14 horror podcasts to scare yourself silly with this Halloween

If you like short stories and scaring yourself silly, combine the two with this collection of short original horror tales. From darkness and unexplained phenomena to ghosts and the paranormal, this is your one-stop shop for the kind of short haunting stories you’d hear told around a campfire in the woods.

If you like your horror more on the true crime side and with a dash of comedy to lighten the proceedings, My Favourite Murder is the pod for you. With a lifelong interest in true crime, hosts Karen and Georgia have been getting together since 2016 to discuss the most compelling true tales and home town stories of serial killers, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history.

Bringing history and horror together every fortnight, host Nicky Druce unravels another terrifyingly gruesome or horrifying tale that really happened right here in London. Episodes focus on lesser-known stories, so even if you think you know all there is to know about Jack the Ripper, you’ll always learn something new when you tune in. Just be warned that you may not walk around the city in the same way ever again…

Writer of the hit horror stage show, 2:22 A Ghost Story (which has starred the likes of Lily Allen and Stacey Dooley over the years), Danny Robins hosts this BBC Radio 4 series and BBC Sounds podcast in which he sits down with a guest who’s had an uncanny experience. From poltergeists and ghosts to UFO sightings and cryptids, Robins is joined by two experts who try to get the bottom of the spooky story.

Archive 81 is a found-footage horror podcast about rituals, stories and sound. Like a Blair Witch Project-style horror podcast, but with sounds instead of visuals.

After 16 years in prison, Dolores Roach returns to a New York City neighbourhood that has changed drastically in her absence. Her boyfriend and family long gone, Dolores is recognised only by an old friend, Luis, who gives her a place to stay in exchange for massages. When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, ‘Magic Hands Dolores’ is driven to extremes to survive.

Based on the paranormal experiences of journalist Tristan Redman, this podcast looks at Redman’s childhood home and how subsequent occupants of that house were visited by the ghost of a faceless woman. It just so happens that the house next door is where Redman’s wife’s great-grandmother was murdered in 1937. Could there be a connection?

Hosted by historians Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling, this podcast dives into history’s scariest and strangest stories exploring everything from haunted pubs and witch trials to odd UFO sightings. After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds And The Paranormal launched last year and includes episodes on the last witch of Scotland and the origins of Halloween.

If you love horror films, this podcast is definitely one to bookmark. With over 280 episodes, this series is described as “horror for the casually obsessed” and it involves hosts Jonathan DeHaan and Kimberley Elizabeth dissecting a horror film each week.

For fans of ghost stories, The NoSleep Podcast is an award-winning anthology series packed with original horror stories with the sole aim to frighten and disturb listeners. Each episode features a different story or a continuation of a bigger tale, with a cast of voice actors and sound effects to scare you even more.

In its fourth season, 13 Days of Halloween is an audio series where for 13 days listeners are immersed in a chilling campfire-style story. Season four is titled ‘Penance’ and tells the story of Sayuri, who finds herself locked up in Pendleton Rehabilitation Centre – and no one is willing or able to tell her why.

Another film-related podcast, this time for those who are scared too easily and can’t watch horror films themselves. Hosted by Emily Gonzalez, Henley Cox and Sammy Smart, Too Scary; Didn’t Watch recaps iconic horror films so you don’t have to sit through them.

Combining ghosts, true crime and fairy tales, ghost storyteller Mike Brown delves into the darker shadows of history and mythology and features stories about haunted places, strange history and forgotten folklore.

Written and produced by Aaron Mahnke, this podcast is your fix for true-life horror stories and has even been adapted for television by Amazon Prime. Lore is all about exposing the darker side of history and exploring the stuff of nightmares.