Last year I shared with you five spooky podcasts worth listening to. The post sparked some interest in the subject and many of you asked for more podcast listening ideas. So I decided I’d share with all of you my podcast subscription list, or at least, the spooky and horror-themed podcasts I’m subscribed to that you might be interested in checking out. As a quick note, some of these are seasonal, some of these are serial, so not all of them are active at the moment, but you can always go back and listen to old episodes to see what they’re all about.
Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Shared in my previous list, I would call “Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities” spooky-lite in that it’s not always about the spooky or paranormal, but it definitely explores bizarre stories in history.
Hosted by Aaron Mahnke, who made a name for himself with his dark history podcast “Lore,” “Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities” is a great bite-sized podcast that shares lesser-known stories of the unbelievable, unsettlingly and bizarre. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday and are only about 10 minutes in length, which makes them easy to listen to and digest. You can learn more about the podcast and access links on where to listen at AaronMahnke.com/curiosities.
Bizarre States
“Bizarre States” is an hour-long podcast hosted by paranormal researcher and personality Jessica Chobot and director Andrew Bowser that explores stories about hauntings, urban legends, oddities and things that are just overall weird.
The podcast ended when Chobot left Nerdist, who produced the show, in late 2019. However, the two are currently ramping up to launch a new iteration of the show, which was initially titled “Spooky Shit,” but was scrapped after they discovered the name was already taken. The classic episodes are still available to listen to through your favorite podcast app and you can follow their Instagram for updates on the launch of the new podcast.
The Boo Crew
Part of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast Network “The Boo Crew” is hosted by Leone D’Antonio, Trevor Shand, Lauren Shand, and on the occasion Tim Armstrong AKA Tim Timebomb of Rancid and Transplants fame and features discussions and interviews about all things horror. Recent episodes have featured guests like Emile Hirsch and Elijah Wood.
If you live in SoCal and listen to 106.7 KROQ the production value and sound of this podcast will feel very familiar as Trevor Shand happens to be the longtime Imaging Director for the station and his style can definitely be felt in the podcast.
You can learn more about The Boo Crew at talesfromtheboocrew.com and if you go back and listen to past episodes I highly recommend the Elvira episode.
Dead Meat Podcast
“Dead Meat Podcast” is an extension of the YouTube channel “Dead Meat” and releases weekly episodes on all things spooky and horror. The podcast is hosted by horror-loving couple James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca and features everything from interviews to movie reviews.
Recent episodes include an interview with Heather Langenkamp of A Nightmare On Elm Street fame and reviews of Ghoulies and The Lighthouse.
The Faculty of Horror
“The Faculty of Horror” takes a more academic approach to the horror discussion. Hosted by Rue Morgue Magazine’s Executive Editor Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West the two do deep dives into movies and themes from the horror genre.
Released monthly, “The Faculty of Horror” just returned at the end of January for a new season, so now is a great time to dive in!
Lore
The aforementioned podcast “Lore” was the podcast that put podcast host Aaron Mahnke on the map. The bi-weekly podcast explores the darker side of history and the tales of creatures, people and places that fill it. The podcast spawned a streaming series, book series, and a number of spinoff podcasts and is a longtime favorite of mine.
Nightmare On Film Street
“Nightmare on Film Street” is a candid comedic take on horror from hosts Jonathan Dehaan and Kimberly Elizabeth. Every two weeks the two revisit or are introduced to a pair of horror films and share their thoughts and rate the films.
The podcast recently joined the FANGORIA podcast network and is another longtime favorite of mine. Listening to Jon and Kimberly feels like I am hanging out talking horror with friends.
Nightmare University
Another FANGORIA podcast, “Nightmare University” is another podcast that takes more of an academic look at horror. Each week genre professor Dr. Rebekah McKendry is joined by a different industry expert as they take a closer look at specific elements of the horror genre. Presented like a university class discussion, each episode does a 30-45 dive into our favorite genre.
As a bonus, “Nightmare University” also releases special bite-sized “Office Hours” episodes where McKendry will share details or experiences from her time working as the Director of Marketing for Fangoria Entertainment.
Odd Tonic
One of my newest podcast discoveries, Odd Tonic, is the handy work of Jennifer Page and Maxwell Holechek. Each week the two invite you into their parlour where they share stories of the strange, bizarre, and paranormal from around the world.
Each episode runs about 45 minutes and pulls subject matter from everywhere from books to listener stories. You can learn more about Odd Tonic and where to subscribe at OddTonicSociety.com.
Post Mortem with Mick Garris
Mick Garris, has a career in the horror that spans decades. He’s worked on films like Critters 2, Sleepwalkers, and Hocus Pocus, and he’s the mastermind behind the series “Masters of Horror” and the recent anthology film Nightmare Cinema.
In “Post Mortem” Garris sits down with the whos-who of horror and brings his experience as a former rock journalist to the table to dive deep into the minds of some of the greatest filmmakers and creators in the genre.
New hour-long episodes are released every other week and on the off weeks, Garris does a bonus episode called “Ask Mick Anything” where he answers fan questions about his seasoned career in the genre.
Shock Waves
“Shock Waves” brings together Rob Galluzzo (Acquisitions & Development at Fangoria), Eric Kane (Inside Horror), Rebekah McKendry (Writer Director, Professor) and Ryan Turek (VP of Development at Blumhouse) for a weekly discussion about the horror genre.
Each week the group shares what they’re watching, reading, or listening to from the genre followed up by an interview with different special guests from around the industry.
Shudder: Uncut
“Shudder: Uncut” is the recently rebranded podcast from Shudder, which was previously titled “Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Uncut.” Initially, the podcast hosted the uncut interviews from “Eli Roth’s History of Horror.”
This month, with the rebrand, the podcast is expanding to release the uncut interviews from the Shudder exclusive documentary, Horror Noire and a new description suggests that future seasons will include more uncut interviews from Shudder documentaries.
Spooked
“Spooked” is a seasonal podcast from Snap Judgement and WNYC Studios that features true-life supernatural stories told firsthand by the people who experienced them.
Hosted by the charismatic Glynn Washington, “Spooked” seasons tend to run from late August through Halloween. You can catch past seasons on the WNYC Studios website. “Spooked” also has also released exclusive episodes on the paid podcast network Luminary.
Unobscured
Another podcast hosted by Aaron Mahnke, “Unobscured” is a serial podcast that explores dark stories from history that we think we know and sheds new light on them with the help of scholars and historians.
The first season of “Unobscured” was released in October 2018 and did a deep dive into the Salem witch trials, the people it impacted, and the stories that are often overlooked.
The second season of the show concluded in December and delves deep into the world of Spiritualism, tracing its bizarre trajectory from a scattered fad to a worldwide phenomenon and how it still impacts our world today.
Honorable Mentions
While the above are the podcasts that remain on my subscription list there are a handful of other podcasts that I used to listen to that I simply scrapped for time, wasn’t a fan of the format, or they simply concluded. Here they are if you want to check them out as well:
- Kim and Ket Stay Alive…Maybe – A horror movie comedy podcast where hosts Kim Burns and Ketryn Porter choose a different horror film, and through very scientific (not scientific), totally indisputable (very disputable) methods, and amidst hilarious tangents about their personal lives, determine whether or not they would be the ones to stay alive at the end.
- Witch Finger Horror Podcast – A monthly podcast where 3 witches drink, laugh, belch and discuss their favourite ’80s horror films.
Do you have a favorite spooky or horror podcast that I’m not subscribed to? Share with me your favorites in the comments below or on social media!
