If you’re searching for fresh and original horror stories, look no further than Sudden Chillers. Although I think they have a creepypasta vibe, these readings should also appeal to fans of traditional horror stories as well. You can also find free samples of his work on the Sudden Chillers YouTube account.
Speaking of creepypasta, Midnight Marinara deserves praise both for their audio drama adaptations of popular creepypastas and for actually getting permission from the original authors. Sadly this seems to be a rare practice in the world of creepypasta readings and it’s great to see somebody actually do the right thing.
Are you one of the frightened? Those intrigued by my review of Tales of the Frightened can find out for themselves thanks to the streaming edition on Spotify. Similarly, you can stream the Mission Creeps’ reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Shadow: A Parable” from Halloween on Bandcamp and the 3D audio classic that is Sticks can be heard (along with some other goodies) thanks to the Radio Drama Revival.
Those who prefer downloading should appreciate Connie Regan-Blake’s free sample selections from Chilling Ghost Stories and the Colonial Radio Theatre: On The Air’s free dramatizations from their Vincent Price Presents series.
Fans of the television series Sleepy Hollow should love the audio book version of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” as read by Tom Mison.
In addition to their updating the link I shared in last year’s installment, Big Finish has uploaded the first episodes of The Wrong Doctors and Fanfare For The Common Men from their Doctor Who line.
Speaking of Doctor Who and audio dramas, Magic Bullet Productions (best known for their Kaldor City spin-off series) has an episode of their early comedy series The Surgery available called “Night of the Living Zombie Death.” Those seeking even more laughs should enjoy the Podhouse 90 production of “Dracula Has Risen in the Polls” by Frank Conniff from Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Blue Hours Productions has revived the classic radio series Suspense and you can listen to a few samples from it on their ReverbNation page and listen to some classic episodes on YouTube. Similarly the radio adaptation of The Twilight Zone has some free stuff available as well.
Poe Forevermore made a big splash in the world of audio horror and it’s not hard to understand why. You can listen to some of their many Poe readings here.
Will Hart (aka CthulhuWho1) has what he is calling the “World’s Largest H.P. Lovecraft Audio Links Gateway.”
iTunes has led to me discovering The NoSleep Podcast, Cursed, The Moonlit Road Podcast, Jabberwocky Audio Theater and Redline Theater. It also acts as a handy back-up of Snap Judgement’s numerous “Spooked” specials.
Both Knifepoint Horror and Jinx Media’s “Puncture Wounds” should please fans of intense horror. Those who prefer a more gothic touch will love Cast Macabre and Darkly Lit, as will fans of Nox Arcana.
Archive.org is a surprisingly fertile resource for modern day audio dramas. There’s the sci-fi series Unhinged Worlds and the soap opera While Whispers Wait, along with standalone projects like The Old Haunted House, Spookytown Scarytime Theatre and The Return of The Bogman Mummy. Part two of that last play is available on its own separate page.
In addition to all their great music, Psychobilly Garden Party has a wonderful horror serial called “Hellmouth” which I strongly urge you to check out.
Wayne June has plenty of spooky performances for you, be it demos or a free full audio book and Scott Sigler regularly gives away free horror audio books.
And what collection of free horror audio would be complete without including a link to Welcome to Night Vale at some point?
Don’t forget how we occasionally dabble in audio dramas over at our podcast. In addition to last year’s Halloween special, we had some very special guests stop by for a Hellraiser parody sketch during one of our Christmas specials: Barbie Wilde, Tomb Dragomir and Lamont Bellsarios!
As always, Gravedigger’s Local 16 is not to be held responsible for anything that may occur (be it good or bad) as a result of downloading or streaming from any links given here. Attempt at your own discretion. Some downloads may not work in certain regions. Blah blah blah…