The horror genre is changing. Not long ago, standout stories like The Only Good Indians or A Head Full of Ghosts were primarily found in books and long-form audio. Now, with the huge spike in podcast popularity, great horror is no longer the exclusive territory of novels. With series such as Lore and PseudoPod, fans of the spooky genre can find the scariest, most terrifying tales in podcast format. So, if you’ve been looking for your next favorite chilling listen, look no further. Here are the best horror podcasts to add to your library... if you dare.
Of all of the podcasts on this list, Lore is likely the one you’ve been recommended at least a dozen times. And after listening to an episode or two (if you can practice restraint and not binge-listen), it’s easy to understand why. Hosted by Aaron Mahnke, Lore is a bi-weekly horror podcast featuring historical tales that have lived on in infamy and lesser known stories that are just as spooky and unsettling. From episodes about the legendary Jersey Devil to stories of serial killers such as H.H Holmes or terrifying historical tales of Dracula’s castle, Lore has something to offer all sorts of horror fanatics. But beware, just as the podcast's tagline says, “sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction.”
One of the oldest podcasts on this list, PseudoPod has become well known as a masterclass in short story telling in the horror genre. Featuring a wide variety of terrifying tales of ghosts, monsters, demons, and any other scary being that comes to mind, this podcast offers new listeners lots of possibilities for fresh nightmares to spook them. And with more than 700 episodes to date, there are plenty of heart-racing stories to dive into from talented writers just waiting to be discovered.
Fun and insightful, Don’t Go Out There brings listeners deep into the minds behind some of the most iconic horror films of all time. Hosted by friends Nicoh Chen, Michael Settle, Bryan Hathaway, and Dustin Franklin, this podcast features interviews with the creators and stars of horror films throughout the years as well as discussions of the hosts' personal fave cult classics and reboots, including A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Stepfather. Horror movie buffs will love the back and forth banter and exclusive interviews with legends of the genre.
Fans of Don’t Go Out There Horror Movie Review Podcast will feel right at home with The Know Fear Cast. Hosted by friends Matt, Mel, and Lisa, the podcast discusses all things horror: ghosts, haunted houses, zombies, monsters, and an assortment of scary movies, books, rituals, and more. You’ll find episodes about creepy kids toys, exorcisms, the occult, and Jaws. What makes The Know Fear Cast extra special: exclusive interviews with creators in the horror genre, like authors Andy Davidson and Paul Tremblay.
Just like the title suggests, Something Scary is chock-full of scary stuff. Each week, hosts Blair and Steffany have a different chilling or creepy story to share, ranging from urban legends and folktales to real-life American horrors, like macabre cemetery celebrations and murders. You'll also find terrifying tales about the Moon and its connection to the occult and monsters, cases to support the power of evil curses, and many more supremely scary stories in the selection of more than 200 episodes.
If you’re looking for a truly dark horror podcast, then look no further than Disturbed. Kidnappings. Serial Killers. Satanic rituals. Cults. Each episode features a brand new story of very real and very terrifying encounters with the most nightmarish beings. But here's what makes Disturbed truly unique: listeners can call into the show to tell their story, which is then narrated by host Chad. So, don’t be fooled—while the stories might sound too horrifying to be true, they are. With each episode accompanied by a haunting musical score, this is one horror podcast you definitely won’t want to miss.
Telling expertly crafted scary stories is the specialty of Horror Hill, a spinoff of the popular Chilling Tales for Dark Nights podcast and YouTube channel. In each episode, host Erik Peabody, an accomplished voice actor and audiobook narrator, breathes life into some of the spookiest tales you’ll ever hear from talented independent writers across the genre. From devious ghosts to sinister sea creatures to evil espionage, Horror Hill has something to grip and chill horror fans of all stripes.
Even the scariest stories about hauntings can be relatively straightforward: house, ghost, family, priest, cleansing, gone. But rarely are ghost stories as multilayered and complex as they are in Marigold. At its heart, this Audible Original podcast series is about a woman named Anne who has always felt the presence of something unnatural in her home. Enter the unnamed Interviewer, who's determined to figure out what’s really going on, even if it’s darker than Anne or anyone could have imagined. Like the haunted house at its center, Marigold is a story with many intriguing doors to open.
Yes, fictional tales can be terrifying. But there's nothing quite as chilling as stories based on real-life events. Much like what you'll hear on Disturbed, Jim Harold’s Campfire tells stories based on actual eerie occurrences reported by everyday folks. Featuring interviews with the very people who experienced these frightening encounters with ghosts, monsters, and the unexplained, Campfire reminds us that, sometimes, the scariest beings are right among us. With episodes like “I’ll Never Sleep on the Couch Again” and “Encounter with a 9 Foot Bat,” this podcast is sure to keep you up all night.
There’s something inherently spooky about trucking across America, all alone. Think about driving through dark, desolate towns late at night as your eyes play tricks on you, or struggling to stay focused while you’re the only person on the road for miles... or so you think. Alice Isn’t Dead taps into these real fears, and it does so very effectively. The podcast follows the story of a truck driver searching for her presumed dead wife, who along the way encounters creepy towns, chilling conspiracies, and serial killers. While at its heart a horror podcast, Alice Isn't Dead touches on hard-hitting themes of isolation, alienation, and loneliness, giving this terrifying listen a sense of humanity.
As a long-time, late-night listener of Radio Rental, I can attest to just how downright creepy it is. Just like Spooked, Radio Rental features stories retold by the people who experienced them. And if that doesn’t sound terrifying enough, it’s all done in the backdrop of an unsettling 1980s VHS rental shop. Packed with heinous crimes, paranormal encounters, run-ins with monsters and more, Radio Rental has it all.
There aren’t many things more unsettling than hearing a real-life scary story directly from the person who experienced it. We’re not talking about the garden variety Loch Ness or Bigfoot tales, we’re talking about skinwalkers, ghostly doppelgängers, terrifying encounters in moon-lit forests, and other creepy tales. In Spooked, you’ll join host Glynn Washington and someone who actually encountered something terrifying and lived to share their story. Published weekly, this podcast will be sure to keep you up at night.
This award-winning audio drama takes you to the remote Outpost Fristed located in a far corner of Norway. When a repair team sent to the isolated outpost investigates a radio signal gone dark, terror quickly ensues. What follows is a frightening, found-footage-style journey with immaculate, full-cast sound design, creepy monsters, well-layered characters.
Sometimes the scariest things aren’t fiction at all. Hosted by Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ben Kissel, Last Podcast on the Left dives into the most horrific tales, both real and imagined, with just enough morbid humor to make you forget about how truly terrifying the stories are. From notorious serial killers, to ghost stories, creepy monsters to real-life monsters like Heinrich Himmler, the trio of hosts leave no stone unturned.
