to history, using lively debates over someone’s attractiveness as a way in to some nuanced, engaging, and thoughtful discussions. Every episode of the podcast takes on a different category—magicians, aviators, crime fighters, you name it—as Lindsey, Whitney, and their guest each select a historical figure whose story they will tell, and whose hotness they will defend. “Movie Monsters,” one of several Halloween episodes, delves into the fascinating figures of Vincent Price, Conrad Veidt, and Lon Chaney—giving each a score from 1-5 in the four crucial categories of mental attractiveness, physical attractiveness, social impact, and je ne sais quoi. Before votes are tallied and a winner is crowned, Lindsey, Whitney, and special guest Ty will carefully weigh the importance of attractive voices, resistance to the Nazis, physical agility, propensity for pranks, advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, and more—in this Halloween-themed reminder of just how vibrant and fun history can be.
Macabre London
Episode 9: “The Enfield Haunting”
As the name suggests, Macabre London focuses on all things weird and morbid in the endlessly mysterious labyrinth of London. With smooth delivery and deft production, host Nikki Druce covers everything from mole men to Soviet spies, telling stories that are focused and fluid without feeling rushed. In her 9th episode, Nikki takes a look at London’s most famous and well-documented poltergeist case: the Enfield Haunting. The story of two sisters, aged 11 and 13, who inspired a media firestorm with tales of a poltergeist is fascinating whether you believe in ghosts or not; Nikki integrates first-hand recordings of interviews, mysterious knocks, and even the voice of the alleged poltergeist as she covers both the story itself, and the competing interpretations of believers and skeptics.
Why Oh Why
Episode 51: “Ghosting Stories”
Why Oh Why, a podcast about modern dating, might seem a bit out of place on a list of spooky Halloween episodes. What, you might ask, is so scary about the world of dating? Then you might think about it, and you might answer: Everything. In this special Halloween edition of Why Oh Why, host Andrea Silenzi interviews several callers about their experiences of being ghosted—and the results are depressing, hilarious, and weirdly comforting. As one caller observes, though rejecting someone might seem harsher than disappearing on them, even the most nightmarish rupture involves a certain amount of closure– “whereas ghosting, you have to try to put pieces back together yourself. You have to become a sleuth—almost, like, in your own murder?—trying to figure out what happened.” Sure, seeing a ghost in a cemetery would be scary, but would it really be worse than asking yourself why someone, as far as you’re concerned, actually decided to be a ghost? The next time you’re listening to ghost stories, make sure to leave some time for some good ghosting stories.
