It’s the spooky season. The air is filled with pumpkin spice. Crisp leaves are underfoot.
And as much as it’s the time of Fall flavors and flannel, it’s also a time of snuggling up under our favorite blanket and enjoying a spooky tale…or two.
And we’ve got a whole list of spooky, story-telling podcasts that will give you goosebumps.
There’s a whole range of great podcasts on this list, from the safe-for-children variety, to the down-right horror-rific!
And we’ve also included fan feedback*, to help you get a spooky feel for these spooky podcasts, so you can find the perfect ones for your playlist.
Enjoy…if you dare…
1. The NoSleep Podcast
The NoSleep Podcast is a multi-award winning anthology series of original horror stories, with rich atmospheric music to enhance the frightening tales.
How did The NoSleep Podcast come about
In the spring of 2010, a new forum appeared on Reddit.com. It was called “Nosleep” and the concept of this forum (or “subreddit”) was to be a place for people to post original scary stories about frightening experiences. It was an online version of telling spooky stories around the campfire.
A year later, as Nosleep was growing at a rapid pace, one member named Matt Hansen proposed the idea of doing a podcast where some of the top stories from Nosleep would be narrated in audiobook style. The response was quite positive and over the next few months a small group of members endeavored to put together what would come to be known as The Nosleep Podcast. On June 13th, 2011 Episode #1 was released.
And now over 500 episodes later, they’re still going strong!
What fans are saying…
I’m addicted. This show is amazing. I loved hearing the occasional no sleep story from Real Life Ghost Stories and am so excited that there is a whole podcast dedicated to these stories. The host has a perfect voice for it and the narrators are great. Definitely would recommend!
Spooky! One of the best horror podcast I have ever heard I would recommend buying the season passes
2. Welcome To Night Vale
Welcome to Night Vale is a much-loved spooky podcast. Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true. Turn on your radio and hide. Never listened before? It’s an ongoing radio show. Start with the current episode, and you’ll catch on in no time. Or, go right to Episode 1 if you wanna binge-listen.
This is such a fun, totally unique, spooky show! They play so perfectly on all those goosebump-inducing tropes, from flickering televisions to creepy phone calls, which are expertly balanced with vivid mental imagery, and mixed with humor and pop-culture references, they’ve hit on a winning formula.
What fans are saying…
Fun and creepy! Imagine the news from Lake Wobegon as seen through the eyes of Stephen King. This funny, entertaining podcast describes the strange events in the community of Night Vale in a wonderful, calm, matter of fact tone, as if every town has dark hooded figures in its dog park. I recommend listening to this late at night with the lights out and imagine you are a citizen of Night Vale listening to a local radio station. But remember, whatever you do, don’t go near the dog park.
3. Archive 81
Archive 81 is a fiction podcast about horror, cities, and the subconscious.
The stories are really quite phenomenal, and the voice actors are excellent. This podcast has been so carefully designed, complete with bone-chilling music, and thrill-inducing sound effects, making this easily one of the most immersive shows of this type. The characters develop really well and are played so skillfully by the actors, and this really helps bring these stories to life.
What fans are saying…(reviews can be found on Podchaser)
Archive 81 kept surprising me yet continued its own narrative, and I think those two things are hard to find within the same creation. I ate the three seasons in hardly 2 weeks, and I would give my life for Static Man, to be honest. You have music, you have immersive audio drama, you have great acting, great worldbuilding AND that 3rd season? Mind blowing. Just listen to it.
One of the most unique stories I have heard. This podcast has cemented itself as one of my all time favorites. Great if you like to binge listen, or weekly, one episode at a time. The voice acting is top notch and the production is superb.
4. The Hollow
This podcast is suitable for younger viewers. Although parental guidance is advised!
This podcast was released in 2021 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” The Hollow is a modern take on the timeless story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. When three 6th graders at Sleepy Hollow Middle School stumble upon a real-life ghost story, they find themselves on the trail of the Headless Horseman himself. Is he truly a terrifying ghoul, or has he been misunderstood for all these years?
As this podcast follows the journey of 6th graders, it is suitable for younger listeners, with just enough spooky to give you a good scare, and should be safe enough for younger ears without giving nightmares. But again, check it out yourself before letting younger ears have a go.
But overall, it’s a fun, modern take on an old classic.
What fans are saying…
Superbly suspenseful! Definitely going to make the rounds for my Halloween playlist.
Pretty great! This is a nice pod to listen to around Halloween. Just scary enough for kids to want to listen in but not have nightmares.
5. Alice Isn’t Dead
Another much-loved spooky podcast is Alice Isn’t Dead.
A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman.
What fans are saying…
What a ride! From start to finish! Think I need to try out the book now!!
Fantastic story! Pulse pounding, propulsive and incredibly narrated! LOVE this podcast/story.
6. Video Palace
Next up, some mystery and horror all rolled into one spooky podcast, Video Palace.
When video collector Mark Cambria watches a mysterious VHS tape, he begins talking in his sleep in a language that doesn’t exist. Mark and his girlfriend Tamra set out to investigate the tape’s origin and find themselves caught up in a web of conspiracy, occult, and dread surrounding a legendary video store with a sinister purpose beyond imagining.
What fans are saying…(reviews found on Podchaser)
Video Palace deftly weaves a tale of mystery, fear and horror. Each episode takes you further into the realm of otherworldly terror with excellent acting, scripts and production.
Well made investigative fiction, that sends a chill down your spine. Once I started listening, I couldn´t stop. If you like Tanis and The Black Tapes, you will love this.
And speaking of Tanis and The Black Tapes…
Up next we have…
7. TANIS
TANIS is the perfect example of what happens when the lines of science and fiction intertwine!
Tanis is a serialized docudrama about a fascinating and surprising mystery: the myth of Tanis. Tanis is an exploration of the nature of truth, conspiracy, and information. Tanis is what happens when the lines of science and fiction start to blur…
What fans are saying…
Addictive!I love this podcast. The pacing and narration is terrific; it’s soothing yet keeps you guessing. I love that it intertwines fact and fiction in a believable way. Can’t wait for more!
Amazing! I sincerely thank you! Your podcasts are incredible. As a listener, I feel a connection to the characters that, in my opinion, are lost in movies. Keep up the great work!
8. The Black Tapes
Another great podcast for getting those spooky feelings is The Black Tapes. The Black Tapes is a weekly podcast from the creators of Pacific Northwest Stories, and is hosted by Alex Reagan. The Black Tapes Podcast is a serialized docudrama about one journalist’s search for truth, her subject’s mysterious past, and the literal and figurative ghosts that haunt them both.
Do you believe?
What fans are saying…
Obsessed! I’m honestly so impressed by the storytelling here. I’m glad I’m listening to it later, the cliff hangers would get me otherwise!
Wish there were more episodes! This show had me hooked. The story telling makes you get so immersed into what’s going on you start to forget it’s “TV for your ears”.
9. RABBITS
The next spooky tale is RABBITS.
When Carly Parker’s friend Yumiko goes missing under very mysterious circumstances, Carly’s search for her friend leads her headfirst into an ancient mysterious game known only as Rabbits. Soon Carly begins to suspect that Rabbits is much more than just a game, and that the key to understanding Rabbits, might be the key to the survival of our species, and the Universe, as we know it.
What fans are saying…
One of the best! This podcast has become a highlight to my day. It’s captivating and intriguing, seeped in mystery. Love. Love. Love!
Fantastic! I was drawn in and addicted after the first episode! So well written and produced and a pleasure to listen to!
10. Limetown
Next up, we have Limetown…
We can’t have a collection of spooky podcasts without including Limetown.
Ten years ago, over three hundred men, women and children disappeared from a small town in Tennessee, never to be heard from again. In this podcast, American Public Radio reporter Lia Haddock asks the question once more, “What happened to the people of Limetown?”
It’s a clever concept, the story is interesting, and is told in such a way that you’re always left wanting more. You have to really engage with the narrative, as very little is given in way of outright explanation, but that just helps in really drawing you into the plot and gets you fully immersed in the mystery.
BONUS! If you’re looking for even more thrilling entertainment, there is also a Limetown web television series starring Jessica Biel and Stanley Tucci which makes for a nail-biting watch!
What fans are saying…
Multiple layers, lots of twists and turns. Hard to follow at times but glad I stayed through the end. Ending was a great twist to unmask the villain. Investigative reporting theme is a good draw.
One of the greats! One of the all time best audio fiction podcasts. An absolute inspiration. Flawless execution and a story that’s worth it.
11. The Storage Papers
Next, we have The Storage Papers…
In July of 2019, Jeremy made the fortuitous decision to make the only bid on an abandoned storage unit. At first disappointed by no apparent treasure, what he discovered instead is a trove of the most extensive documentation of seemingly unexplainable events he’s ever seen. Join him on his journey of discovery through the horrific, paranormal, and downright unusual events of each podcast episode and sink into the frightening reality that lurks just beneath the skin of our everyday lives.
What fans are saying…
Simply amazing podcast! It’s October 2022 and I’ve just discovered this podcast and have been catching up since the beginning and I will say this is totally awesome. Just well crafted and well done.
It’s horror, folks! Make no mistake—this is a horror fiction podcast, plain and simple. Terrible things happen, and people get hurt. It also has interesting characters, a complex, engrossing and thoughtfully-written plot and is absolutely worth a listen for fans of the genre. I’m glad to see such a high-quality podcast exists and am pleased to recommend it.
12. Full Body Chills
Next up, at Number 12 we have Full Body Chills…
There’s not too much to say about this one…we find it best to let the episodes do the talking..
But do you ever miss those spooky campfire stories you heard growing up?
Well, gather round… and listen close.
What fans are saying…
Creative and scary! So creative. So spooky. So niche. Very well produced.
Gets me every time! Man I don’t know if some of y’all just aren’t giving these stories enough credit but no matter what season I listen to or what episode it gets me every time. I personally can’t tell a difference between the seasons but that’s just me… love this podcast but definitely can’t listen to it before bed lol!
And finally…
Number 13…
13. Borrasca
Borrasca is a gripping psychological thriller starring Cole Sprouse as Sam Walker. In the first season we followed Sam as he painstakingly recounts the summer his sister disappeared; the friends he made, the legends he heard, the pain and confusion of loss. Over nine episodes, we uncovered the unspeakable secrets of Drisking, Missouri and the people who live there. After leaving the audience with a jaw dropping cliffhanger, we are finally returning to Sam and the terrible truths of Drisking.
In Season 2, a ghost of Sam’s past arrives to drag him back to Drisking for revenge. Back to the forests that color his nightmares. Back to the mysteries he never solved. Back… to the gates of Borrasca.
Please be advised this show contains adult language, violent acts and triggering situations. It is intended for adult audiences only.
What fans are saying…
Can’t get enough! It really is an incredible show. I find myself on the edge of my seat waiting and desperately longing for each new episode.
Great podcast! I’ve seen the podcast here and there while looking for a new podcast to listen to and it never really called my attention. Was I missing out! A great podcast 10/10 has great characters and the twist and turns are amazing! Keep up the good work!
*All comments taken from Apple Podcasts unless otherwise stated.
Related read: The Ultimate List of Binge-worthy True-Crime Podcasts
