Scary’s Voices – Sound Bites
Week Ending 8th January 2021
Welcome to back Sound Bites, where I highlight the best horror podcasts I’ve heard through the week.
I may have taken some time off over the holidays from writing reviews, but my playlist kept going with shows featuring true crimes, paranormal encounters, original scary stories, and reviews of horror movies and books.
If you’re looking for content to haunt your earbuds, these podcasts are just what you need.
My Scream of the Week goes to:
Thunder Bay and Return to Thunder Bay series from the Canadaland podcast network.
In my home province of Ontario there’s a city in the north often referred to as the murder capital of Canada. Its name is Thunder Bay. In the podcast series Thunder Bay (Season 1) and Return to Thunder Bay (Season 2), host Ryan McMahon takes an unflinching investigative journalistic approach to uncover why this city with a population of less than 150,000 people has earned the nickname Murder Bay.
Across 5 episodes in Season 1, which debuted in 2018, the podcast examines the deaths of several Indigenous youths and their relation to the city’s political corruption. In November of 2020 McMahon presented an additional 3 episodes for Season 2, following up on the ramifications of the government’s acknowledgement of systemic racism, as well as an in-depth look into the death of Barbara Kentner who succumbed to her injuries after being intentionally struck by a trailer hitch thrown from a moving vehicle.
The series is difficult to listen to, not because of the discussions of graphic violence, but because it exposes the deep roots of racism within the community and how systems which should protect people fail time and again due to prejudice. Heartbreaking and informative, this superbly done series dissects crime, culture, and politics, and I highly recommend giving it a listen no matter where in the world you call home.
All episodes for both Thunder Bay and Return to Thunder Bay are approximately 45 minutes long, and you can listen to them all on Canadaland’s website: https://www.canadaland.com/shows/thunder-bay/
Shiver-Worthy Runners-Up:
Big shout out to Augie Peterson for letting me know about The Haunted Heart Podcast! This fantastic show is hosted by friends Kenny and Katie who love to talk about all things witchy, horror, true crime, and macabre. Each week one member of this charming duo selects a new topic for discussion which may not have been on your radar before.
One of Kenny’s latest picks was Cropsey in Episode 118. If you’ve never heard of this blend of urban legend and true crime from Staten Island, you’re in for a real treat. And I also listened to Episode 121: Hotline Bling, where Katie took listeners back to the 80s and 90s when Horror Hotlines were all the rage.
New episodes go live every Wednesday, with a run-time of 1 to 1.5 hours. Find out where you can listen on The Haunted Heart Podcast website: https://thehauntedheart.com/
Lastly, I took a chance on a newer podcast called Porror Hodcast, where brothers Eddy and Will Fogg review horror films. After listening Episode 1 focused on The Babadook, I was quite impressed and will be catching up on more of their content. These episodes are best enjoyed after viewing the selected movie for yourself as they are not spoiler-free. But, in a time where you might not be able to chat with your friends in person, this podcast is a great space to capture that same feeling and as they’re quite active on Instagram feel free to join in on the discussion there as well. New reviews are posted weekly and tend to be about an hour long. To find Porror Hodcast on your preferred platform head over to LinkTree https://linktr.ee/Porrorhodcast
That’s a wrap for this week’s Sound Bites!
As always, thanks so much to the awesome podcast listeners and creators who have been sending me terrific recommendations. Keep them coming via the comments section below, or direct messaging on Twitter or Instagram (links below). I can’t promise I’ll enjoy every podcast you throw my way, but I’ll give everyone a fair shot.
Remember, I’m all about scary things and spooky podcasts are what I’m after. Content focused on reviewing horror movies and horror books, true paranormal encounters, facts about cryptids, true crimes, and original scary stories are exactly what I want to hear.
Can’t wait to listen to all the dark podcasts you fine fiends suggest, and I’m looking forward to presenting you with even more Scary’s Voices next Friday.
J.A. Sullivan
J. A. Sullivan is a horror writer and paranormal enthusiast, based in Brantford, ON, Canada. Attracted to everything non-horror folks consider strange, she’s spent years as a paranormal investigator, has an insatiable appetite for serial killer information, and would live inside a library if she could.
As curator of “Scary’s Voices” on Kendall Reviews, an article series reviewing horror podcasts, Sullivan loves listening to all things spooky. If you have a horror podcast recommendation, let her know.
On top of contributing short stories to Kendall Reviews, her fiction has appeared in Don’t Open the Door (2019), It Came From The Darkness (2020), and she acted as an assistant editor for Black Dogs, Black Tales (2020). Other spooky tales and updates on her writing journey can be found on her blog.
You can follow J. A. on Twitter @ScaryJASullivan
Check out her blog https://writingscaredblog.wordpress.com
Find her on Instagram www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan
Find her on Instagram www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan
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