My love of horror extends much further than writing. Since childhood, I’ve spent countless hours reading horror stories, watching scary shows and movies, and even listening to all things horror through podcasts. In fact, my multimedia involvement with horror extends years beyond the first time I decided to write scary stories.

To help spread the love of the horror genre, below are the two horror-themed podcasts that I just can’t get enough of.

Lore is a podcast dedicated to sharing the scary, yet true, stories that history seemed to forget. It’s told, as the podcast’s website explains, “in a modern campsite experience.” The host of the show, Aaron Mahnke, tells the terrifyingly true stories of both crime and paranormal encounters throughout history. What makes Lore even better is that with the podcast, book series, and Prime show on Amazon, Lore is super multimedia.

Why I love it

What’s not to love about Lore?

I’d say that I’m fairly well educated when it comes to horror and the scary events of history. With that being said, I’ve found that a lot of other horror-heavy shows or podcasts I listen to seems to graze the surface of topics I already know about, like Lizzie Borden, The Black Dahlia, The Winchester Mystery House, and more. This is is far from the truth when it comes to Lore.

Mahnke and his team do a great job researching the topics and tales for each podcast. Stories include topics that I already had some knowledge about as well as events I have never heard of. For the podcasts where I previously had some knowledge, like Robert the Doll, Mahnke goes into extreme depth about the whole history of the story. At the end of each episode I find that I’ve learned at least one, if not many, new things.

Another reason I love Lore is because of Mahnke’s storytelling abilities. He has a way to bring the story full circle. My favorite example of this is the Creature of Habit episode. This particular episode, among countless others, left me with goosebumps.

Not only does the Lore podcast open up my eyes to the events of the past, but it also acts as great inspiration for future horror works!

Dead Meat is the perfect podcast for the horror lover, especially horror movie lovers. The Dead Meat Hub, so to speak, is a culmination of hilarious commentary between their podcast and their Kill Count videos. The podcast provides an in-depth, subjective look at horror movies and topics alike, while the Kill Count videos are a fun way to, “tally up the body count in all your favorite horror movies.” What’s great about the Dead Meat podcast is that it’s available in both audio and video formats so you can see reference clips about what they’re talking about.

Why I love it

Dead Meat has introduced me to a number of horror movies I otherwise wouldn’t have known about. The podcast gives academic, as co-host of the podcast James A. Janisse describes it, insight into the good, the bad, and the ugly of horror. He and co-host Chelsea Rebecca, who happens to also be his girlfriend, talk with extensive detail horror movies and topics alike. For the podcasts based around a movie, they’ll offer an extensive movie review and even show clips of what they’re talking when available. Their most recent podcast, which I found absolutely fascinating, was a discussion with guest Joan Ford about transgender representation in horror movies. This is just one example of how the Dead Meat crew takes a different discussion route than the average podcast.

I love putting an episode on in the background while I clean, drive around, or any time I’d be listening to music. As much as I love to listen to the podcast, though, I’d have to say I love watching it more than listening to it. I thoroughly enjoy following the dynamic between Janisse and Rebecca while they talk horror. They both look like they’re having the time of their lives during the podcasts, which makes it even better. Plus, watching the podcast means you might get a surprise appearance by their adorable kitten, Lucy.

It wouldn’t be right for me to talk about the Dead Meat Podcast and not talk about the Kill Count videos uploaded to their YouTube page. Talk about the good and bad of horror movies! Janisse counts the deaths in the best of the best, like Saw, The Purge, etc., and the worst, like Thankskilling, Uncle Same, and more. These quick, typically under 20-minute videos are probably what I’m binging the most on YouTube right now. The videos are just such a fun way for me to find my next favorite horror movie.

Another reason I love Dead Meat is that the channel supports other horror creators of all sizes. I’ve found other great channels like Crypt TV and The Next Door Horror because of Janisse’s recommendations.

What podcasts do you listen to?