The Best Horror Podcasts of 2020

Horror podcasts are one of the most entertaining forms of evoking fear due to their inventive nature, which can be based in fact or fiction. While 2020 saw the emergence of several new and exciting podcasts, others which have been around for several years proved that they deserve to be on this list with incredibly strong new seasons. Whether you’re looking for listener stories, original written works, creepypasta, or lore, these thirteen horror podcasts are sure to entice you with the promise of sending chills down your spine.

The NoSleep Podcast is one of the most developed podcasts on this list, with its incredible production, cast, and format. They take audience submissions of original fiction and act them out for the entire world to hear. Their stories range from murder, possession, hauntings, family lore, and anything else you could possibly think of. With fifteen seasons currently under its belt, you are sure to find several stories that will satisfy your horror needs.

Palimpsest is composed of a young woman’s fictional audio diary entries. Annaliese is mourning her past and wants to venture towards a new future. While she may sound hopeful at first, the audio diaries quickly shift to stream-of-consciousness entries that change everything the listener originally knew about Annaliese. After moving into a new apartment, the secrets she’s been keeping from her audio diaries begin to unfold to reveal betrayal, mystery, and the reason why she's mourning her sister in the ways that she is. This podcast feels like a horror story come to life with its incredible voice acting and structure.

Horror-fiction is incredibly popular in the horror podcast circuit, considering the success of NoSleep. The Moonlit Road has been compared to the immensely popular podcast for its ability to showcase urban legends, folktales, and horrors that all pertain to the American South. Their voice casting includes true southern storytellers that paint the picture of its dark history.

The Moonlit Road features popular local legends as well as historically significant reports on supposed hauntings. They're the perfect tales to creep you out as you take a long road trip, or are sitting around a fire for that classic ghost stories affect.

Just as its title alludes, Old Gods of Appalachia takes influence from the classic horror tales written by H. P. Lovecraft. The Appalachian region is home to the oldest mountain ranges in America, and alongside its winding roads and steep hills there are dark forces that threaten the safety of anyone who ventures there. This podcast in particular is unique for its ability to build on the real history of Appalachia while twisting its historical events and news stories into that of nightmares. If you’ve enjoyed the long tradition of oral history or hearing your relatives tell you tales from their youth, Old Gods of Appalachia will appeal to the horror lover in you as well as your childlike wonder.

Horror movie director Eli Roth is known for the controversial subgenre he helped create: “torture porn”—otherwise known as “gorno.” In his podcast Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Uncut, he expands on his series of the same name, offering interviews with other notable figures in the genre. Roth has interviewed Greg Nicotero, Rob Zombie, Ari Aster, Megan Fox, and Bruce Campbell. If you’re looking to hear about the making of horror and the impact it has on its actors, audience, and more, then Eli Roth’s podcast is the one for you.

The Scaredy Cats Horror Show is a brand-new podcast that was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt host as the horror lover-scaredy cat duo that gives this podcast its own unique edge. Each episode they watch a specific horror movie and discuss their reactions to its contents. The first episode covered The Exorcist, while its most recent featured Jordan Peele’s Get Out. The Scaredy Cats Horror Show is intended for horror fans as well as film buffs who are looking for insight into some of the genre’s greatest movies.

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Nopeville is a fictional city created by its hosts Christine and Jen. It's the location for several horrifying events that lead people to respond “nope” to ever taking a trip there. They cover anything from serial killers to haunted houses, such as the infamous Amityville home.

Their first episode premiered on June 21, 2020, and featured sleep paralysis as its focal point. If you’re looking for real-life chills, you may want to take a trip to Nopeville to experience its horrors for yourself.

Girl, That’s Scary! is the ideal destination for anything horror or sci-fi related. Hosted by Jazzmin, AKA Jazz The 40oz Connoisseur, and Kathleen, AKA Kat (Kat Daddy), this dynamic duo has led a life full of horror content and their podcast proves that they're some of the most knowledgeable podcasters in the podcasting circuit. A new episode comes out every Thursday, and traditionally features movie reviews and topics pertaining to kid friendly horror movies, filmmakers, and more. If you want a classic horror movie listening experience with two charismatic and talented hosts, Girl, That’s Scary! is exactly what you’re looking for.

Keep It Weird is hosted by Lauren and Ashley, who share stories about the paranormal. It features weekly guests who provide their own insights into everything strange, bizarre, out of the ordinary, and disturbing. They traditionally showcase real experiences from their listeners and their guests in order to bring together a community of people who’ve been impacted by everything paranormal.

When a truck driver searches for her missing wife, everyone assumes that she's dead. But her intuition tells her differently. Alice Isn’t Dead takes its characters to eerie places with unsettling atmospheres. With incredible voice acting to back up its impeccable story, it will leave you wanting to listen to every episode in one sitting. Pace yourself, as the ending may be more than you’ve bargained for in this horror podcast.

Hosted by Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz, And That’s Why We Drink is equal parts supernatural and true crime. Em Schulz begins each episode with an exciting and unsettling tale that can feature aliens, cryptids, hauntings, Zak Bagans, and even the history of werewolves. Following their story, Christine Schiefer introduces a true crime story that is just as horrifying as Em’s supernatural tales.

And That’s Why We Drink has something for everyone, especially fans that find it difficult to choose between listening to an exclusively true crime or horror podcast. With their 200th episode coming up, you’ll want to get caught up as soon as possible to enjoy the new year with Em and Christine alongside their team composed of Eva Gross, Gio, Juniper, and Lemon.

Julia and Amanda mix cocktails with mythology and folklore to create a unique experience for their listeners. Spirits covers stories both new and old that make their catalogue of episodes diverse in their supernatural tales. Whether you’re looking for Greek mythology or an urban legend from your state, Julia and Amanda can help you locate all of the information you could ever want on these eerie topics.

Spooked is hosted by Glynn Washington, who discovered his family was haunted at a very young age. He has witnessed exorcisms and has seen apparitions first hand—and now he has collected his experiences to create this noteworthy podcast. As he continues searching for remnants of the unknown in order to solve the larger paranormal puzzle, each story highlights how the paranormal can manifest, and how important it is to him as well as the study of the supernatural in gathering these tales.