The POD Report: Spooky Season
By Dana Block
THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: Spooky Season
Even though it's still hot and humid in many parts of the country, and it doesn't feel like Halloween, podcast listeners are eager for some ghost stories. If you want dark, harrowing tales outside of the true-crime genre, one of these five podcasts will surely keep you up at night:
"Two Girls One Ghost" -- Hosts Corinne Vien and Sabrina Deana-Roga have shared scary stories for seven years now with the warning to "listen at your own risk," calling itself the most haunted podcast in America. Their popular weekly "Encounters" episodes are especially frightful with tales of demons, exorcisms, haunted hotels, and nightmare-inducing sleep paralysis. Be sure to listen to the "Encounters x244" episode in particular, as they celebrate their seven-year anniversary with their fans' favorite and most-referenced scary tales throughout the show's history. You can also email the show about your own haunting experiences. (TwoGirlsOneGhost.com)
"Scared To Death" -- Husband and wife Dan and Lynze Cummins delight in scaring each other with "terrifying stories that will leave you sleeping with the lights on." They started off October with an ultra-creepy episode titled "The Visitor" that featured three stories to haunt their listeners: one taking place in Victorian England, another in a haunted jail, and the third in the woods alone on a hike. Don't miss the recurring "Nightmare Fuel" segments during the first and third Friday of every month, in which Dan narrates a piece of original horror fiction. (Stitcher.com)
"Spooked" -- These scary tales are told by those who experienced them firsthand, including a bagpiper named Steven who, after moving to York, England, joined a local pipe band only to have a "piper from the past join him from the other side." There's also Amy, a nurse's assistant, whose patients keep warning her one after the other about the "tall man in the hat." Then there's Jayson, who shares a supernatural tale about what he encountered on site at United States Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. (SpookedPodcast.org)
Don't Forget These Gems
"Jim Harold's Campfire" -- This podcast has been around for over 15 years, so it has a loyal following of listeners who aren't just tuning in around Halloween. It's emphasis on true ghost stories and hauntings are shared by everyday people, just like you and me, who share their ghostly or extraterrestrial encounters each week. (JimHarold.com)
"Too Scary; Didn't Watch" -- This horror movie recap podcast is perfect for those who can't bear to watch creepy or gory films but don't mind hearing about them. Hosts Emily Gonzalez, Henley Cox and Sammy Smart watch everything from grisly fare like the "Saw" movies to campy '90s flicks like "Leprechaun" and not-so-scary blockbuster thrillers like "Twisters." (ART19.com)
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