Beware: This Halloween season, I’ll be featuring some eerie podcasts. Each week, podcasts will be centered around a different theme that will make your hairs stand up. From crime narratives to investigations, I’ve compiled a list of the strangest, creepiest and most addictive podcasts. Turn off your lights and grab your headphones. Here are some of my scariest favorites:
“The Black Tapes”
If you’ve listened to “Serial,” then this might be a new personal favorite for you. “The Black Tapes” is a biweekly fictional docudrama hosted by Alex Reagan and voiced by Lori Henry. It’s a mixture of paranormal activity, ghosts and “Criminal Minds” all in one episode. Regan takes listeners on a quest for truth into her subjects’ mysterious and unsolved pasts. This podcast is chilling at times, full of lots of twists and turns and uses creepy storytelling to make it seem real. Although the beginning of the season starts off a bit slowly, as you continue the podcast, you get more hooked and immersed in the stories. Tune in every Thursday for a highly scripted drama series.
“Sword and Scale”
A true crime podcast, “Sword and Scale” covers underworld criminal activity. Be prepared to never sleep again. The first episode I listened to, “Episode 99,” was gory. It detailed an underreported child abuse case and provided information about how data in child abuse cases is often skewed. From cold cases to current trials, it will leave you wanting more details. It’s well-researched and one of the few crime podcasts I will listen to more than once, even if it means I stay awake at night. Disclaimer, though — the podcast demonstrates how unjust the world is, so if you want a happy ending, know there isn’t one.
“Generation Why”
Aaron and Justin dig into theories and unsolved murders, conspiracies and crime. I stumbled upon this podcast after listening to “Serial Killers” and searching for mystery and crime podcasts. The only difference between this one and the other crime podcasts I’ve featured is that these two friends provide their personal opinions about these unsolved cases. Each episode, Aaron and Justin discuss a new crime, keeping it intriguing. In a recent episode, they discussed the Ryan Widmer case of 2008 and played the chilling 911 call. After three trials, Widmer was convicted of drowning his wife in the bathtub. The debate was that Widmer had done nothing wrong, and it became a controversial discussion and conviction. Although these two aren’t investigators, they look into the legitimacy of these cases and aren’t afraid to disagree with each other.
“In the Dark”
APM Records and reporter Madeleine Baran reveal rare crimes in the country that are often mishandled. Baran and her team spent a full year uncovering details and reporting on season one’s case about Jacob Wetterling. Season one focused on the abduction of the Minnesota boy and raised questions about the 27-year-old cold case. Baran revealed how notorious child abductions in the country are, and eventually got the killer to give a chilling confession. Now going into season two, the podcast has turned into a production after receiving so much attention. The new season is underway and will take on a new aim. After all, investigative reporting takes time, and it takes a while to gather this tough content. It’s a very well-done podcast, and it’s difficult to listen to at times.
