Scary’s Voices – Sound Bites
Week Ending 12th February 2021
Welcome to back Sound Bites, where I highlight the best horror podcasts I’ve heard through the week. If you’re looking for content to haunt your earbuds, these podcasts are just what you need.
Since it’s Women in Horror Month, all February long I’ll be celebrating the femmes of fear by listening to shows either hosted by women or discussing horror created by women.
My Scream of the Week goes to:
Dear Final Girl
Besides direct podcast recommendations from the lovely fiends of Kendall Reviews, I often find new shows by listening to on-air appearances by some of my favourite horror authors. This week I followed a lead by the wonderful Isaac Thorne, who made an appearance on Dear Final Girl to share his horror origin story, or as the show calls it his “Horrorigin” story.
After listening to how fans became entranced with horror, the hosts of this podcast, Tamara Scott and Laura Beerman, continue the discussion with their own thoughts. But these Horrorigins mini-episodes are only part of what makes Dear Final Girl a great show.
The focus of the podcast is to act like a “Dear Abby” with a horror twist. Tamara and Laura accept letters from fans expressing real-life concerns, and then discuss the topics as they relate to horror films, creating a fantastic listening experience of part advice column, part movie review.
In Episode 17, the hosts received a letter expressing feelings of isolation and loneliness, as well as the anxiety of wanting to reach out to friends in our current times of the pandemic. Tamara and Laura don’t hold back on their own experiences of anxiety when considering social interactions, creating an open and honest dialogue, which I found comforting. They paired the experience of seclusion with the film Darling (2015 directed by Mickey Keating), about a young woman isolated in a home where she’s been hired as a caretaker. This review portion really takes a deep dive, examining not only the plot, but also the use of filming techniques to accentuate the movie’s themes and iconography.
Dear Final Girl main episodes typically run about an hour, while their Horrorigin stories usually last about half an hour. You can find them on all on Podbean www.dearfinalgirl.podbean.com
Shiver-Worthy Runners-Up:
The Undead Wookie
Another show I found through my interactions with other horror writers was The Undead Wookie. Catherine McCarthy is a fabulous horror author and all-round lovely person, and in a Bonus Episode of this podcast she talked to host Huw Lloyd about her upcoming novella Immortelle to be released in July 2021 by Off Limits Press. They get into a discussion on gothic horror, creepy cemeteries in Wales, as well as her writing process.
Main episodes of The Undead Wookie feature great movie reviews within the genres of horror, science fiction, and anything that scratches that nerdy itch. I really enjoy Huw’s easy conversational style and look forward to becoming a regular listener. The show also occasionally includes interviews with authors, directors, and readings of short stories. Episodes range from 1 to 2 hours and are all available through SoundCloud www.soundcloud.com/huw-lloyd-2
Nightlight Podcast
Nightlight Podcast is a show I’ve been listening to for a while. Its a horror fiction podcast exclusively featuring black writers and black performers. What keeps me coming back is the variety of stories, which explore many subgenres of horror from bizarre Lovecraftian tales to quieter gothic pieces, and everything in between.
Episode 313, “Ujima” by Alledria Hurt was excellent, about a newly formed vampire forced to choose between her human family and her new coven. And Nightlight Podcast just kicked off Season 4 with Episode 401 “Her Faithful Black Cat” by Alexis Brooks de Vita, a kind of reimagining of Poe’s “The Black Cat,” which is both chilling and heartbreaking. As the new season unfolds, I highly recommend checking out all their past episodes.
Creator and executive producer, Tonia Ransom, has gone above and beyond creating this awesome show. Not only does the podcast showcase talent of black creatives, but they are a paying market (currently open for submissions of short stories and voice actors), and they have a fantastic website which provides full transcripts, as well as author interviews on their blog. Prepare to be scared and check out Nightlight Podcast www.nightlightpod.com
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 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.
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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