Five spooky podcasts you’ve got to hear
Kick off October with true crime, scary stories and more
By Colin Macgillivray, Arts Editor
It’s October: the month of spooks and scares, tricks and treats. It seems like every year we start celebrating holidays earlier and earlier, with Halloween being no exception. If you’re not the type to decorate your house with skeletons and pumpkins this early in the month, but you want to get in the spooky mood somehow, here are some podcasts you can listen to. Whether you’re easily scared, or just want to listen to some true crime, these will be sure to get you in the mood for spooktober.
Anything by the This American Life team
Okay, let’s just get this one out of the way so as to not make this an entire list of just podcasts by the team at This American Life. An amazing podcast in its own right, there is some amazing talent on the team. So amazing, in fact, that they created the award-winning podcast Serial. It has three seasons, following Adnan Syed being charged in the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl charged with desertion after being held for five years by the Taliban and an analysis of the American criminal justice system based in Cleveland, respectively. The first season won a Peabody award and is attributed with the explosion of true crime podcasts that followed its first season.
Besides Serial, the team also released S-Town, a podcast that starts off investigating a potential murder turns into a look back at the person who brought the murder to reporter’s attention in the first place. The podcast has many surprising twists and a few spooks here and there. This podcast is also award-winning, taking home a Peabody award in 2017.
The Nosleep Podcast
Here’s where it really starts to get spooky. If you’ve never heard of ‘r/Nosleep’, you’ve definitely been missing out, because even those who don’t use Reddit know what this subreddit’s about. Now, it’s been turned into a podcast. Started in 2011 by a member of the subreddit, the podcast is a horror anthology that reads you some of the fictional stories that can be found on ‘r/Nosleep’. The podcast has read some of the subreddit’s most famous stories before they were famous, like infamous story Penpal, a story that was turned into a book because of its popularity. If you’re looking for some truly scary, fictional stories, this is where to find them.
The Last Podcast on the Left
The Last Podcast on the Left is everything you want from a true crime podcast — it’s got humour, tales of serial killers and a fun way of telling these stories. Hosted by Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski, the website for the podcast claims, “The Last Podcast is guaranteed to satisfy your bloodlust.” With subject matter ranging from reading some Creepypastas to covering the story of the one and only Jeffrey Dahmer, you can expect a variety of hilarious spooks on this podcast.
Lore
Moving into new territory when it comes to the spooky podcast realm, Lore tells stories of real-life horror. It’s all about the scary stuff that happens in reality and covers subjects from stories during the witch trials to lake monsters. This award-winning, critically acclaimed podcast will keep you on the edge of your seat with some of the tales it tells.
Someone Knows Something
Despite the innovation and talent we see coming from our southern neighbours in the U.S., Canada has a few good ones too. Of course, one of the best is by CBC, called Someone Knows Something. The podcast begins with a season about a 5-year old disappearing in Ontario and most recently features an in-depth story about a mail bomber. It’s CBC’s first take on true crime podcasting and it has been a good one. Check out this podcast for a more Canadian take on some true crime spooks.