7 scary story podcasts to make your skin crawl

This October, make sure you’ve locked your doors and take a spook-cation in a haunted manor. Stumble in the mountains and maybe come face-to-face with DogMan and cryptids. Be first in command for a sting operation with cosmonauts and voyage across wicked waterways. Learn what happens in the bowels of Craigslist. Uh oh. Definite skin-crawling material.

Or is true crime more your scene? Hear about a friend group who unknowingly hung out with a killer. Or the Hello Kitty murderer who was haunted by her victims. Tune in for these stories and more from the comfort of your headphones and the safe armor of your Halloween costume. As part of Podsauce’s fright-filled celebrations this month, we’ve chosen several scary story podcasts if you’re gearing up for Halloween or just love a good ‘ol spook.

The NoSleep Podcast

“The NoSleep Podcast” is a horror anthology fiction series that sources its material from the r/nosleep subreddit. Listeners can drop into this series in any order since the episodes are standalone and contain a bunch of stories per episode. The creepy instrumentation is extra enticing for spooky season, and it might make your skin crawl! The podcast is produced by David Cummings. 

Otis Jiry’s Scary Stories Told in the Dark

Chilling Entertainment, LLC & Studio71 present “Otis Jiry’s Scary Stories Told in the Dark.” The veteran storyteller has brought his YouTube channel to podcasting for over 200 episodes. In episodes, Otis will share a plethora of authors’ works, with two per episode. With recent episodes such as “System Shocks,” “Woeful WIlderness,” “The Hidden World,” and “Karmic Criminality,” tune in for some dark drama.

Scared to Death

You might find yourself “Scared to Death” with Dan Cummings’ podcast. Dan selects weekly horror tales in an attempt to scare his wife, Lynze, and entertain listeners. Recent story themes dealt with graveyards, demonic possession, witches, cults, a Hello Kitty murderer, and basement terrors. Average episode length is 90 minutes.

13 Days of Halloween

Grim & Mild presents “13 Days of Halloween,” created by podcasting favorite, Aaron Mahnke. When the newest caretaker arrives at Hawthorne Manor, we’ll take a tour of the haunted grounds, and meet new guests throughout its 13 episodes. Keegan Michael-Key stars as the caretaker, guiding us through the picturesque ballroom, up the winding staircase, to the solarium and the observatory, for a scare-cation filled with terror and suspense. This series uses immersive, 3D binaural audio, so plug your headphones in and feel yourself get transported into the story.

Nighty Night with Rabia Chaudry

Tune in to Kast Media’s “Nighty Night with Rabia Chaudry” for “bedtime stories to keep you awake.” Author, attorney, and podcaster Rabia Chaudry hosts this biweekly series to share creepy tales in under an hour. Rabia’s series weaves classic stories with original content. A particularly spooky story is titled “Rot,” a woman with a horrifying truth, who goes to great lengths to hide her horror and putrid stench: she’s alive and rotting!

The Dark Swamp: Horror Stories

“The Dark Swamp: Horror Stories” is a daily podcast mixing true crime, lore, and horror stories, all of which are submitted by listeners. We’ll hear about national park horror stories, UFO and cryptid encounters, instances of stalking, ouija boards, and more. With over 400 episodes to select from, you’ll be scared swamp-less!

The ScareCast

“The ScareCast” podcast was created by YouTuber MaddMike who posts horror story video narrations, mostly from books. On the podcast, MaddMike shares real-life horror stories from people, ranging from Craigslist creepiness to weird experiences with delivery people, and unhuman encounters. And every episode includes several stories, so you’ll get a wide range of fright! The average episode length is 30 minutes.