Dark history, disturbing crimes, and mysterious events: check out these 10 podcasts if you like MrBallen’s storytelling

If you regularly listen to “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories,” you might also enjoy these podcasts on our list. Some of our picks feature comparable storytelling chops, disturbing experiences, bizarre events, and musings on the unexplained.

On our list, you’ll find podcasts diving into dark history, myths, folklore, paranormal activity, unusual events, and mysteries of the world. Some episodes dish on true horror stories submitted by listeners like you.

Lore

Join “Lore’s” bi-weekly episodes where “the truth is more frightening than fiction.” Hosted by Aaron Mahnke, this series dives into dark tales from history, horrific events, unusual places, and interesting creatures that might just haunt your nightmares.

National Park After Dark

Hike on the wild side with Audioboom Studios’ “National Park After Dark,” a podcast for both nature enthusiasts and true crime fans. Friends Cassandra Yahnian and Danielle LaRock unpack true crimes, dark history, and other tragedies that happened in the great outdoors. Check out over 100 episodes on topics like Death Valley National Park, The Legend of Hermit Island, Pleistocene Park, and many more.

Radio Rental

Rainn Wilson plays Terry Carnation, an unusual video shopkeeper presenting blood-curdling horror stories ranging from crimes to supernatural occurrences. Tune in for stories shared in a fictional realm called “Radio Rental,” an ’80s video rental store that transports listeners to a world where fiction and reality seamlessly mesh. This Tenderfoot TV series was created by Payne Lindsey.

Dark Topic

Jack Luna‘s “Dark Topic” welcomes listeners to get creeped out with dark narratives, true crimes, alien stories, and things that go bump in the dark. Hear about the Krakow Vampire, The Bus Stop Killer, The Wichita Horror, the Zodiac Killer, “Deadtime Stories,” and more disturbing tales in over 70 episodes.

Let’s Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast

On “Let’s Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast,” Andrew Tate narrates truly terrifying stories by those who live to tell the tale. If you have a story you’d like to share with this anthology series, send details to letsnotmeetstories@gmail.com.

The Casual Criminalist

From Cloud10 and iHeartPodcasts comes “The Casual Criminalist,” a true crime series hosted by Simon Whistler. Tune in Tuesdays and Fridays for new episodes covering con artists, serial killers, casual murderers, psychopaths, and more. There are episodes on killers like Lizzie Borden, a real-life Harley Quinn, Brazil’s IRL version of Dexter, the school shooting at Columbine, and The Cleveland Strangler.

Unexplained

Richard MacLean Smith presents “Unexplained,” a chilling bi-weekly series about the strange and mysterious world. This series blends spoken word narratives, ideas, and history to investigate beliefs, perception, and reality. Now in its 6th season, the podcast has released over 200 episodes.

Myths and Legends

On Nextpod’s “Myths and Legends,” host Jason Weiser shares folklore, myths, and legends. You might already be familiar with some of the stories like King Arthur and Hercules, and in this series, Jason explores their origins. All episodes are derived from folklore around the globe and retold for modern minds. Tune in to hear about Vikings, dragons, kings, princesses, wizards, knights, and more, taking listeners on a wondrous voyage.

Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities

Grim & Mild presents “Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities” a history podcast sharing short stories on bizarre, unbelievable, and disturbing topics. Hear 2 stories each episode released twice-weekly, must-listens for fans of “Lore.”

The Lets Read Podcast

Tune in Tuesdays for new episodes of “The Lets Read Podcast” sharing scary stories ranging from stalkers to true crimes and paranormal activity. Host Victor Phillips wants to “lull you into beautiful nightmares” one episode at a time. If you’re into this podcast, check out the podcast’s YouTube channel for more scary content.