These terrifying podcasts will get you in the Halloween spirit
Lindsay's Pick of the Week
This week we're launching a new feature at Podcast Playlist. Our "Pick of the week" recommends the one podcast you need to listen to this week, to help you discover the best podcasts out there. It's only available on our website.
Today, I'm recommending Snap Judgment presents: Spooked. You know those nights when your friends sit around and trade stories about their creepiest experiences? The time they might have seen a ghost, when a door closed on its own, or the night they received a message from beyond the grave? Spooked is the podcast version of that ritual. From Snap Judgment and WNYC Studios, Spooked is described as "true-life stories of the supernatural — told firsthand by people who can barely believe it happened themselves."
I love this podcast because it combines the unknown (an already popular theme in podcasting) with high production values and carefully crafted storytelling. It's clear the show is produced by an experienced and talented team.
Stories range from slightly creepy, to unsettling to downright terrifying.- Podcast Playlist host, Lindsay Michael
Host Glynn Washington's smooth delivery and glimpses into his own brushes with the supernatural are a perfect fit. But the best part is hearing firsthand accounts from the storytellers themselves. Even if the stories are outlandish, you can hear the emotion in the storyteller's voices as they try and grapple with what they've experienced.
I recently played one episode for a friend during a long drive home after a camping trip, . By the time we hit Toronto, we'd already listened to what was available from the entire series. I recommend this podcast for all of your Halloween listening or just to play in the background to keep you company while you wait for trick-or-treaters.
- Lindsay Michael
Podcasts featured this week:
- 99% Invisible — If you're a believer, you know that a Ouija board spells out messages sent from the beyond. One creaky letter at a time. But, the Ouija board wasn't always associated with the dark arts. Click here to listen to the full episode.
- Snap Judgment Presents: Spooked — Head deep into rural Wisconsin and enter a dusty roadhouse bar where time stands still. Click here to listen to the full episode.
- Short Cuts — A sleepwalking menace terrorizes campers in the middle of the night. Click here to listen to the full episode.
- The Memory Palace — The terrifying tale of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon. Click here to listen to the full episode.
- Here Be Monsters — A grave digger discusses what it's like to be inside a stranger's grave. Click here to listen to the full episode.
- Inside The Exorcist — At 14 years old, "Robbie Mannheim" became the alleged victim of demonic possession. His story inspired the 1971 novel The Exorcist and subsequently the 1973 film adaptation. Click here to listen to the full episode.
- Interesting Vancouver Presents — Kelly "Claire" Berge has always felt a connection with the spirit world. As a child, she found herself face-to-face with ghosts, and she kept seeing them through her teenage and adult years. But Claire never knew how to deal with the apparitions - she never knew what they were or why they were following her. Click here to listen to the full episode.
Listen to the full Canadian broadcast version:
What podcasts do you turn to when you'd like a fright? Send us an email, tweet us @PodcastPlaylist, or find us on Facebook.
For more great podcasts, check out CBC's podcast portal, subscribe in Apple Podcasts.