Winter Is Not Done with Us Yet, but...
March 11, 2022 12:30 PM Subscribe
It’s March 2022, the dark nights are giving way (at least in the northern hemisphere) to the Equinox, and Archive 81, one the earlier weird podcasts, is now a Netflix series (FanFare). To help get through the last gasps of winter's wrath, here’s another roundup of weird audio dramas! Now that some COVID restrictions are lifting (again), maybe you can listen to them on nice walks, at least if you walk where the shadows can’t get you… Most of the series are audio dramas with paranormal elements, but anthologies, fantasy, and science fiction are included.
Stories with LGBTQ characters and elements are identified when possible. Podcasts with frequent or severe content warnings are noted as are those which provide transcripts. Lately, audio dramas seem to be experimenting more with “chaotic action” – fights, headlong flight, etc. This often doesn’t work all that well; it is noted when significant. All the podcasts are accessible via most podcast apps and aggregators (although, weirdly, some apps seem to not catch entire seasons of some of the shows). Most of the series have episodes that run ~25-35 minutes; Exceptions will be noted.
As there has been demand in previous posts, anthologies are now included. Shows are identified as:
• audio drama – stories with continuing plots and casts, either open- or closed-ended
• anthology – stand-alone stories with no continuity
• anthology with frame – stand-alone stories with some kind of continuity that ties the series together but (usually) does not affect the stories
Clockwork Bird, or The Modern Icarus (audio drama)
Since the early 2030s, pictures of Robin Jaeger, a man half-made of carbon-fibre, have graced billboards the world over. The company that designed his shiny synthetic limbs, U-Co, promise speed, strength and efficiency, and Robin is their poster boy. But Robin has been legally dead for more than a decade. Shelly Croft has been drafted in to sort the case notes for bringing U-Co to trial for medical malpractice, only she is certain their crimes run much deeper. CW: frequent use of jangly, discordant noise. Transcripts available
Length: 10-20 minutes
Tone: medical horror and conspiracy
LGBTQ: lesbian, bi, and transmasculine main characters
Complete story (30 episodes)
Website
Deadhouse (anthology)
Three short stories from the BBC, all dealing with death and the relationship between mind and body. The programs focus on audio elements; wearing headphones is advised, and the audio tricks get in the way of the stories occasionally.
Tone: science fiction horror
LGBTQ: none
One season (3 episodes)
Website
The Divide (audio drama)
Late one night, an investigative journalist arrives home to find a mysterious package outside her door containing 3 cassette tapes. On them, an old friend is interrogating a man who claims to have experienced a strange and terrifying phenomenon up in the mountains of Colorado. What follows is a search for answers that tests the very fabric of space and time.
Tone: science fiction and government cover up
LGBTQ: a gay protagonist
Complete story (5 episodes)
Their website seems no longer active
Dos: After You
Deck, a trans man and contract killer, falls for Sil after a traumatic beating. Sil is not human, and, after a brief time, disappears. Now Deck travels through a world changed by COVID, seeking the divine in a dreamy, murderous frenzy, alternately seeking and fleeing old friends and Sil’s terrible kin. All the time, Deck looks at the “normal world” in a haze of amusement and contempt. Episodes in English and Spanish. CW: extremely casual mentions of murder; a plot that is often more implied than stated. Transcripts hard to find, but try here
Length: 5-10 minutes
Frequency: weekly
Tone: Trans Hannibal and gods
LGBTQ: LGBTQ+ worldview. Numerous trans characters
Complete story? (21 episodes + supplements)
Website
Incarnation Read (anthology with frame?)
Incarnation Read (pronounced “red”) is a horror anthology podcast. With each episode, it catalogues moments where the reality we have long found comfortably monotonous is distorted to reveal something much more sinister at play, something dark and sentient waiting just under the surface of everyday life. And the further we travel down this dark path, somewhere among these horrific and paralyzing events, a pattern begins to emerge... There is a lot of focus on the soundscape.
Frequency: every 2-3 weeks
Tone: internal horror and distorted reality
LGBTQ: none
2 seasons (34 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
Website
Jar of Rebuke (audio drama)
Dr. Jared Hel works for a mysterious organization called the Enclosure. He is based in the small town of Wichton and he studies monsters. His work is helped by his apparent inability to die permanently, it’s hampered by his inability to remember much of his past. With creatures and stories based upon real legends and lore within the midwestern United States, follow along as Jared tries to figure out the secrets of the town as well as the secrets of their own identity.
Length: varies, but usually around 20 minutes
Frequency: twice a month during the season (usually the 7th and the 21st)
Tone: mall town horror and monsters
LGBTQ: asexual, aromantic, nonbinary protagonist, other LGBTQ+ characters
Two seasons (21 episodes; on hiatus for health reasons)
Website
Light Hearts (audio drama)
Running a business is hard. Running a business alone in an old, haunted building is even harder. Janine didn’t know what she was getting herself into when she opened Prism - but with the help of Ryan (an astronomy professor with a useful knack) and Kale (an artist with a mind for marketing), she manages to stay aloft. Light Hearts follows the daily shenanigans of serving Prism’s customers, solving strange problems, and wrangling the occasional unexpected patron. Transcripts available.
Length: ~20 minutes
Tone: ghosts and queer community
LGBTQ: lots of LGBTQ+ characters
One season (7 episodes + supplements; on hiatus?)
Website
Monstrous Agonies (anthology with frame)
“From werewolves in the doghouse to new ghouls at work, there's no problem too strange for this weekly advice segment, from the UK's only dedicated radio service for the creature community.” From The Nightfolk Network, 131.3FM, our host reads a pair of letters from various creatures (and the occasional human) and gives firm but kindly advice on their relationship and lifestyle problems. Implicit and explicit allegory to the experience of LBGTQ+ and other marginalized identities absolutely intended. There is a thin thread of a story, but the episodes mostly stand on their own. Transcripts available.
Length: 10-15 minutes
Frequency: weekly
Tone: advice column for monsters
LGBTQ: lots of LGBTQ+ characters
Two seasons (60 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
Website
Nightmare Magazine (anthology)
Nightmare is a monthly horror and dark fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find all kinds of horror fiction, from zombie stories and haunted house tales, to visceral psychological horror. Nightmare brings you a mix of originals and reprints, and featuring a variety of authors.Each issue includes two pieces of original short fiction and two shorter works (including poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction), along with a feature interview or review and a column about horror. Some stories are also delivered via the podcast. No transcripts, but you could read the magazine.
Length: varies, but often ~1 hour
Frequency: biweekly
Tone: varied
LGBTQ: some lesbian and gay characters
Individual stories (50 episodes; ongoing)
Website
Ritualistic (audio drama)
A horror and psychological thriller podcast following the recordings of anthropology and archaeology student Jamie Locke, who is studying rituals. Jamie is stationed on the dig site of a strange, abandoned church, and her professor is sending her even stranger files. As she uncovers more and more from the files sent by her professor, stranger and stranger things keep happening to her and her friends. Will she figure out the secrets of the town…or will the mysterious figures working in the shadows get to her first?
Length: 5-10 minutes
Frequency: biweekly
Tone: rituals and haunted woods
LGBTQ: some gay characters
One season (17 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
They do not appear to have a website
Spirit Box Radio (audio drama/anthology)
Sam Enfield is the unlikely host of Spirit Box Radio, a show for witches, arcanists, and the magically-inclined. Sam took over the show after the mysterious disappearance of his mother, the Illustrious Madame Marie, a renowned psychic. With no penchant for the Arcane Arts, Sam struggles to find his feet, and as he does, he discovers that Spirit Box Radio may be haunted by something much worse than ghosts: secrets. While this is a mostly an audio drama, some of the items that Sam reads work as stand-alone stories.Transcripts available.
Length: usually 15-20 minutes
Frequency: weekly
Tone: childhood trauma and fantastic seeking for identity
LGBTQ: gay protagonist
Two seasons (45 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
Website
The Strata (audio drama)
In a dystopian city, an ageing courier with outdated tech is forced to go into business with an underworld gang lord to pay for the treatments that keep him alive. Along the way, he is forced to reckon with the choices he has made throughout his life. Set in a sprawling dystopian metropolis called 'The Strata' and featuring an ensemble cast, this podcast interweaves a collection of stories into a single overarching narrative. Each season is a new story with mostly new characters.
Length: 15-20 minutes
Tone: gritty cyberpunk
LGBTQ: none significant
Three seasons (14 episodes; ongoing)
Website
Tell Me a Story: The True Life of Jacob Stanley (audio drama)
In October of 2011, 4 college students disappeared in the woods near Porter Township, Pennsylvania while researching a documentary on children’s author Jakob Stanley. Recently, their recordings appeared online. A found footage approach to a horror podcast. Also on YouTube.
Frequency: roughly biweekly
Tone: rural horror and found footage
LGBTQ: none so far
One season (8 episodes + supplement; ongoing)
Website
Where the Stars Fell (audio drama)
Dr. Edison Tucker is having a very weird life. Luckily, the strange and unusual is something of her specialty, and Ed’s set her sights and wunderkind grant money on the strangest town in America: Jerusalem, Oregon. She’ll certainly get her EMF Meter’s worth. Between an eccentric housemate, quirky townsfolk, and the mysteries lurking just beyond the tree line, Ed’s going to find the answers she’s been searching for. She just might not be ready for what finds her. Some nueroatypical characters (although events at the end of season 1 might affect this). Scripts available via the show notes.
Frequency: biweekly during the season
Tone: rural horror comedy
LGBTQ: none so far
Two seasons (12 episodes + supplement; ongoing)
Website
The Wrong Station (anthology)
“You may wish to adjust the dial. You’re currently listening to... the Wrong Station.” The show takes its inspiration from classic 1940s radio horror broadcasts. Averaging 25 minutes a show (the ideal length), Wrong Station employs minimalist production to put story and the human voice first. Episodes are mostly narrated by Anthony Botelho but also feature a rotating cast of Toronto voice-actors. Settings and tone vary considerably, but most of the episodes located in the “real world” are set in Canada. Periodically, they do a grab bag of shorter items, usually organized around a theme or holiday. Transcripts available.
Frequency: weekly, but with hiatuses
Length: 20-45 minutes
Tone: Extremely variable, including science fiction and fantasy settings
LGBTQ: occasional
Five seasons (95 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
Website
Stories with LGBTQ characters and elements are identified when possible. Podcasts with frequent or severe content warnings are noted as are those which provide transcripts. Lately, audio dramas seem to be experimenting more with “chaotic action” – fights, headlong flight, etc. This often doesn’t work all that well; it is noted when significant. All the podcasts are accessible via most podcast apps and aggregators (although, weirdly, some apps seem to not catch entire seasons of some of the shows). Most of the series have episodes that run ~25-35 minutes; Exceptions will be noted.
As there has been demand in previous posts, anthologies are now included. Shows are identified as:
• audio drama – stories with continuing plots and casts, either open- or closed-ended
• anthology – stand-alone stories with no continuity
• anthology with frame – stand-alone stories with some kind of continuity that ties the series together but (usually) does not affect the stories
Clockwork Bird, or The Modern Icarus (audio drama)
Since the early 2030s, pictures of Robin Jaeger, a man half-made of carbon-fibre, have graced billboards the world over. The company that designed his shiny synthetic limbs, U-Co, promise speed, strength and efficiency, and Robin is their poster boy. But Robin has been legally dead for more than a decade. Shelly Croft has been drafted in to sort the case notes for bringing U-Co to trial for medical malpractice, only she is certain their crimes run much deeper. CW: frequent use of jangly, discordant noise. Transcripts available
Length: 10-20 minutes
Tone: medical horror and conspiracy
LGBTQ: lesbian, bi, and transmasculine main characters
Complete story (30 episodes)
Website
Deadhouse (anthology)
Three short stories from the BBC, all dealing with death and the relationship between mind and body. The programs focus on audio elements; wearing headphones is advised, and the audio tricks get in the way of the stories occasionally.
Tone: science fiction horror
LGBTQ: none
One season (3 episodes)
Website
The Divide (audio drama)
Late one night, an investigative journalist arrives home to find a mysterious package outside her door containing 3 cassette tapes. On them, an old friend is interrogating a man who claims to have experienced a strange and terrifying phenomenon up in the mountains of Colorado. What follows is a search for answers that tests the very fabric of space and time.
Tone: science fiction and government cover up
LGBTQ: a gay protagonist
Complete story (5 episodes)
Their website seems no longer active
Dos: After You
Deck, a trans man and contract killer, falls for Sil after a traumatic beating. Sil is not human, and, after a brief time, disappears. Now Deck travels through a world changed by COVID, seeking the divine in a dreamy, murderous frenzy, alternately seeking and fleeing old friends and Sil’s terrible kin. All the time, Deck looks at the “normal world” in a haze of amusement and contempt. Episodes in English and Spanish. CW: extremely casual mentions of murder; a plot that is often more implied than stated. Transcripts hard to find, but try here
Length: 5-10 minutes
Frequency: weekly
Tone: Trans Hannibal and gods
LGBTQ: LGBTQ+ worldview. Numerous trans characters
Complete story? (21 episodes + supplements)
Website
Incarnation Read (anthology with frame?)
Incarnation Read (pronounced “red”) is a horror anthology podcast. With each episode, it catalogues moments where the reality we have long found comfortably monotonous is distorted to reveal something much more sinister at play, something dark and sentient waiting just under the surface of everyday life. And the further we travel down this dark path, somewhere among these horrific and paralyzing events, a pattern begins to emerge... There is a lot of focus on the soundscape.
Frequency: every 2-3 weeks
Tone: internal horror and distorted reality
LGBTQ: none
2 seasons (34 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
Website
Jar of Rebuke (audio drama)
Dr. Jared Hel works for a mysterious organization called the Enclosure. He is based in the small town of Wichton and he studies monsters. His work is helped by his apparent inability to die permanently, it’s hampered by his inability to remember much of his past. With creatures and stories based upon real legends and lore within the midwestern United States, follow along as Jared tries to figure out the secrets of the town as well as the secrets of their own identity.
Length: varies, but usually around 20 minutes
Frequency: twice a month during the season (usually the 7th and the 21st)
Tone: mall town horror and monsters
LGBTQ: asexual, aromantic, nonbinary protagonist, other LGBTQ+ characters
Two seasons (21 episodes; on hiatus for health reasons)
Website
Light Hearts (audio drama)
Running a business is hard. Running a business alone in an old, haunted building is even harder. Janine didn’t know what she was getting herself into when she opened Prism - but with the help of Ryan (an astronomy professor with a useful knack) and Kale (an artist with a mind for marketing), she manages to stay aloft. Light Hearts follows the daily shenanigans of serving Prism’s customers, solving strange problems, and wrangling the occasional unexpected patron. Transcripts available.
Length: ~20 minutes
Tone: ghosts and queer community
LGBTQ: lots of LGBTQ+ characters
One season (7 episodes + supplements; on hiatus?)
Website
Monstrous Agonies (anthology with frame)
“From werewolves in the doghouse to new ghouls at work, there's no problem too strange for this weekly advice segment, from the UK's only dedicated radio service for the creature community.” From The Nightfolk Network, 131.3FM, our host reads a pair of letters from various creatures (and the occasional human) and gives firm but kindly advice on their relationship and lifestyle problems. Implicit and explicit allegory to the experience of LBGTQ+ and other marginalized identities absolutely intended. There is a thin thread of a story, but the episodes mostly stand on their own. Transcripts available.
Length: 10-15 minutes
Frequency: weekly
Tone: advice column for monsters
LGBTQ: lots of LGBTQ+ characters
Two seasons (60 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
Website
Nightmare Magazine (anthology)
Nightmare is a monthly horror and dark fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find all kinds of horror fiction, from zombie stories and haunted house tales, to visceral psychological horror. Nightmare brings you a mix of originals and reprints, and featuring a variety of authors.Each issue includes two pieces of original short fiction and two shorter works (including poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction), along with a feature interview or review and a column about horror. Some stories are also delivered via the podcast. No transcripts, but you could read the magazine.
Length: varies, but often ~1 hour
Frequency: biweekly
Tone: varied
LGBTQ: some lesbian and gay characters
Individual stories (50 episodes; ongoing)
Website
Ritualistic (audio drama)
A horror and psychological thriller podcast following the recordings of anthropology and archaeology student Jamie Locke, who is studying rituals. Jamie is stationed on the dig site of a strange, abandoned church, and her professor is sending her even stranger files. As she uncovers more and more from the files sent by her professor, stranger and stranger things keep happening to her and her friends. Will she figure out the secrets of the town…or will the mysterious figures working in the shadows get to her first?
Length: 5-10 minutes
Frequency: biweekly
Tone: rituals and haunted woods
LGBTQ: some gay characters
One season (17 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
They do not appear to have a website
Spirit Box Radio (audio drama/anthology)
Sam Enfield is the unlikely host of Spirit Box Radio, a show for witches, arcanists, and the magically-inclined. Sam took over the show after the mysterious disappearance of his mother, the Illustrious Madame Marie, a renowned psychic. With no penchant for the Arcane Arts, Sam struggles to find his feet, and as he does, he discovers that Spirit Box Radio may be haunted by something much worse than ghosts: secrets. While this is a mostly an audio drama, some of the items that Sam reads work as stand-alone stories.Transcripts available.
Length: usually 15-20 minutes
Frequency: weekly
Tone: childhood trauma and fantastic seeking for identity
LGBTQ: gay protagonist
Two seasons (45 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
Website
The Strata (audio drama)
In a dystopian city, an ageing courier with outdated tech is forced to go into business with an underworld gang lord to pay for the treatments that keep him alive. Along the way, he is forced to reckon with the choices he has made throughout his life. Set in a sprawling dystopian metropolis called 'The Strata' and featuring an ensemble cast, this podcast interweaves a collection of stories into a single overarching narrative. Each season is a new story with mostly new characters.
Length: 15-20 minutes
Tone: gritty cyberpunk
LGBTQ: none significant
Three seasons (14 episodes; ongoing)
Website
Tell Me a Story: The True Life of Jacob Stanley (audio drama)
In October of 2011, 4 college students disappeared in the woods near Porter Township, Pennsylvania while researching a documentary on children’s author Jakob Stanley. Recently, their recordings appeared online. A found footage approach to a horror podcast. Also on YouTube.
Frequency: roughly biweekly
Tone: rural horror and found footage
LGBTQ: none so far
One season (8 episodes + supplement; ongoing)
Website
Where the Stars Fell (audio drama)
Dr. Edison Tucker is having a very weird life. Luckily, the strange and unusual is something of her specialty, and Ed’s set her sights and wunderkind grant money on the strangest town in America: Jerusalem, Oregon. She’ll certainly get her EMF Meter’s worth. Between an eccentric housemate, quirky townsfolk, and the mysteries lurking just beyond the tree line, Ed’s going to find the answers she’s been searching for. She just might not be ready for what finds her. Some nueroatypical characters (although events at the end of season 1 might affect this). Scripts available via the show notes.
Frequency: biweekly during the season
Tone: rural horror comedy
LGBTQ: none so far
Two seasons (12 episodes + supplement; ongoing)
Website
The Wrong Station (anthology)
“You may wish to adjust the dial. You’re currently listening to... the Wrong Station.” The show takes its inspiration from classic 1940s radio horror broadcasts. Averaging 25 minutes a show (the ideal length), Wrong Station employs minimalist production to put story and the human voice first. Episodes are mostly narrated by Anthony Botelho but also feature a rotating cast of Toronto voice-actors. Settings and tone vary considerably, but most of the episodes located in the “real world” are set in Canada. Periodically, they do a grab bag of shorter items, usually organized around a theme or holiday. Transcripts available.
Frequency: weekly, but with hiatuses
Length: 20-45 minutes
Tone: Extremely variable, including science fiction and fantasy settings
LGBTQ: occasional
Five seasons (95 episodes + supplements; ongoing)
Website
I have failed to properly acknowledge and thank you for all of these excellent posts in the past, which have led me to hours of happy listening, so please let me just say...
Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou.
Your thoroughness and attention to details is very much appreciated.
posted by LinnTate at 3:08 PM on March 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou.
Your thoroughness and attention to details is very much appreciated.
posted by LinnTate at 3:08 PM on March 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
This is perfect! thank you!
I just finished my last audible credit and was looking for something to listen to =)
posted by skaggig at 11:39 PM on March 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
I just finished my last audible credit and was looking for something to listen to =)
posted by skaggig at 11:39 PM on March 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
Always a joy when these posts come around! Thank you GenjiandProust!
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:36 AM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:36 AM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Divide sounds great. Any idea where to get ahold of it?
posted by duoshao at 4:15 AM on March 12, 2022
posted by duoshao at 4:15 AM on March 12, 2022
I just added it in Overcast. It took a little hunting, because it’s a really common name, but the bulk of the blurb is lifted from the description, so that helps. If it doesn’t work for you, memail me, and I’ll see if I can find the RSS feed. The publisher is Alternate Thursdays.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:01 AM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:01 AM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
It looks still available via the Alternate Thursdays site.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:04 AM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:04 AM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Awesome, thanks GenjiandProust!
posted by duoshao at 6:17 AM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by duoshao at 6:17 AM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
For what it's worth, GenjiandProust, I haven't listened to anything but Hello from the Hallowoods ever since you posted about it. I'm absolutely hooked. But let me also endorse The Wrong Station: not only are the stories brilliant, but Anthony Botelho has a voice I could listen to forever. He could read the phone book and I'd be enthralled.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:08 AM on March 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:08 AM on March 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
First, Jar of Rebuke is a splendid name.
Second, thank you, GenjiandProust, for another lavish supply of audio weirdness!
posted by doctornemo at 4:41 PM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Second, thank you, GenjiandProust, for another lavish supply of audio weirdness!
posted by doctornemo at 4:41 PM on March 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
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2021 Winter Solstice Roundup
2021 Fall Roundup
2021 Late Summer Roundup
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Weird Horror Anthologies
Silt Verses
2021 Spring Round Up
2020 Round Up
2018 Round Up
2017 Round Up
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:31 PM on March 11, 2022 [8 favorites]