50+ Weird Podcasts to Listen To That Will Leave You Up All Night Hiding Under the Covers
Looking for weird podcasts to listen to? Here are the best – everything from true crime to paranormal to myths to death and diseases!

Weird Podcasts You Have to Listen To
Is the truth really stranger than fiction? I think so. Fiction is usually based on some facet of truth anyway or at least inspired by it. These weird podcasts definitely prove it too. Aside from the 4 or so at the bottom that are fictional, these 40+ podcasts will seriously creep you out and wish that they were fiction.
There are a ton of historical events, strange disappearances, horrible true crimes, and more that will leave you amazed, a little shook, and hiding under your covers.
Podcasts have certainly gotten popular and I often wonder how people keep up with them all. But, you’ll figure out how it’s so easy to binge on these weird podcasts. There are a bunch of different categories that can follow under this creepy and weird podcasts genre: true crime is definitely popular, mythology, paranormal, and folklore make for good storytelling, dark historical podcasts are fascinating and will teach you something new.
Grab your headphones, turn off the lights, and hide under the covers and dig right on into these weird podcasts.
And, if podcasts aren’t your thing, that’s okay! Here are the best horror films and shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
True Crime Podcasts
Crime Junkie
About – Crime Junkie is a weekly podcast dedicated to giving you a true crime fix. Every Monday, Ashley Flowers will tell you about whatever crime she’s been obsessing over that week in a way that sounds like you’re sitting around talking crime with your best friends. The storytelling is straightforward and free of rabbit holes so the cases stay suspenseful and are easy to follow. If you can never get enough true crime… Congratulations, you’re a Crime Junkie!
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – December 2017
Where – crimejunkiepodcast.com
Last Podcast On The Left
About – The Last Podcast on the Left covers all the horrors our world has to offer both imagined and real. From demons and slashers to cults and serial killers, The Last Podcast is guaranteed to satisfy your blood lust.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – sometime in 2014 [for whatever reason, ep 1-33 isn’t available on Spotify or their website, but this Youtube account has uploaded ep 1-4)
Where – lastpodcastontheleft.com | Spotify
Criminal
About – Criminal is an award-winning podcast about true crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – January 2014
Where – thisiscriminal.com
The Minds of Madness
About – The Minds of Madness is a True Crime Podcast that examines the most disturbing criminal minds and the impact violent crimes have on survivors of homicide.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – January 2017
Where – mindsofmadnesspodcast.com
Morbid
About – Morbid: A True Crime Podcast was born out of genuine love for true crime and all things spooky. We cover serial killers, unsolved mysteries, spooky history, paranormal happenings, conspiracy theories and anything that sends chills down your spine and gets your mind working overtime.
Frequency – twice weekly
Date Started – May 2018
Where – morbidpodcast.com
Unsolved Murders
About – A podcast drama with a modern twist on old time radio that delves into the mystery of true cold cases and unsolved murders. With the help of an ensemble cast, follow our hosts as they take you on an entertaining journey through the crime scene, the investigation and attempt to solve the case. With many surprising plot twists, it’s important you start listening from the first episode of a cold case.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – June 2016
Where – Spotify
Sword and Scale
About – A podcast that covers the underworld of criminal activity and the demented minds that perform the most despicable and unthinkable actions.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – January 2014
Where – swordandscale.com
Up and Vanished
About – Up and Vanished is an investigative documentary-style podcast hosted by Payne Lindsey. The series investigates missing persons cold cases by reviewing old leads, interviewing witnesses and townspeople, and on-site investigation.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – August 2016
Where – upandvanished.com
S Town
About – S-Town is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by Brian Reed and created by the producers of Serial and This American Life. A limited series only.
Frequency – was a limited series
Date Started – March 2017
Where – stownpodcast.org
Root of Evil
About – In this eight-part documentary series, sisters Rasha Pecoraro and Yvette Gentile, the great-granddaughters of George Hodel, take a deep dive into their family history to try to figure out what really happened regarding The Black Dalhia Murder, and where do they all go from here? Root of Evil is the companion podcast to TNTs limited series I Am the Night.
Frequency – was a limited series
Date Started – January 2019
Where – Spotify
In The Dark
About – In the Dark is a podcast produced by American Public Media. Hosted and narrated by Madeleine Baran, and produced by Samara Freemark, the series features investigative journalism and in-depth reportage from APM Reports, the investigative reporting, and documentary unit of APM. Each season investigates a different case.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – September 2016
Where – Apple Podcasts
Small Town Murder
About – Two comedians look at a small town, what makes it tick, and a murder that took place there. In depth research, horrible tragedy, and the hosts’ comedic spin on the whole thing. New episodes every Thursday!!
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – September 2016
Where – Apple Podcasts
Generation Why?
About – Digging deep into cases, Generation Why? covers mostly unsolved murders, but will sometimes look into wrongful convictions in these killings. The cases range from popular – like Emmett Till – to the relative unknown.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – October 2014
Where – genwhypod.com
Podcast 1289
About – An internet radio show that explores the most ridiculous conspiracy theories, coolest UFO sightings, spookiest hauntings, gnarliest true crime cases, and hairiest cryptids – all with a humorous spin.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – May 2016
Where – Spotify
The Shrink Next Door
About – The Shrink Next Door is a podcast by Wondery that tells the story of Isaac Herschkopf, a psychiatrist who allegedly abused his relationship with his patients to exploit them for personal gain.
Frequency – limited series
Date Started – May 2019
Where – wondery.com/shows/shrink-next-door
Lore
About – Lore is a podcast about non-fiction scary stories. Each episode examines historical events that show the dark side of human nature and is presented in a style that’s been compared to a campfire experience.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – March 2015
Where – lorepodcast.com
My Favorite Murder
About – My Favorite Murder is the hit true-crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – January 2016
Where – myfavoritemurder.com
Historical Podcasts [from a Dark Perspective]
Dark Histories
About – A podcast that tells the stories of our darkest moments, deepest mysteries and strangest happenings. From large cultural events to smaller, localized legends.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – July 2017
Where – darkhistories.com
Infamous America
About –Take a journey through the wildest, and sometimes darkest, chapters of American history. From the Salem Witch Trials to the gangsters of the 1930s to assassins, traitors, outlaws, scandals, and events that still defy explanation, you’ll hear them all on this historical true-crime podcast.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – September 2018
Where – blackbarrelmedia.com/infamous-america
Unexplained
About –A story-based show mixing spoken-word narrative, history, and ideas – often to terrifying effect – that explores the space between what we think of as real and what is not; where sometimes belief can be as concrete as ‘reality,’ whatever that is…
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – January 2016
Where – unexplainedpodcast.com
Behind the Bastards
About –Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of their lives. Listeners will learn about the young adult novels that helped Hitler form his monstrous ideology, the founder of Blackwater’s insane quest to build his own Air Force, the bizarre lives of the sons and daughters of dictators and Saddam Hussein’s side career as a trashy romance novelist.
Frequency – twice weekly
Date Started – April 2018
Where – behindthebastards.com
You’re Wrong About
About –Mike and Sarah are journalists obsessed with the past. Every episode we circle back to an event, person or phenomenon that’s been miscast in the public imagination.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – May 2018
Where – Spotify
You Must Remember This
About –This is the podcast exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – April 2014
Where – youmustrememberthispodcast.com
Witness
About –History as told by the people who were there.
Frequency – daily
Date Started – February 2010
Where – BBC
Cabinet of Curiosities
About – An exploration of some of the most unusual and bizarre people, events, and objects in history. Each episode features two short, curious tales.
Frequency – twice weekly
Date Started – June 2018
Where – aaronmahnke.com/curiosities
Noble Blood Tales
About – This podcast explores the stories of some of history’s most fascinating royals: the tyrants and the tragic, the murderers and the murdered, and everyone in between.
Frequency – biweekly
Date Started – July 2019
Where – noblebloodtales.com
Mythology/Lore Podcasts
Myths and Legends
About – This show brings you folklore that has shaped our world. Some are incredibly popular stories you think you know, but with surprising origins. Others are stories that might be new to you but are definitely worth a listen. These are stories of magic, kings, Vikings, dragons, knights, princesses, and wizards from a time when the world beyond the map was a dangerous, wonderful, and terrifying place.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – April 2015
Where – mythpodcast.com
Dark Travels Podcast
About –Dark Travels Podcast is a podcast about dark tourism, dark myths folklore and legends from around the world and some personal stories about the darker side of travel!
Frequency – unsure
Date Started – September 2019
Where – anchor.fm/dark-travels-podcast
Weird & Disturbing Podcasts
This is Actually Happening
About – This podcast probes the chaotic interiors of the human experience to find out what happens when everything changes.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – September 2013
Where – wondery.com/shows/this-is-actually-happening
Caustic Soda
About – A podcast about the science, history, and pop culture of the weird, gross and disturbing.
Frequency – no longer on air, but seven seasons worth of content to listen to!
Date Started – March 2010
Where – causticsodapodcast.com
Night Vale
About – A podcast in the style of community updates for the [fictional] small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – June 2012
Where – welcometonightvale.com
Things That Keep Me Up At Night
About – A podcast that explores all the things that make you want to pull the covers over your head and disappear from this wretched world — but with comedy!
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – June 2018
Where – ttkmeup.com
The Box of Oddities
About – Kat & Jethro Gilligan Toth bring their irreverent brand of humor and unique chemistry to an exploration of the strange, the bizarre and the unexpected.
Frequency – twice weekly
Date Started – February 2018
Where – theboxofoddities.com
Dark Stuff
About – It’s the horrible things variety hour with two South Africans who you’ve never heard of. From murder to abuse, to horrifying mishaps and scary movies we’ve got it all. If it’s dark, and it is stuff, then you can guarantee we’ll talk about it.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – December 2017
Where – Apple Podcasts
Disaster Artists
About –Disaster Artists, the Survival Podcast for people who take movies too seriously. Hosts Johnny and Shane tackle the various disaster scenarios you’ve seen played out in fiction. From Nuclear War to Zombie Outbreaks, from taking on a rogues’ gallery of horror movie villains to surviving a trip to a madman’s chocolate factory, we see how likely these scenarios are, and what you can do to survive.
Frequency – monthly
Date Started – October 2015
Where – iHeart Radio
Bizarre States
About –Join Jessica Chobot and Andrew Bowser as they lift the veil and showcase the hauntings, urban myths, unsolved murders and general oddities that everyone has experienced but no one wants to talk about.
Frequency – unsure
Date Started – June 2014
Where – Bizarre States
Old Gods of Appalachia
About –Old Gods of Appalachia is a horror-anthology podcast set in the shadows of an Alternate Appalachia, a place where digging too deep into the mines was just the first mistake.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – October 2019
Where – oldgodsofappalachia.com
Paranormal Podcasts
Spooked!
About – Spooked features true-life supernatural stories, told firsthand by people who can barely believe it happened themselves.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – September 2015
Where – spookedpodcast.org
And That’s Why We Drink
About – A paranormal and true crime podcast hosted by Christine Schiefer, Em Schulz, and boxed wine.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – February 2017
Where – andthatswhywedrink.com
Everything is Spooky in the Dark
About – Ghost stories from around the world.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – August 2019
Where – wanderingcrystal.com
Podcasts about Medicine, Death & Diseases
Death in the Afternoon
About – Welcome to your mortality, humans! It’s a new podcast called Death in the Afternoon, from the team behind Ask a Mortician. The death cast will dispel myths about death and dead bodies, dive into history and dark tales you’ve never heard before, and hopefully make you less afraid to talk about the inevitable.
Frequency – weekly (not since September 2019)
Date Started – October 2018
Where – deathintheafternoon.libsyn.com
This Podcast Will Kill You
About – Grad students studying disease ecology, Erin and Erin found themselves disenchanted with the insular world of academia. They wanted a way to share their love of epidemics and weird medical mysteries with the world, not just colleagues. Plus, who doesn’t love an excuse to have a cocktail while chatting about pus and poop?
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – October 2017
Where – thispodcastwillkillyou.com
Medical Mysteries
About – Medical Mysteries brings high-stakes story-telling and intrepid investigation to the hospital, in a medical procedural for the podcast space. Every week, we follow desperate patients battling mysterious symptoms–from the bizarre to the terrifying–as determined doctors race against the clock for a diagnosis
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – July 2019
Where – parcast.com/medicalmysteries
Sawbones
About – A marital tour of misguided medicine as they discuss the weird, gross, and sometimes downright dangerous ways we tried to solve our medical woes through the ages.
Frequency – unsure
Date Started – January 2013
Where – maximumfun.org/podcasts/sawbones
Podcasts that Will Teach You Weird Things
Ologies
About – Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket full of science knowledge and charming, bizarre stories about what fuels these professional -ologists’ obsessions. Humorist and science correspondent Alie Ward asks smart people stupid questions and the answers might change your life.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – September 2017
Where – alieward.com/ologies
Say Why to Drugs
About – The internet is full of misinformation about recreational drugs – both legal and illegal. Dr. Suzi Gage, a psychologist interested in understanding associations between substance use and mental health, tackles one substance per episode – providing information about what we know – the harms, but also the potential benefits of these substances. There’s no hype, no spin, and no judgment, just information.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – May 2016
Where – Say Why to Drugs
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
About – A podcast that examines neurological quandaries, cosmic mysteries, evolutionary marvels, and technological advances.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – August 2013
Where – megaphone.link/stufftoblowyourmind
Those Conspiracy Guys
About – Those Conspiracy Guys is an Irish comedy podcast about conspiracy theories and other cultural, political, mysterious and strange topics!
Frequency – every 2-3 weeks
Date Started – September 2014
Where – thoseconspiracyguys.com
Fictional Podcasts
The No Sleep Podcast
About – In the spring of 2010, a new forum appeared on Reddit.com. It was called “Nosleep” and the concept of this forum (or “subreddit”) was to be a place for people to post original scary stories about frightening experiences. It was an online version of telling spooky stories around the campfire. A year later, as Nosleep was growing at a rapid pace, one member named Matt Hansen proposed the idea of doing a podcast where some of the top stories from Nosleep would be narrated in audiobook style.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – June 2011
Where – thenosleeppodcast.com
Wolf 359
About – A radio drama in the tradition of Golden Age of Radio shows. Set onboard the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station, the dysfunctional crew deals with daily life-or-death emergencies, while searching for signs of alien life and discovering there might be more to their mission than they thought.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – August 2014
Where – wolf359.fm
The Magnus Archives
About – A weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organization dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird.
Frequency – weekly
Date Started – March 2016
Where – rustyquill.com/the-magnus-archives
I am In Eskew
About – A horror podcast, taking place in a nightmarish and ever-changing city.
Frequency – bimonthly
Date Started – January 2018
Where – iamineskew.com
RESOURCES
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