Best Scary Podcasts to Listen to This Halloween
Looking for scary podcasts that’ll have you sleeping with the light on? Check out this selection of nail-biting series.
Poltergeist, The Ring, Nightmare on Elm Street — those names alone are enough to send chills down your spine. While there’s nothing like a good old-fashioned horror movie, you know what’s just as thrilling? A scary podcast.
You might think of podcasts as being all about comedy and news, but the podcast world offers something for everyone, including the horror lovers out there. Halloween is the perfect time to grab some popcorn, turn down the lights, and get lost in a scary podcast. From terrifying true-crime stories to frightening fiction tales, these nail-biting series will make you want to leave a light on when you go to bed tonight.
If you’re ready to get spooked, check out our list of some of the best scary podcasts to listen to this Halloween.
1. MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
John Allen AKA MrBallen explores the strange, dark and mysterious as he tells true crime stories ripped from the headlines, tackles unsolved mysteries or dives into spooky tales of local lore through his unique style of storytelling.
2. Lore
For the history buff who appreciates a good scare, Lore is for you. Now a book series and a Prime TV show, Lore is an award-winning podcast that tells stories about horrifying real-life events throughout history.
It’s hard to believe someone would exhume a corpse, remove and burn the heart, and then serve up a tonic made from the ashes — but it happened, and Lore has many more bizarre stories like this to keep you freaked out and entertained for hours.
3. Ghostwriter
In 2021, C13Features delivered the chilling podcast movie Ghostwriter. What exactly is a podcast movie, though? Well, it’s a full-length scripted production with cinematic sound and Hollywood actors, creating an experience that’s like listening to a blockbuster film.
Ghostwriter is a psychological thriller starring House of Cards actress Kate Mara, who plays a writer hired to ghostwrite a crime novel for a billionaire and soon learns that taking this job wasn’t the best idea.
4. Scared to Death
Husband and wife duo Dan Cummins and Lynze Cummins take turns trying to out-scare each other with a series of stories that explore demonic possession, eerie phenomena and fan-submitted tales of real-life horror. Together, Dan and Lynze’s podcast leaves listeners wanting to sleep with the lights on.
5. The Last Podcast On The Left
Prefer your horror with a dose of comedy? Look no further than The Last Podcast On The Left. Debuting in 2011, it’s one of the longest-running horror podcasts, with creepy episodes discussing everything from werewolves to black-eyed children to serial killers.
If you want more scares, the creators also host The Last Update On The Left, expanding on past episodes of The Last Podcast on the Left.
6. Spooked
They saw it firsthand, and now they’re here to tell the world about it. Spooked features stories of supernatural encounters told by people who, to their surprise, lived to tell the tale and want to share it with the world.
7. Horror Story
Don’t be fooled by narrator Edwin Covarrubias’s calm voice: Horror Story is anything but soothing. This podcast will give you the creeps as Covarrubias tells scary stories based on legends and folklore. Hear tales about leprechaun sightings, a home haunted by a little girl’s ghost, the black dahlia, and more.
8. The Grave Talks
The master of horror storytelling Tony Brueski explores the unknown with guests who share their experiences with ghosts, the spirit world and all the corners of the paranormal world in this weekly podcast and interview series.
9. Heart Starts Pounding: Horrors, Haunting and Mysteries
Cursed horror film sets, haunted houses and cursed national parks are only some of the stops on Kaelyn Moore’s journey. Hearts Start Pounding covers unsolved mysteries, urban legends and more hauntings that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
10. The Whispering Woods: True Ghosts Stories & Paranormal Encounters
In the run up to Halloween, The Whispering Woods releases a new episode everyday that tells true ghost stories, dive deep into haunted mysteries and tales of folklore from around the world. Relying on atmospheric storytelling, instead of graphic details, the spooky stories are made for most horror lovers to enjoy.
11. Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories
Darren Marlar dives into stories of macabre, paranormal activity, supernatural phenomena, and more. Though the tales seem too spooky to be true, they are all things that happened in real-life.
12. Dr. Death
In 2018, GQ magazine declared Dr. Death the scariest podcast of the year. And for good reason! This true-crime podcast shows that real life is sometimes more terrifying than any slasher flick.
The first season of Dr. Death highlights the story of Christopher Duntsch, a surgeon convicted for mutilating and killing multiple patients on his operating table, and the healthcare system that turned a blind eye. It’s a fascinating story that also inspired the Dr. Death series on Peacock.
Season 2 is the story of hundreds of patients in Michigan, a doctor, and a poisonous secret. In Season 3, television producer Benita uncovers secrets surrounding renowned surgeon Paolo while four doctors at a prestigious medical institute make shocking discoveries of their own. And Season 4 follows a charismatic young doctor and his revolutionary treatments for cancer and HIV — and a startling discovery.
13. Alice Isn’t Dead
Alice Isn’t Dead is the perfect road trip podcast — that is, if you want to be on the edge of your seat while driving down those dark country roads. The podcast tells the story of a truck driver on the hunt for her missing wife. Along the way, she encounters strange characters and even stranger situations. The story is creepy, and the background music will give you goosebumps. Listen now at your own risk.
