PODCAST REVIEW: Podcasts ideal for a Halloween shiver

This week's article previously featured in The Tribune on October 28

Halloween is upon us and it's time for podcasts that go bump in the night. Here, we pick out three of the best horror shows you can find in the podcast world to help fill your Halloween night with scary stories.

Pseudopod

Ten years is a long, long time in the podcast world – and that's the landmark that Pseudopod is hitting this year.

The format of the show is simple, elegant and utterly professional. Here's where you come to hear stories that make you shiver. Where you find tales that scratch at your back door, wanting to be let in.

There are stories old and new – some from writers long departed, some from those still making their arrival on the scene, and all read by a range of talented voice actors.

The hosts also stop in with extra information about the authors and a spot of analysis of the work. The latest show features three flash fiction stories – three horror tales in a single show, and a Halloween special beckons.

For me, this is consistently one of the best podcasts on the web, and if you're looking for some scary Halloween night tales, this should be your first port of call.

Just don't turn out all the lights... just in case.

Website: www.pseudopod.org

The Wicked Library

While Pseudopod shines with its straightforward presentation, The Wicked Library adds music, extra voices and more to become essentially an audio version of the old Tales From The Crypt series.

They do it well – with the music lurking in the background, adding a sinister tone to the story on show without ever overwhelming it.

There's a hefty archive in the library, so you'll have no shortage of stories to listen to. The latest though is well worth popping your headphones on for – a Victorian tale of a woman caught between two suitors, and haunted by a shadow that lingers even when the lights go on.

The show has been running for seven seasons, and there's a more recent addition, The Lift, with another selection of scary stories.

Website: www.thewickedlibrary.com

Storytime With Whimsy

For YouTubers, let me direct you to another voice worth listening to – that of Whimsy Gardener. Her Storytime With Whimsy features her narrating tales to a backdrop of shifting images that mirror the actions in the story.

She's got a marvellous voice, honeyed when necessary and sharp when the action is to the point. In some ways, she reminds me of the voice of actress Felicia Day – beloved of fans of Supernatural, and that kind of story range certainly fits in with her playlist. She reads from a range of authors, and is a delight to listen to.

Web link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrgFdY6HsedbARsoNuwqOHTOAv9CwQrGK or search YouTube for Whimsy Gardener.