Scary’s Voices – Sound Bites
Sometimes, when shadows begin to 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 the first of Scary’s Voices: Sound Bites! Every Friday on Kendall Reviews a new Sound Bites will be available, highlighting the best podcasts I’ve heard through the week.
Some shows I’ve found on my own, others were recommended, and some I listened to after making connections with friendly podcasters. If there’s something you think I should add to my listening queue, you can find out how to tell me at the end of this post.
Because this is my initial set of Sound Bites, 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 very 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 inaugural Scream of the Week goes to:
In Another Room is a haunted house audio drama presented by Violet Hour Media, written and directed by E3W Productions. Each episode follows Wendy Morrow as she investigates the paranormal activity of different rooms in the infamous house on Harvard Boulevard.
So far, I’ve listened to 3 episodes and it is awesome! “Ep. 01: The House” introduces Wendy and provides a bit of background on the tragedies that have plagued the home. The following episodes each focus on a single room of the house, even going back in time so you can hear exactly what horrors took place.
If you love haunted house stories, you need to add this to your playlist. Full of atmospheric dread and a fantastically talented voice cast, In Another Room made my skin crawl and I’m not ashamed to say it also made me jump and scream.
There are 4 episodes available at the time of this writing, with a new episode to be released every Monday until the conclusion with Ep. 08. Each instalment runs about 30 minutes in length. To make the most of your listening experience, I’d recommend getting comfortable in a dark room without distractions.
Available on most podcast platforms, you can find all the links and more information at: In Another Room
Huge thanks to my Facebook friend, Tasha Danzig for telling me about this show!
Now for the Shivers!
Upon the suggestion of Augie Peterson, I listened to “Episode 37: Cursed Casts are Terrifying!” on FriGay the 13th Horror Podcast. In the episode, hosts Matty and Andrew discuss movie and TV show casts who seem to be cursed by tragedies. They also take a deep dive into the Poltergeist trilogy, reviewing each of the 3 movies and talk about the unfortunate events surrounding the cast members. And, in a segment called “Whatcha been watchin’, bitch?” which seems to be a staple in all episodes, the hosts provide a recap of movies and TV shows they’ve been watching.
Described as “A podcast about horror – in real life AND in the movies – from an LGBT perspective,” I really enjoyed this podcast! With an easy conversational style, and good sound quality, you’ll want to add FriGay the 13th Horror Podcast to your podcast list. New episodes seem to release every other week, with a running time between 1 and 2 hours. Check out their website for more details: www.frigay13.com
Another podcaster I found through Augie Peterson was Octoberpod. This one spoke right to my creepy little heart, delivering a retro-style narration of paranormal stories and urban legends. I listened to both “The Maryborough Horror” and “Blood Money.” While I can’t attest to how true these legends are, they were entertaining and had a creepypasta feel.
Octoberpod is presented as a podcast on some platforms, but also appears in video format on YouTube and Vimeo. The fantastic visuals add another layer of spooky fun, so I recommend catching the video versions. Two new episodes are released each month, one is a full-length episode running approximately 20 minutes and the other is fun-sized which only lasts about 5 minutes. You can find all their details here: www.octoberpodvhs.com
And lastly, the Goosebumps.
Not too long ago on Instagram, I connected with Depth of Darkness Podcast, a podcast focused on real paranormal experiences, true crime, and horror movie reviews. This week I had my first listen with “Episode 69: The Hampstead Sex Cult” where hosts Mandy and Hugh discuss the controversial allegations against a Hampstead father, accusing him of leading a Satanic cult involved with child sexual abuse, murder, and cannibalism. NOTE: Listener discretion is advised, which needs to be taken seriously as the actual audio clips of children making allegations are included in the program.
While this true crime episode was informative and I loved the factual links to the case evidence in the show notes, I didn’t quite connect with the hosts. That was probably from a combination of the serious and disturbing nature of the subject matter, plus the fact that Hugh was mostly silent. But there was enough substance to the podcast that I’d like to revisit them in the future.
Most episodes on Depth of Darkness Podcast run about 30 minutes long, with new content uploaded every Wednesday. You can find out more here: www.depthofdarkness.com
That’s a wrap for this week’s Soundbites!
If you’re a fan of a podcast you think will make me scream, or a podcaster trying to expand your listenership, let me know. You can reach me in this post’s comments section, or via DMs 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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