The Spookiest Podcast to Listen to This Month

Hello! To preface, I should start by saying that this is actually the only podcast I listen to and therefore my favorite. Also, boo! I have two Halloween posts because it's spooky season. Internet horror is one of my hyperfixations, but now I finally have a worthy excuse to talk about it.

So... I am a Wendigoon fan. He is a YouTuber who covers a wide variety of horror-related subjects, from conspiracy theories to true crime to Internet horror. The first video of his I watched was his "Everything at the End of Time" reaction, but I really got hooked two years ago. He made a podcast called CreepCast with fellow YouTube horror creator MeatCanyon in November of last year. I must have put it really far in the back of my brain because I didn't check it out until the summer of this year, and I'm so glad I did. On the podcast, Wendigoon and MeatCanyon read creepypastas, which are horror stories people post on sites like Reddit or creepypasta.com. I was hesitant at first, one because I didn't know how I felt about being casually scared, and two, because creepypastas get a bad rep. As it turns, only the infamous stories are cringeworthy, such as "Jeff the Killer" or "Ben Drowned."

When I first checked out the podcast, I was not prepared. I started with the most popular and longest episodes, and while they were some of the best, they were terrifying. This past summer, I worked most days, so I would grind out a couple hours of an episode in the morning then go into work and was so on edge. I also just watched it every day for a week straight before realizing I was hooked and paranoid. I now spread out my listenings across multiple days or weeks so that I don't rush through everything or get too spooked. Unfortunately, I found out after finishing them that the ones I started with were the objectively best and scariest (in my opinion). The rest weren't nearly as scary and even veered off into bad and funny at times. Today, CreepCast is still going strong and even has an offshoot, Creep TV, which covers analog horror. This semester, I've been slacking and haven't had much time to listen so am building up a big backlog for my winter break.

I'd like to share some of my favorite CreepCast episodes/favorite creepypastas for you to check out. I think creepypastas are such unique forms of storytelling and a perfect blend of good writing and horror. The episodes about them contain Wendigoon and MeatCanyon making up silly voices for each character and good commentary, from running jokes to insightful theories. My favorite is the first episode I ever watched: "Borrasca." It's about a kid and his two friends trying to figure out the disappearance of his sister and unravel the mysteries of his small town. Most of it is just world and character building, and there's a horrifying reveal at the end that freaked me out but was very well-executed. A great story overall. Next, check out "Left Right Game." This one is less horror and more adventure fantasy. A group of people play a game where you drive and make a left turn, then a right, and see where it takes you. It was so amazing, from the worldbuilding to the characters to the scares. I was genuinely so invested listening to it, I'd say it almost felt surreal by the end. Finally, I would reccomend "Penpal." The plot consists of an adult replaying strange events from his childhood and trying to untangle the mysteries involved. With that description, it seems similar to "Borrasca," but it's different in that it feels more down to earth and realistic. It builds tension the whole way through and has a scary twist ending.

I hope you enjoyed my CreepCast/creepypasta appreciation post. I was really surprised to learn about the variety in creepypastas. There are some classics, some that are funny bad, and then more recent ones. I recommended more recent ones but have been getting into some classic ones lately. Who knows? I might have to make a another post... Anyway, thanks for stopping by my hyperfixation corner. I've been Grace, and I'll see you next week! (On Halloween. How spooky!)

(CreepCast logo credited to CreepCast and Apple Music)