My fave podcasts: True Crime? Horror? Scary-assed s**t? Yes, yes, and you betcha!

Listen with the lights off: What podcasts are the scariest, the funniest, the best?

The gold standard: My Favorite Murder. These ladies are the OG and still the best. They were my first introduction to true crime podcasts, and I am still obsessed with them. I was soooo happy to meet them in London on Thanksgiving last year. Funny, honest, real, unfiltered. These are the ones we all want to be.

And they are even prettier in person, if you can believe that.

The scariest fiction: Ghosts in the Burbs. Liz Sower is a a rarity, a great writer who is also a great narrator and storyteller. Creepy, spooky, and oh, so believable, with just enough humor to keep the tension from forcing you to throw your phone off the balcony just to make it stop.

The anthologies: Simply Scary podcasts are just awesome. Horror Hill, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, they’re all very well done. Great stories, great narration. The No Sleep Podcast has great voice actors and excellent production values. Plus, it has been on so long you have the joy of immersing yourself in days and days of stories.

The I-wish-it-would-come-back: I absolutely love crime parody stuff. The Onion’s A Very Fatal Murder was simply awesome. This show was framed around a wannabe podcaster looking for the perfect murder so he can “get in on” it. The crime he finds? A “really hot” prom queen who was murdered, leaving behind “big dreams and clear skin.” Giggle, remind yourself that there are people who wrote reviews for this show not realizing it was parody, and feel superior.

The serious and meticulous: Casefile. The Anonymous Host does not insert himself into the story. He literally just reads, you know, a case file. Detailed, well-researched, and thoughtful. Even if you think you know the story you will want to hear this version of it. Stephen Staynor was a particularly riveting segment. Lots of empathy for victims and their families here, too, which I appreciate.

I saved mine for last. Now Fear This! now has several podcast episodes up and running. Our first few - about serial killing duos, memes leading to murder, and the Watts family murders - are on itunes, google play, stitcher, and spotify. Subscribe for automatic downloads, listen to the end of every episode, and please give us a 5 star rating. Our fledgling show can use all the support you can manage!

Thanks for the support, Voyagers. Until next time, stay Veracious.

-VV