Our Favorite Horror Audio Drama Podcasts

Aigner Loren Wilson — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:08:51 +0000

Is there anything quite like a good, scary horror audio drama? One of the ones where the creators bring out all the ghouls, ghosts, and spirits? They just hit different. And with the growing popularity of horror and audio dramas, there’s always something new coming out worth a listen or two.

Like with past Discover Pods audio drama genre lists, I wanted to give newcomers to the genre and fans a few current horror audio dramas covering the wide range of what horror can be. There’s emotional, comedic, romantic, and supernatural. Not to mention monsters, murder, and mayhem—spooks, splatter, and something that goes bump in the night. Really, there’s just a horror audio drama for everyone on this list … if you dare read on.

Keep in mind that these are all serialized (with one noted exception), so they should all be started from the beginning. This list isn’t arranged in any particular order; it’s just a collection of some of my favorites.

Hi Nay

I’ve written about Hi Nay on the last horror audio drama list, and since I could write about it again, I figured what the hell! Hi Nay was great the first time I listened to it, and it still pulls me in months later after discovering it. Hi Nay is a supernatural horror audio drama with big scars, big hearts, and big laughs with Filipino culture and characters. Using her babaylan family background, the main character helps protect and communicate with all sorts of strange happenings around Toronto. As a fan of paranormal or supernatural horror, it’s so refreshing to listen to a show where the focus isn’t to kill or eliminate but to understand and protect. Hi Nay is a great listen for Light House and Light Hearts fans.

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If I Go Missing the Witches Did It

Even though If I Go Missing the Witches Did It ended in 2021, I wanted to recommend it because it is a great horror audio drama with stellar voice acting. And like Hi Nay, If I Go Missing the Witches Did It is both funny and spooky. It did remind me a lot of the witch season of American Horror Story, and that wasn’t (just) because of Gabourey Sidibe, though she is excellent in it. Her voice adds a lot of personality and life to the already engaging storytelling. If I Go Missing the Witches Did It follows a Black writer who goes missing, and in the wake of her disappearance, a white podcaster takes over the search for her. The themes of missing Black women and white saviorism are accompanied by lovely and creepy background music and sound effects to create a full listening experience. Each voice actor did a great job at portraying various stereotypes we see too often but in original and funny ways. If I Go Missing the Witches Did It is just plain great horror satire.

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Desperado

I’ve written about Desperado several times before because, like Hi Nay, Desperado does something different with well-worn territory. Desperado is a modern-day tale of magic, crusaders, and voodoo centering around a group of outcasts from various backgrounds trying to survive. Another reason why I love Desperado is that it’s super gay and dark. Focusing on the characters and their cultures, Desperado is more of a horror story about connections and found family than horrible events. But the relationships and stories of each character make the darkness in the show worthwhile. The first season ended during the summer of 2021, but the second season trailer just dropped back in February 2022 with links to ways to ensure the second season gets funded and released.

The Wicked Library

For horror fans interested in all genres of horror from a large swath of both best-selling authors and new ones, The Wicked Library has you covered. In an average episode of The Wicked Library, listeners can find relatable emotion played across dark and frightening landscapes beyond regular imagination. Like the Drabblecast and other audio fiction podcasts that use music and sound effects to create a fuller experience for the listener, The Wicked Library is a horror short fiction anthology podcast publishing horror fiction from all its subgenres. That means if you’re a fan of sci-fi horror, fantasy horror, body horror, and good old-fashion horror, The Wicked Library probably has at least a couple of episodes for you. And with a vast back catalog, you won’t run out of options to choose from.

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The Silt Verses

A relatively new full-cast horror audio drama, The Silt Verses, started at the beginning of 2021, introducing listeners to a strange land and an evener stranger god. The Silt Verses follows two devotees in a dark, sort of fantasy setting as they search for connections, moments, and proof of their god. While listening to The Silt Verses, I couldn’t help but get hints of Old Gods of Appalachia. It was mainly how the creators and actors built their dark world and created what felt like a deep history and culture. It was creepy and mysterious—all things I love in a horror audio drama. And, of course, there was lots of magic and darkness.

Knifepoint Horror

While Knifepoint Horror may not be my favorite horror anthology podcast, it is one I think is worth mentioning. Knifepoint Horror’s interesting style reminds me a little of The Wrong Station. Their stories seem more real or have a stronger moral leaning than most horror fiction out there. I think what didn’t work for me but may work for others is the framing narrative that seemed to run throughout the stories. It gave a sort of archival effect to the stories, creating that sense of natural that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. There are usually special effects put onto the voices and different parts of the storytelling, though, which I quite liked.

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The NoSleep Podcast

If you’re a long-time reader and listener of horror fiction or audio dramas, you’re probably familiar with The NoSleep Podcast. For those looking for the best internet horror stories and creepypastas, The NoSleep Podcast has you covered. What makes The NoSleep Podcast different from many other horror anthology podcasts is that they offer long episodes featuring a bunch of stories in one. Because The NoSleep Podcast features such a large swath of stories, not all of them make sense or are as good as others, but they are entertaining in sometimes ridiculous ways. Many newer writers are featured, which gives listeners a wide range of tales and voices from writers they’ve never heard of, offering unique takes on old tropes or rehashes of well-worn territory.

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Creepy

Creepy podcast is similar to The NoSleep Podcast and provides listeners with a new creepypasta, internet folklore, or urban legend from around the world. Like other creepypasta horror podcasts out there, Creepy has a feeling of being real. Each of the stories feels like a found narrative of something we weren’t supposed to know about. While not everything about the horror podcast worked for me, that did. If The Nosleep Podcast’s setup of multiple stories per episode was something you liked, Creepy offers the same setup. I will say there were a fair number of cheap scares. But with over 600 episodes, listeners can skip around finding what stories they enjoy.

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Scary Stories Told in the Dark

If you’ve listened to Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, you’ll be familiar with Scary Stories Told in the Dark—a spin-off of the former. I was initially pulled in by the title, which reminded me of the book series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. For anyone curious, the two are very different and are not related except for the mash-up of multiple scary stories in each episode/release. Scary Stories Told in the Dark may not be the classic scary stories many know and love. Still, there may be something for listeners in the horror podcast’s extensive back catalog of over 200 Scary Stories Told in the Dark episodes. There were a fair number of ads before the actual episodes started, which can be off-putting for some. Scary Stories Told in the Dark is a great next listen for Creepy and Nosleep Podcast fans.

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Witchever Path

Witchever Path is an interactive horror audio drama that puts listeners in control of the story and sometimes even in the characters’ minds. Witchever Path just wrapped up their Sentry season, where listeners got to live inside the main character whose anxiety of wanting to protect their family shifts their views of reality. While the season is over and listeners can’t participate, the story is still an excellent listen for horror fans. You can even go back through their last few seasons and see how they ran their voting system for deciding what would happen next in the story. Witchever Path is a great pick for horror audio drama fans of Haunted House Flippers and Malevolent.

We’re Alive

So far, I’ve neglected one of horror’s most popular genres—zombie horror. But that’s because I wanted to save the best zombie horror audio drama for a little later. We’re Alive is a long-running audio drama with multiple spin-offs, following new characters, locations, and dramas with almost 200 episodes. There’s a little bit of military science fiction involved, too. We’re Alive is a full-cast audio drama with great acting and energy, so listeners get wrapped up in the action. The latest season is currently airing and is set 17 years in the future of the original storyline. As far as the zombie genre goes, We’re Alive stands up there with stories like The Walking Dead and 28 Days Later.

Bedtime Stories

Don’t let the title fool you. Bedtime Stories is not for the weak at heart or restful slumber. Bedtime Stories features creepy and spooky stories aimed at being for those brave souls who love a good horror story before bed. Bedtime Stories is voiced by a single narrator with some musical sound effects accompanying the storytelling. Bedtime Stories features a blend of horror stories and true creepy reports from around the world. There are characters, storytelling, dialogue, and all other hallmarks of a fictional story, but they are meant to be genuine cases. You be the judge of the realness of these horror stories.

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NIGHTLIGHT: A Horror Fiction Podcast

NIGHTLIGHT: A Horror Fiction Podcast is like NoSleep Podcast, Old Gods of Appalachia, and Black Tapes. If you’re a horror fiction fan, you’ve probably heard of it and love it. But for the listeners out there in need of great Black horror short fiction, including flash horror stories, NIGHTLIGHT: A Horror Fiction Podcast is a must listen to! NIGHTLIGHT: A Horror Fiction Podcast publishes horror stories written by contemporary Black writers (both best-sellers and newer writers) and read by Black voice actors. There used to be an author interview portion—and those episodes are still available in their back catalog—now, the horror fiction podcast focuses solely on stories. Season five started back in January 2022, bringing NIGHTLIGHT: A Horror Fiction Podcast so close to 100 episodes!

Nightmare Magazine Horror Podcast

Nightmare Magazine Podcast is the podcast arm of the monthly horror fiction, poetry, and nonfiction online magazine, Nightmare Magazine. Nightmare Magazine Podcast is for fans of literary horror fiction and horror from outside the norm. Like Pseudopod and The Wicked Library, Nightmare Magazine Podcast offers a comprehensive sampling of horror stories about monsters, cannibals, and more, all wrapped in beautiful prose and thematic writing that ensures the stories stay with you past the end of the episode. There are also many well-known horror writers, new writers, and everything in-between featured on the podcast. I think that’s why Nightmare Magazine Podcast tends to have stories from outside the run-of-the-mill horror tropes. And when they do, they’re done in new and intelligent ways.

WOE.BEGONE

For fans of the weird speculative fiction audio drama Ostium, WOE.BEGONE should jump to next on your listen to queue. WOE.BEGONE is a horror audio drama about an internet game that starts out interesting, curious, and bizarre but quickly becomes dark and violent as the main character explores the effects the game has on reality. If you like mysteries wrapped under your horrors, WOE.BEGONE is engaging and intriguing enough to hold your interest throughout the 80 episodes. I was pulled in by the first episode and introduction to the game and consequences/gifts. I also loved that it was a podcast within a podcast since the main character was documenting his experience by putting it into a podcast for other people curious about the game.

Hello from the Hallowoods

Hello from the Hallowoods is a horror audio drama set in a fictional town, following the people, creatures, and tales that call it home. If you’re a fan of diverse horror fiction, Hello from the Hallowoods features queer identities and relationships set among the gothic folk horror haunting the pines. While listening, I kept getting homesick for my own pines—the Pine Barrens. I loved each of the interesting stories in the episodes. Hello from the Hallowoods seemed to pull from a wide range of horror subgenres in thematic ways. One of my favorite aspects of Hello from the Hallowoods is the fake spooky advertisements. Little things like that make an audio drama just a little more real and entertaining, at least for me.

The Shadow Storytellers: a Horror Fiction Podcast

The Shadow Storytellers: a Horror Fiction Podcast is a horror audio fiction anthology podcast that started in October of 2021. The Shadow Storytellers: a Horror Fiction Podcast offers a wide range of horror subgenres even for a show as new as it is. The season finale of their first season aired back in February, so new listeners can check out all of The Shadow Storytellers: a Horror Fiction Podcast. I think it’s a great horror podcast for new horror genre fans. The horror audio fiction is set up in the style of classic speculative fiction shows like The Twilight Zone, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Creepshow without being too scary—but that’s just me.

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Whether you’re looking for humorous horror, remakes, anthology shows, or any of the other horror audio drama subgenres, hopefully you’re able to find one new podcast to fill your ears. Keep the fright alive by considering going beyond listening to these horror audio dramas and supporting them by sharing, pledging, and reviewing them.

Bonus horror audio drama podcasts

Editor’s note: This list is updated frequently with new podcasts, but we want to honor the podcasts that have been in our top favorites before.

Wrong Station

I’ve written about The Wrong Station a couple of times in the past. If you’ve never listened to this horror audio drama anthology, you’re missing out. The show was initially modeled after radio dramas of yesteryear, but as the years have gone on, The Wrong Station has become something wholly its own. The Wrong Station delivers animated and well-acted storytelling along with heavy themes and storylines that push past simple ghost stories. Each episode is raw and rough and packs an emotional punch. Since The Wrong Station often deals with heavy topics, I want to let listeners know they should check the content warnings on the episodes before diving in if they are curious about what territories and experiences the episode will cover. I’m a fan of the earlier seasons for the way they pull the listener into the story by adding a secondary POV character of ‘you.’ But the newer seasons have more nuanced and original episodes. The Wrong Station is perfect for The Black Tapes and The NoSleep Podcast fans.

Carrier

Carrier is an older horror sci-fi audio drama released in 2019 from QCODE. While there aren’t any more episodes airing, the whole story has already been released, so there’s no worry of an unresolved ending. The horror audio drama follows a truck driver transporting a mysterious cargo that turns out worse than anything she could have imagined. When I first listened to Carrier, it filled that want in me for more stories like Alien and Stranger Things. The bonus of Carrier is that unlike both of those stories, Carrier has a Black woman lead. So, moments and scenes throughout the show connect with my experiences, making the audio drama relatable despite its supernatural horror element. Like a few other horror podcasts on this list, Carrier is perfect for listeners who love Alice Isn’t Dead and Homecoming.

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The Slaughterhouse Stories Podcasts

The Slaughterhouse Stories Podcast is a creepypasta, horror anthology, poetry, and short fiction podcast featuring stories from across the web. That means, while the stories aren’t always the best, there is a lot to choose from. More often than not, you’ll find a new type of story like the types you’d find on Reddit or Tumblr. Each episode is dark and offers that bit of found fiction vibe that makes the stories feel more like Internet folklore. The host reads each story with nice creepy musical undertones that makes up for the less than scary stories featured on The Slaughterhouse Stories Podcast. There is usually more than one story featured on each episode, so if you don’t like the first one, give it a couple of minutes, and a new story or poem will start. While listening to a few of the episodes, I got The Wrong Station and Knifepoint Horror vibes. So, if you like either of those two horror audio dramas, you’ll love The Slaughterhouse Stories Podcast.

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Pseudopod

Pseudopod is a horror podcast part of the Escape Artist podcast group, including Escape Pod, Podcastle, and Cast of Wonders. Pseudopod releases the best short horror audio fiction up there with Nightmare Magazine Horror Podcast and NIGHTLIGHT Horror Podcast. With episodes dating back to 2016, Pseudopod has an extensive back catalog of all types of horror ranging from classic vampire and werewolf stories to more literary and original tales featuring creatures, characters, and situations that are both terrifying and thoughtful. There are no cheap thrills or screams on Pseudopod. And that’s what I like about the horror podcast. Unlike a lot of horror anthology shows that tend to become one trick or have a wide range of writing levels, Pseudopod delivers well-written and entirely fascinating horror stories about people you feel for every time. A few episodes have brought both chills and tears to me.

Believer: A Paranormal Mystery

A new podcast to me was the horror mystery Believer: A Paranormal Mystery. When a fake psychic’s ex-girlfriend goes missing in her strange hometown, the psychic packs up and heads out to find her or at least offer some help. And there’s a solid romance plot to tug at your heartstrings as you quiver in fear. Believer: A Paranormal Mystery is the queer comedy-horror audio drama I didn’t know I was missing in my life. There is a lot of sound production—so make sure to pop those headphones on or in—and the horror is layered and paired well with the humor; that way, both are equally heightened. Sometimes the sound production gets too much, and I had to turn down the volume when there was a bit of sound for something as simple as a shirt ruffling. Believer: A Paranormal Mystery is perfect for listeners of horror audio dramas like Unwell and Less is Morgue.

The Cellar Letters

If you’re into horror with a fair amount of mystery alongside its scares, then The Cellar Letters is going to be your next great listen. After uprooting and moving into a new home, a young man begins to experience strange and unusual happenings in his home. Even though there’s a single narrator, the audio production gives The Cellar Letters a fuller feeling. I loved the story and slow unfolding of the mystery, unraveling new and horrifying experiences for the character. I did find myself guessing what was going to happen next, but it was still satisfying to hear it happen. And a big part of that had to do with the audio production. I couldn’t wait to hear how they brought certain elements and events in the story to life. The Cellar Letters is a great horror audio drama for Malevolent and The Night Post fans.

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The Way We Haunt Now

The Way We Haunt Now was the most unique and interesting horror audio drama podcast I found while compiling this list. Unlike a few others that felt a bit predictable, though exciting in their own right, The Way We Haunt Now felt specific. Like a lot of the podcasts on this list, The Way We Haunt Now uses humor to lull listeners into false states of security so that they can scare the crap out of you. There were also soft and emotional elements that made me want to know more about the story the horror audio drama was creating. And I only have 13 more episodes until I’m fully caught up. With the emotional and original horror storytelling that The Way We Haunt Now has, I think it’d be a great listen for fans of Palimpsest and Limetown.

13 Days of Halloween

13 Days of Halloween initially aired in 2020 during Halloween as a bit of a one-off horror audio drama from a big production company—Blumhouse. But then, last year, they released an all-new season featuring new characters, new storylines, and a whole new spooky setting. Instead of being set at the Hawthorne Manor, listeners are invited to visit the eerie New England village of Direbrook in the second season, ‘The Sea.’ While the first season of 13 Days of Halloween had a great blend of humor and horror, the newer season feels more emotional and steeped in darkness. The latest season of 13 Days of Halloween is a great horror audio drama podcast for fans of Boston Harbor Horror and Deadly Manners.

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The Other Stories

The Other Stories is a horror audio drama podcast aimed at delivering listeners a mix of stories from emerging or struggling writers and experienced professionals. Like The Wrong Station, The Other Stories is an anthology horror podcast. One thing it does different, though, is offer listeners a wide range of horror genres like Pseudopod. Also, like Pseudopod, The Other Stories accepts listener-submitted short stories that they choose from for their episodes. For listeners interested in contributing to the show, check The Other Stories submission guidelines. With fantastic audio production and sound effects accompanying every episode, The Other Stories crafts new experiences for listeners each week. I like that there are characters that show up throughout The Other Stories long back catalog of episodes.

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Come Join Us by the Fire

Tor Nightfire is the new horror imprint of Tom Doherty Associates that’s been releasing seasons of their horror anthology podcast, Come Join Us by the Fire, since 2020. The second season ran last year in March—and I hope there’s a new season coming out this spring, too! Listeners can dive into original stories from horror writers like Nibedita Sen, Cassandra Khaw, and more. Like other horror anthology audio dramas on this roundup, Come Join Us by the Fire allows listeners a comprehensive sampling of horror stories outside the typical horror tropes. With 18 episodes, horror listeners are sure to find a tale or two to keep them up at night. Come Join Us by the Fire is similar to horror podcasts like NIGHTLIGHT: A Horror Fiction Podcast and The Wrong Station. (Disclaimer: I write for Tor Nightfire’s blog.)

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Vampires of White Chapel

Vampires of White Chapel is a full-cast horror audio drama about a group of vampires and their evil pursuits. Season three recently started in October 2021 with The Blood Reaper Chronicles. For fans of the original seasons, the newer one focuses on the vampire clan Blood Reapers. I’m a long-time vampire lover and fan, and I found Vampires of White Chapel to be a great vampire audio drama that clung close to many vampire conventions while still presenting an interesting story reminiscent of Vampire the Masquerade and Vampire High. With only one episode out of the new season, I’m curious to see where the vampire audio drama goes in the new year and how they wrap in the new bit of information given in the first episode. Vampires of White Chapel would be great for horror audio drama fans of Victoria’s Lift and We’re Alive.

Boston Harbor Horror

Boston Harbor Horror is a full cast eldritch horror and weird fiction audio drama about a coast guard investigating an emergency on an island in Boston Harbor. It’s got atmosphere, character, and monsters all set in a location that feels like something straight out of a Stephen King novel. Season three started in December 2021, with nearly 50 episodes for new listeners to catch up on. I’m not always a fan of eldritch or Lovecraftian horror, but I really like how Boston Harbor Horror unfolds, developing new mysteries and uncovering horrors. And as a coastal baby, I enjoy the sea theme and connection to water horrors. Fans of The Leviathan Chronicles and Archive 81 will enjoy the storytelling and horror featured on Boston Harbor Horror.

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The Town Whispers

Out of all the horror audio drama podcasts on this list, The Town Whispers has my favorite opening song. It’s beautiful and perfectly sets the vibe for the narrative horror audio drama. Along with the narrative storytelling, sound effects and music accompany each episode, giving it that audio drama lure. The Town Whispers delivers stories about the fictional town, The Fort, and its occupants. Some of the stories are directly related; others simply happen within the town, but no matter what, the stories are creepy and packed with dark events that plague the town and the folks who live there. While being an audio drama, I loved that it also felt like an anthology horror podcast. Fans of Old Gods of Appalachia and Welcome to Nightvale will enjoy the darkness of The Town Whispers.

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America After Midnight

I was on the fence about adding this horror audio drama to the list, but then I figured even though it was too much for me, there are a lot of listeners who would love this type of horror. America After Midnight is a revenge horror anthology audio drama, so there are trigger warnings for each episode because there is a lot of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, and other offensive types of characters and situations at the beginning of the episodes, but by the end those people get what’s coming to them, whether or not it makes up for the opening moments, you’ll have to judge for yourself. It can be entertaining and cathartic for some, but use caution when going into the episodes and stories. American After Midnight is the first revenge horror audio drama podcast I’ve ever listened to. Still, it did remind me of horror audio dramas like Campfire Radio Theater and The NoSleep Podcast.

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A Voice from Darkness

I’ve been searching for A Voice from Darkness for months! The first time I heard it, I was working on an article on podcasts for stoners and listened to it on another person’s account. I attributed my forgetfulness to the content I was writing about and tried to find the horror audio drama with no luck for months. Until now! A Voice from Darkness is part supernatural call-in and part American spooky folklore. I instantly fell in love with the creepy storytelling, strange events, and the way A Voice from Darkness tries to bridge a dark path into our world. There are national warnings, folktales, scary stories, and more all happening around the United States. It made it seem like the perfect blend of Welcome to Night Vale and The Town Whispers.

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Haunted House Flippers

Haunted House Flippers is a hilarious audio drama that blends horror and comedy with an unlikely theme. That theme being a couple inheriting an old haunted house and deciding to flip it. The husband is one of those “YouTube ghost hunters” with a spotty grasp on reality and a real lack of self-preservation. The couple is cringe-worthy and adds another layer of tension to the story with their constant bickering and passive-aggressive communication style. It would be like if Paranormal Activity were a comedy and audio drama. Haunted House Flippers is perfect for the listener who doesn’t like a lot of gore, scares, and other intense materials but still wants a good ghost and monster mystery. Its first season is currently airing with nine episodes out, so now is a perfect time to hop on the fan wagon.

Eastmouth

Eastmouth is packed with spooky and strange audio effects that make the audio drama really stick in your ear. The show follows a broadcaster stationed in a town with lots of secrets and hidden passages and a town council that’s been up to more than community services. The first time I listened to this horror audio drama podcast was while playing a horror survival game. If you like to game and listen to their podcasts, I super recommend this one to heighten scary games. Eastmouth puts out a new episode every month or so with episode 14 scheduled for a late July release. Another great thing about Eastmouth is that while it reminded me of other horror audio drama podcasts like Malevolent, it didn’t feel derivative or like I had experienced the story before.

Death by Dying

Do you like your horror with a bit of humor? Think Haunted House Flippers meets the TV show Bored to Death with a hint of Ian’s Gone Postal. An obituary writer goes above and beyond his duty and investigates the odd deaths in his town, leading him down a road of bizarre and sometimes supernatural involvement. Each episode dives into new mysteries that connect the main character and the mysterious town of Crestfall, Idaho. Originally aired in 2018, the dark comedy horror audio drama Death By Dying is written with a noir style, heightening both the mystery and humor. So far, there is only one season out, but the second is fully funded and on its way. New listeners can check out the first ten episodes and a few bonus ones while they wait for the drop of the new season, though.

Unwell, A Midwestern Gothic Mystery

Unwell is a horror audio drama following a young woman as she moves back to her small-town home in Ohio to look after her estranged mother. While there, she lives in her family’s boarding house that’s filled with ghosts lurking in the shadows and mystery around every bend. The full cast audio drama has aired since 2019 and is towards the end of its third season now, which means there are over 30 episodes for new listeners to catch up on as this season comes to a close. I think this horror audio drama is perfect for listeners who like Palimpsest and The Bright Sessions. There’s enough intrigue to make the scary seem tempting. Just listening to the show makes me feel haunted.

The Dark Tome

The Dark Tome is a dark fantasy or speculative fiction audio fiction podcast that uses voice acting and sound effects to create a rounder experience for the reader. The horror audio drama uses a framing device wonderfully to make an audio fiction show within an audio drama, an audio drama within an audio fiction podcast. A teen finds The Dark Tome, a magical dark book that transports her to other worlds and stories, and the podcast unfolds from that premise. Each episode is a horror or dark fantasy story from classic horror writers like Edgar Allan Poe and contemporary writers like Catherynne M. Valente, Tananarive Due, and Martin Cahill. A full-cast production brings to life each story, truly creating another world for the listener to fall into alongside the character as she flips through the pages of The Dark Tome. With three seasons, there are over 30 episodes of The Dark Tome for fresh listeners to horrify and amaze themselves with. This horror audio drama podcast is perfect for listeners who enjoy horror anthology shows but want them to be more attached and connected.

Old Gods of Appalachia

Similar to The Dark Tome, Old Gods of Appalachia is a cross between an audio drama and an audio fiction podcast. There’s a common setting and characters that crop up throughout the horror anthology podcast that makes this more than just a string of horror stories unrelated. Since its airing back in 2019, Old Gods of Appalachia has amassed a large and loyal following along with a lot of respect in the horror and audio drama world. It conjures a sense of place, heavy and thick, bringing readers to the southern reach of Appalachia, where ghosts, monsters, and other dark beasts wreak havoc in the woods. With 30 episodes and more on the way, this is a great horror anthology podcast for listeners interested in modern southern gothic tales.

A Horror Borealis

Begun as bonus content for The Cryptid Keeper, A Horror Borealis has grown into its own audio drama show. Following three women in 1996 Revenant, Alaska, as they bond over the horrors of their life and town, A Horror Borealis is an emotional horror audio drama podcast great for listeners hungry for mystery, friendship, and monsters. The original series has over 60 episodes for new-time listeners to check out while the spinoffs or bonus stories, A Horror Borealis ’76 and LOSERS, add another few episodes and history onto the town of Revenant. Currently, the audio drama is doing a remix of Stephen King’s IT in an actual play retelling using the one-shot mystery Back to Derry by Christine Prevas. It’s AWESOME.

The White Vault

An audio drama in collected records that sounds like found video footage for the ears, The White Vault follows the mystery surrounding an outpost in the artic. This horror audio drama podcast stands out because The White Vault features diverse voices and languages. Using such a range of a cast creates a story with greater depth and emotions. We can hear how each odd and horrific occurrence affects a greater population. The White Vault is perfect for people who love an excellent artic horror like The Thing and piecing together a mystery from various recordings and accounts. Lots of subtext and intrigue mixed with the horror! First aired in 2017, The White Vault celebrated six years and is still growing strong with a loyal fan base and over 60 episodes.

The Grey Rooms

The Grey Rooms follows a man cursed with living someone else’s death every day, only to wake up and have it happen all over again. To say this show has lots of death would be an understatement. But death a protagonist that dies every episode isn’t the coolest feature of this horror audio drama. It’s the mystery surrounding why the character is dying over and over again like some rancid dark Groundhog Day. Started in 2018, The Grey Rooms is on its third season of scaring and terrifying listeners. The finale aired back in April, but there are several bonus episodes and other content.

Victoria’s Lift

I actually found Victoria’s Lift through The Grey Rooms. There was a bonus episode recently released that promoted the show and offered a taste of the supernatural horror audio drama. Victoria’s Lift is about a girl who uses a mysterious elevator to help people reach their ‘transformations’. Emotional and creepy, Victoria’s Lift has over 50 episodes of travels through dark and meaningful realms. Victoria reminds me of the evil AI little girl in the 2002 Resident Evil movie. Don’t let the fact that a little girl is the protagonist of Victoria’s Lift fool you; this is not a show for young listeners. But it is perfect for fans of anthology horror audio dramas like Old Gods of Appalachia and The Dark Tome.

What’s the Frequency

What’s the Frequency has been described by creator James Oliva as “psychedelic noir” and only “horror-adjacent,” both of which are true–but this strange, innovative, form-breaking audio drama is known for sending chills down listeners’ spines. What’s the Frequency follows several stories, but primarily that of Troubles, a PI, and Whitney, his assistant, as they try to find a missing radio play writer whose work is the only thing playing on the radio stations. This podcast is riveting and throws the listener directly into the actions with gorgeous, unsettling sound design and very little explanation. It’s an intense listen that demands paying close attention but always rewards listeners with how strange, immersive, terrifying, and often funny it is.

Palimpsest

An often-overlooked genre in horror are the creeping, contemplative, psychological stories–think, for instance, of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (or even the Netflix show based on it, as different as those two are). Palimpsest takes this tone and mindset, giving the listener a slow-building, creeping terror instead of jump scares. The horror here isn’t just in the ghost story, both with the protagonist’s new house or the ghost of her sister, which she keeps asserting she’s seen. The horror is also in trying to find out whether the protagonist is an unreliable narrator or not. It’s a podcast that plays with your mind more than with just loud noises or gore, and weaves a gorgeous, delectably literary story along the way. The second season of Palimpsest is a completely different story–one of a circus, a family, and the fae. Make sure to read our interview with its creators for more insight on what makes Palimpsest tick.

Station Blue

Station Blue follows protagonist Matthew Leads as he accepts the position of caretaker for an Antarctic research facility and quickly finds he’s bit off more than he can chew. This audio drama is masterful in its command over atmosphere. Between its minimalist score, its unobtrusive sound design, and its downright visceral foley sound effect work, Station Bluetransports the listener to the station, filling the listener with as much dread as Matthew feels. Station Blue dabbles in gore more successfully than just about any audio drama I’ve ever heard, but its real horror focus is the feeling of sheer isolation it evokes. The loneliness in Station Blue is tangible, and so are its effect, slowly wearing away at the protagonist while the stakes get higher and the worries get deeper.

The Magnus Archives

Initially, The Magnus Archives feels like a collection of spooky short stories, some of which land harder than others. The production quality is lo-fi and performed by a single, unflinchingly dry narrator. The framing device here is that the narrator is tasked with turning the paper archives of a paranormal investigation business into audio files–and it isn’t long before this task starts to gain its own over-arching plot. Each episode of The Magnus Archive plays on different fears, making them more vivid and effective than expected. You’ll go into an episode about a scary doll, for instance, thinking, “Oh, this is silly”–but by the time the episode’s ended, you’ll be avoiding the toy aisle next time you hit up Target.

Janus Descending

Janus Descending is podcasting’s answer to the Alien franchise–or, at least, you know, the good movies in that franchise. Told from the perspectives of two explorers on an alien planet, Peter and Chel, the listener hears the story unfold from opposite ends of the timeline. Chel’s story progresses linearly, while Peter’s perspective is told in reverse, starting with his last audio log moving back to his first. Janus Descending is about love–the love Peter and Chel have for each other, but also the love of exploration, the love of knowledge, and the love of who we think we know. A terrifying tragedy, Janus Descending is one you won’t soon forget.

A World Where

What makes fiction anthology podcast A World Where terrifying isn’t just its sci-fi setups, pulling inspiration from works like Black Mirror. It’s how easily it can trap you in those setups, both by how narratively close to home they hit and by its stunning binaural sound design. With each episode, you’re trapped both in concept and in audio, existing fully in the scene. Whether it’s an even more nightmarish version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or an absurdist, darkly comedic take on Chopped, A World Where is stunning, upsetting, and existentially horrific.

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