Pseudopod: Horror Is Alive And Well

Pseudopod Has So Much Content Available To Enjoy

The tricky thing about reviewing Pseudopod is that it has over eight hundred episodes, usually around thirty minutes. I’ve listened to somewhere between five and ten.

So, I can’t tell you if you’ll like Pseudopod overall. I can’t warn you about all the potentially upsetting topics lurking in its archives. Some episodes dealt with sexual violence, gore, body horror, eating disorders, and other equally intense topics, so tread lightly from the onset.

I can emphatically say that Pseudopod has some of the most creative (and varied) horror fiction I’ve ever encountered. This is not just spooky happenings and twist-ending gore fests. We can’t assume this pattern holds, but their creeping nature was the best part of the episodes. I was never viscerally scared like The Magnus Archives or The Storage Papers, but each story needled at something. Crept under the skin. Besides the topics I already mentioned, some explored deep emotions or alluded to societal issues in a way that often isn’t apparent until the end. “Balloon Season” (Ep819) and “The Bear Across the Way” (Ep801) especially hit me in the gut with their eventual themes. “The Old Switcheroo” (Ep812) had a melancholic yet achingly human story paired expertly with ambiguity. I’m saying slow burn is the name of the game with Pseudopod.

The Best Episodes Had The Feel Of A Closing Trap

The other thing of note is how they don’t just read out a story and then end an episode. After a tale is a brief discussion, and these are always insightful. They go over why a particular story was chosen, what themes impressed them enough to produce it, and all manner of other observations. It also works as a breather. It invites you to step back and engage with what the story is trying to say, not just how scary it is.

Seeing this much care put into producing horror is delightful. Pseudopod treats the genre with respect. They pay artists for their work and give talent a platform. The audio is always crisp and professional, and the voice acting is sometimes insanely well-done.

If you love podcast horror, but don’t want a continuous narrative, then Pseudopod has something for you. With a few episodes, you’ll get an expansive view of voices, styles, and approaches to scaring. Pick one at random, find a top ten list online, or select the most current episode: you might find a story that’ll stick with you long after you’ve listened.  

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