My five favorite spooky and sinister podcasts

In my time living in the Bay Area, I've traversed the region using almost every method of transportation you can think of (car, bus, train, bicycle, skateboard, motorcycle, roller skates) but for my day-to-day commuting, I often default to public transportation. This is largely because sitting on a bus or train for 2+ hours every day provides me with ample time to read, listen to music, write or attempt to nap. Needless to say, I jumped on the podcast train right-quick -- though my early forays were almost exclusively yoga guides or Spanish-language tutorials.

Then I kept hearing buzz about a podcast called Serial, which everyone in my social circles seemed to be obsessed with. By the time I got around to subscribing to it, the season was over -- a fortunate turn of events because like everyone else, it took me no time at all to get sucked into the story. From there, I went on a bit of a binge, downloading and trying out roughly a dozen or so different podcasts. Here are the ones that have quickly enthralled me and made me (almost) eager for my tedious commute.

1. Serial: By now literally millions of people have listened to the first season of this podcast, which serializes This American Life' creator Sarah Koenig's investigation into a 1999 Baltimore murder. Each of the twelve episodes has been downloaded an average of 3.4 million times, there's an extensive sub-Reddit discussing various conspiracy theories, and multiple spin-off podcasts have appeared (most notably from Syed's Legal Trust, as well as from the Onion and Slate) so it's unlikely this is the first you're hearing of it.

However, the real-life whodunnit element is absolutely captivating and the story is treated with respect and balance by Koenig and company. The details are closely examined and explored, questions are raised, answered, and re-raised as the timelines, maps, and documents are introduced. With additional testimony (from Asia!) to be heard soon, this story isn't even close to over yet -- and I'm so deeply absorbed in it that I'm considering listening to it a second time.

2. Criminal: Although ostensibly about crime and criminals, this podcast is just as much about the people caught in the middle, the idea of what a criminal is and the victims of crime. From the sergeant who trains police dogs to leprosy patients housed in a penitentiary, each story examines a unique angle to a tale of crime and criminality.

Some of them are heartbreaking -- such as the woman who prays she'll still be alive when her son is released from jail for a crime that never happened; some are engrossing (Episode 23 covers the recurring and overwhelming amount of wood theft from a petrified forest in Arizona); and some are charming, such as the story of the couple who transformed their neighborhood by putting up a Buddha statue. Each episode is paired with a themed piece of black and white artwork from Julienne Alexander, and the podcast is popular enough to command an audience at live shows when it tours.

Lead article image courtesy Julienne Alexander and the Criminal Podcast Facebook page.

3. Lore: Aaron Mahnke is a (self-described) nerd with a genuine love of storytelling, mysteries and the supernatural -- and that is exactly the mix of elements that makes Lore such a irresistible listen: True tales of folklore, spooky stories from history and sagas of superstition make up the content of this bi-weekly podcast (which you might as well listen to in the dark woods, huddled around a campfire).

Did you know that author Margaret Atwood had an ancestress who was unsuccessfully hanged for being a witch? Are you interested in finding out exactly what a "Jersey Devil" is? Do you want to become thoroughly unnerved about the possibility that possessed dolls will move around your house? Then Lore will thrill you. Mahnke does an excellent job of taking available details and fleshing out a story to its bone-chilling potential; those who want an added bonus scare can check out the photos posted to the Lore Facebook page (the ones of Robert the doll from Episode 15 are legitimately terrifying).

Robert the doll freaks me out too much so here's a picture of a ghost in a cemetery.
Image courtesy Lore Podcast Facebook page.

4. Detective: Lieutenant Joe Kenda spent 23 years working the Homicide Division in Colorado Springs, and sounds like it. His voice is deep, worn and honest when he speaks about his experiences on the force -- which he does in detail in this podcast which covers his decision to become a law enforcement officer as well as the cases he handled. With over 387 murders solved in his time, Kenda has many tales to tell; as a keen observer of behavior, he provides insightful commentary about the motives and behaviors involved.

While Kenda's TV show, Homicide Hunter on Investigation Discovery, covers the details of particular cases in reenactment scenes, the Detective podcast is a bit more personal focusing instead on Kenda's feelings and reactions to his years on the force as well as the toll it took on his family. The very epitome of a tough old-timer, Kenda's wisdom about crimes, criminals and people are at turns shrewd, sympathetic and astute marking him as an exceptional storyteller.

5. Limetown: This podcast is centered on a mystery -- ten years ago, over three hundred people disappeared from Limetown, a small company village in the Tennessee mountains populated by doctors, scientists and their families. What happened that night a decade ago when a 911 call was made? Where did all the residents disappear to? And what in the hell was actually happening in Limetown?!

The podcast follows the investigation of American Public Radio journalist Lia Haddock as she attempts to answer these questions, and while it is fictional, it is also intriguing and spooky. Each episode escalates the investigation as Lia finds survivors of "the Panic" and uncovers details about "the Man they were all there for." If you enjoy eerie tales and/or mysteries, it's easy to get absorbed in this story (even when you know it's fabricated). I have yet to listen to an episode that didn't at some point give me the creepy chills, and I am really invested in finding out the final details to be revealed in the last two episodes.

Honorable mention: Dear Sugar. I have just recently started listening to this podcast, based on the Rumpus advice column of the same name and hosted by the two "Sugars" themselves, authors Steve Almond (Letters from People Who Hate Me) and Cheryl Strayed (Wild). Personally, I've never been much for advice columns or relationship guides (despite all those links my mom emails me on inspirational relationship tools or ways to empower your life) but no one -- NO ONE -- gives counsel like Strayed, who has a way of crafting replies that are long on compassion, short on bullshit and so concisely perfect that bumper stickers are envious of her wit.