A horror podcast is a
podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
that covers
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...
,
non-fiction
Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...
, or reviews of the
horror genre generally.
History
Horror podcasts are typically created and run by volunteers in their free time.
As some podcasts such as ''
Archive 81'' and ''The Deep Vault'' have grown they have been able to attract advertisers.
The world's longest running, active horror podcast is WithoutYourHead.com which has been going since August 2006 as a semi-regular weekly series with celebrity interviews. Horror podcasts have featured in the
Parsec Awards, and in 2013 ''
The NoSleep Podcast'' won the award for "Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team" while in 2014 a story from ''
Pseudopod'' won the award for "Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Short Form)" and ''
We're Alive'' won "Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Long Form)".
Reception
Horror fiction is the most popular type of audio drama podcast and drives much of the growth and interest in the medium. Horror Fiction podcasting continues to grow rapidly attracting mainstream success with some shows reaching very large audiences. As of July 2020, popular podcast ''
The Magnus Archives'' recently achieved 4 million monthly downloads and signed with major talent agency
WME. ''
We're Alive'' achieved 200 million lifetime downloads as of 10 April 2020.
Amongst responses to the 2020 Audio Verse Awards, horror was the second-favourite genre of fiction podcast. With notable podcasts ''
The White Vault'' receiving 14 awards, ''
The Magnus Archives'' receiving 9 awards, and Old Gods of Appalachia receiving 6.
Notable examples
* ''
Alice Isn't Dead''
* ''
The Black Tapes''
* ''
The Call of the Void''
* ''
Lore''
* ''
The Lovecraft Investigations''
* ''
The Magnus Archives''
* ''
The NoSleep Podcast''
* ''
Old Gods of Appalachia''
* ''
Pseudopod''
* ''
Rabbits''
* ''
Tanis
Tanis ( ; ; ) or San al-Hagar (; ; ; or or ; ) is the Greek name for ancient Egyptian ''ḏꜥn.t'', an important archaeological site in the northeastern Nile Delta of ancient Egypt, Egypt, and the location of a city of the same name. Tanis ...
''
* ''
Welcome to Night Vale
''Welcome to Night Vale'' is an absurdist supernatural fiction podcast created by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. It is presented as a community radio show in the fictional American desert town of Night Vale, with the eccentric local radio ho ...
''
* ''
We're Alive''
* ''
The White Vault''
See also
*
Horror fiction
Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defin ...
*
Horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
*
Psychological horror
*
List of horror fiction writers
*
List of horror podcasts
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Discussion panel on horror podcasting recorded a
PodUK 2020{{Horror fiction