The podcast is not an incredibly new form of entertainment, yet the format is really beginning to gain steam in this decade. Podcasts also happen to be the perfect medium of those who love tales of what goes bump in the night. Talented voice actors, comedians, authors, and producers have created a stunning variety of work all available for the sky high price of zero dollars and zero cents. Try listening to any of the following podcasts on a long drive home in the middle of the night. Just don’t look in the rearview mirror.

LORE @lorepodcast

LORE is narrated by famed horror author Aaron Mahnke. Each episode delves into the dark history of the world’s most peculiar urban legends and places. Mahnke meticulously crafts his stories with details so specific one would either think he made them up or he was there when it happened. It’s a wonder how much of his histories are an author’s liberties or how much is a carefully documented retelling; regardless, each and every episode is a spectacular tale perfect for the holidays. Listen around a fire with family or in the dark with headphones on, but beware – sometimes real life is scarier than fiction.

The Black Tapes @blacktapespod

The Black Tapes follows Alex Reagan’s nightmare journey into the unsolved cases of the anti-paranormal skeptic Dr. Richard Strand.  The eponymous black tapes document Strand’s dark spots on thousands of debunked floating orbs, apparitions, electronic voice phenomena, and possessions. The tapes are weird, sometimes terrifying, and similar in a mysterious way. Alex Reagan is a veteran journalist on a mission, and Dr. Strand is the blasé pessimist consistently assuring Alex that nothing exists in the dark when she turns the lights out, or is there?

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights @ChillingTalesWI

Some of the best horror stories ever written come to audio through Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. Podcast One has strict control of earlier episodes, but Chilling Tales has hundreds of archived stories on YouTube and for sale in mp3 format on their website. Enjoy classic tales ranging from H.P. Lovecraft’s Call of Cthulhu to Edgar Allen Poe’s Tell Tale Heart or modern tales all read by talented voice actors.

My Favorite Murder @MyFavMurder

Warning: Not for the faint of heart. Comedic writers Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark fawn over their favorite true crime stories the way teenagers discuss rumors at sleepovers. Karen and Georgia gloss over the true crime mainstays like Charles Manson or Dennis Rader in favor of lesser known serial murderers and cold cases. My Favorite Murder probably triumphs most through its community of true crime aficionados on Facebook. In addition to sharing their own knowledge of certain cases, Karen and Georgia read hometown murder stories from fans. This podcast will change the way you look at strangers walking up to your car.

TANIS @tanispodcast

Nic Silver is searching for the world’s last true mystery in a digital age where information is readily available if you know where to look. As he begins his descent into the myth of Tanis, which precedes records of the eponymous Egyptian city by thousands of years, a quick-witted computer hacker named Meerkatnip helps Nic track down clues. Testimonies, dark web forums, and a strange, invisible electromagnetism lead Nic to an empty cabin in the middle of the woods. There are wondrous things. There are magical things. There are dangerous things. The woods have the answers Nic is looking for, but they have so much more waiting in the dark. Keep looking.}