Scary’s Voices – Sound Bites
Week Ending 9th October 2020
Sometimes, when shadows stretch and the house is quiet, I hear voices. They tell me about ghosts and creatures of the night. They whisper sinister tales making my skin crawl. Sometimes they even tell me to do things, like watch certain movies or read specific books. Where do these strange voices come from? Podcasters, of course. But I like to call them Scary’s Voices.
Welcome to Sound Bites, where I highlight the best podcasts I’ve heard through the week. Here’s a quick breakdown of my rating system:
Scream of the Week – only one podcast can take this spot each week, and it represents the best of what’s haunted my earbuds, like a 5-Star rating.
Shivers – these shows are great, and not only do I recommend you give them a listen, but I’ve marked them down to listen to again in the future.
Goosebumps – podcasts I liked and will probably try again, but they didn’t quite knock my socks off.
If I listen to something that didn’t make me scream, give me shivers or even goosebumps, they won’t be listed here.
Now let’s get to it!
My Scream of the Week goes to:
Nightmare on Film Street
When I first started looking for podcasts in early 2019, one of the first shows I stumbled across was Nightmare on Film Street. From the upbeat personalities of hosts Jon and Kim, and their themed double feature styled movie reviews, I was quickly hooked. The fact they’re fellow Canadians is just a cool bonus.
This week I listened to episode “Haunted Hotels: The Innkeepers vs. 1408,” which reviewed both movies, as well as a regular segment where the hosts summarize some of the latest films and TV shows they’ve been watching. I’ll unashamedly admit to being a fan of 1408, based on a Stephen King story of the same name, and even though Jon and Kim didn’t share my fondness for the film I still really enjoyed the episode. These hosts don’t always agree with each other either, which is another reason I love this podcast so much. They’re not trying to convince the other person to share their view – it’s just a fun discussion.
I should note that the reviews tend to go through each movie in detail, so it’s probably best to be familiar with the films featured in a particular episode prior to listening to avoid spoilers. Besides plot, these cinephiles also examine themes, character arcs, lighting, camera work, and editing. They do a fabulous job of looking at all aspects of the movies and offer their own thoughts on what could be improved.
On top of the double feature reviews, which typically last 1.5 hours, Nightmare on Film Street also have episodes called “Nightmare Alley” which are conversations with filmmakers, usually running 30 minutes to an hour. New content is uploaded every other Thursday, which you can find through their website which also includes great written movie reviews: Nightmare On Film Street
Now for the Shivers!
The other day, while scrolling through Twitter, I saw Hailey Piper mention she had a story featured on the podcast Monsters Out of the Closet, so I didn’t waste any time giving it a listen! Revolving around the idea of doppelgangers, “Episode 32 – Double” contains two fantastic short stories, “The Other Little Boy” written by Mathew L. Reyes and “Autotomy” written by Hailey Piper. Featuring different voice actors for the different characters in each tale, as well as accompanying sound effects and music, the episode is sort of a hybrid between narration and audio drama, which I really enjoyed.
Monsters Out of the Closet describes itself as “a horror fiction podcast dedicated to proudly featuring spooky and strange stories, poetry, songs, and other creative content from diverse LGBTQ+ voices.” As well as links to all podcast episodes, their website also includes written interviews with creators, and story submission guidelines. While they are currently closed for submissions, they do compensate contributors, so if you’re interested in sending content take the time to become familiar with the sort of work they accept and be sure to check back often. New episodes are uploaded the last week of each month and range in length from 30 minutes to an hour. www.monstersoutofthecloset.com
And lastly, the Goosebumps.
Since the spookiest time of year is finally upon us, I was in the mood for some creepy first-hand accounts of paranormal encounters and took a listen to “Episode 281: Mysterious Monsters that Hunt People and National Forest Horror Stories” on Darkness Prevails podcast
(Side note: Darkness Prevails is also available on YouTube and the same episode there is called “5 Disturbing Things Seen in National Forests”).
In the episode are supposedly true stories of encounters with creatures such as Mothman, Goatman, Black-Eyed Children, and a couple of others. Maybe I was just in a bad mood the day I listened, but these stories didn’t quite rattle me in the way I hoped. They were all interesting, and I wouldn’t say they were bad, but none of them felt distinct from the hundreds of creepypasta type stories I’ve read and heard before. That being said, I’m a sucker for paranormal stories, especially ones about cryptids, so I know I’ll be revisiting this podcast again. You can learn more about Darkness Prevails, including how to submit your own paranormal encounter for narration, on their website: www.anchor.fm/darknessprevails
That’s a wrap for this week’s Sound Bites!
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.
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.
Her latest short story can be found in Don’t Open the Door: A Horror Anthology (out July 26, 2019), and other spooky tales can be found on her blog. She’s currently writing more short stories, a novel, and reading as many dark works as she can find.
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
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