BEST OF // Creepy Podcasts

Over the past year I have fallen for audio podcasts. At Edelweiss us housekeepers would listen to them while cleaning rooms if we weren't in the mood to listen to German MTV. While most listened to classic podcasts like "This American Life" and "TED Radio Hour", I was the one listening to anything true crime or generally creepy. Recently I have started falling asleep to podcasts because I sleep a million times better than when I fall asleep with Netflix on. That probably has something to do with always listening to books on tape when I was little to fall asleep.

Since I gave y'all a scary movie challenge last week I figured that this week I would give y'all a list of my top 10 (not in any particular order) creepy podcasts. These are perfect for road trips, driving to work, falling asleep, or late night camp fire tales.

1. My Favorite Murder

Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark are PHENOMENAL. They are eerily similar to me in that they have always had a dark interest in murder and all things creepy. They decided to get together to create a murder themed podcast in which each episode they tell each other about their "favorite" murders. They also read hometown crime stories from their friends and fans. While this might sound depressing (and on the rare occasion it can be), Karen and Georgia are able to lighten up the darkness of murder and make it extremely interesting.

2. The NoSleep Podcast

When I was camping in Croatia, our group decided to play this podcast over our speaker one night when we went to sleep. Think of it as telling scary stories by the fire. NoSleep pairs horror stories from Reddit with creepy storytellers and eerie music in order to enhance the frightening experience. Each episode lasts one to two hours and will tell five or so scary stories. This will be a lot of fun for Halloween!

3. Serial (Season 1)

This is an absolute podcast classic. While this podcast might not be creepy because of serial killers and ghosts, it is frightening to imagine that someone can be in jail for life for something they never did. Season one tells the story of Adnan Syed who in 1999 was arrested for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. The series explores the case to discover whether or not Adnan actually did it. Serial is addicting and exciting and helped with the rise of true crime stories like Making a Murderer.

4. Undisclosed

When you are finished with Serial season one, make sure you listen to the first season of Undisclosed. This podcast investigates wrongful convictions. Basically, Undisclosed starts where Serial left off with Adnan's case. This time actual lawyers are looking into the investigation and trial in order to prove that Adnan did not kill Hae Min Lee. Partially because of Undisclosed and Serial,a judge ordered a new trial for Adnan "based on claims that the defendant's trial lawyer failed to cross-examine an expert witness about the reliability of cell tower location evidence." (CNN.com) Curious? Just listen online or subscribe on your Apple device.

5. Casefile

Yet another true crime podcast, Casefile is extremely fascinating. Each case explores a new, often unsolved case. With 34 episodes so far, you aren't going to be bored any time soon. Perhaps the most interesting case I have heard so far was that of the Somerton Man. In 1948 the body of a man was found on a beach in Australia. While the case seemed like it was going to be very straight forward, police were never able to figure out who he was or who killed him... even to this day.

6. Last Podcast on the Left

I kinda consider this the dude version of My Favorite Murder. Narrated by three guys, Last Podcast On The Left explores horrors from murder and beyond. Episodes include Bigfoot Hunters, Witch Hunts, Paranormal Photography, Amityville, and Exorcisms. Speaking of Exorcisms, maybe you shouldn't fall asleep to this podcast. A week ago I made the mistake of forgetting to turn on the sleep timer on the Podcast app and woke up in the middle of the night to actual audio clips from an exorcism in Germany. Talk about horrifying...

7. In the Dark

Stranger Danger is the focus of this podcast. In the Dark investigates the abduction of Jacob Wetterling and how the case was mishandled by law enforcement. Reviews say that In the Dark brings back the magic that Serial lost with its second season. So if you listened to Serial and are looking for something similar, check this out!

8. Lore

"Because sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction." Lore explores the dark historical tales that fuel our modern superstitions. One of the things I love about this podcast is that I haven't heard about most of the stories Lore tells. Everything is very new and interesting. One of my favorite episodes is called The Beast Within and it looks at the town of Bedburg, Germany. Back in 1582, the town was attacked by a violent creature. Let's just say what the town finds is something of nightmares.

9.The Black Tapes

This podcast was actually just recommended to me last week by a friend. So I haven't l been able to listen to that many episodes. But believe me, I'm hooked. This podcast covers the paranormal and tries to discover the truth about it all. The writing and style reminds me a lot of Serial which is absolutely a good thing. It also feels a lot like a found footage horror movie in that it seems very realistic.

10. Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories

Honestly? This isn't my favorite podcast. Unsolved Murders describes itself as "a modern twist on old time radio" and I guess that's what it is. It presents really interesting unsolved cases like The Axeman and The Phantom Killer, but it does so in a very over the top way. While this isn't my cup of tea, those of you who prefer a podcast that reminds you of storytelling will really like it.

#Podcast #Bestof #Creepy #Truecrime