William Meikle has a wonderful selection of audio book adaptations of his short stories available on his website. Similarly, Tales from the Potts House lets you stream readings of various works by William Hope Hodgson. Speaking of Mr. Hodgson, the Wikipedia entry for his short story “A Voice in the Night” also has a free audio book available to stream or download. Fans of classic horror should appreciate Quicksilver Radio Theater’s audio drama version of Frankenstein. The Overcast features tons of great story readings, including one of “The Hymn of Ordeal, No. 23” by Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein. Death, Dying, and Other Things describes itself as a podcast specializing in “scare, spook, and unsettle” and has a new episode on the first Thursday of the month and the Old Gray Goose has a tale of “Memories From The Graveyard.” Film critic Scott Foy has an unsettling experience of his own when his attempt to review the Asylum’s bid to cash in on Cloverfield resulted in the first “found footage” review that’s also an audio drama of sorts! The Lovecraft Covenant is a gripping series about a serial killer whose crimes are connected to the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
We’ll get back to Providence’s favorite son later on, but I want to focus on Edgar Allan Poe for now. Demon Man has a chilling reading of “The Masque of the Red Death,” Psyche Corporation has their own take on Poe’s classic “Annabel Lee.” and 4dio offers readings of both “A Dream Within a Dream” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” Although their name is the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, the HPLHS gang has created a free audio drama version of “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” for their Dark Adventure Radio Theatre line. However, they sometimes give away free Lovecraft installments from the series on their official Facebook page. Finally, Storytime With Miss Vallene has another reading of “The Tell-Tale Heart” along with one of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
Horrid Lore has several readings of classic horror tales (along with ones of the narrator’s original stories). Those who prefer classic fare will also enjoy HorrorBabble’s take on The Shadow Over Innsmouth, JSmith Reads: Horror Short Stories and Doug Bradley’s Spinechillers line. That’s right, you can year scary stories narrated by Pinhead himself!
The Factory: Recording 741 finds a detective tasked with finding a missing person, only to wind up in something much more complicated…and terrifying. The Beast of the Western Wilds is a lengthy work of dark fantasy about a witch hunter and Vultures Over Low Doves can be downloaded for free! The Night Keep combines a radio play with a concept album while the lengthy sample chapter of Thomas Zimmerman’s Nine Rooms Deep is an intense and disturbing ride.
Now comes the annual Doctor Who audio selection. Big Finish Productions has uploaded an astonishing number of complete stories from their Doctor Who and Dark Shadows lines onto Spotify! This is huge news for those who previously only had access to the samples and trailers on Big Finish’s Dark Shadows SoundCloud page and the 15 minute preview segments scattered across the Big Finish podcast on their primary SoundCloud account.
Not only do the Moon-Rays have a performance of the old ghost story “Till Martin Comes Home” but they also have the classic that is “The Raven (for Beatniks).” While we’re on YouTube, let’s look at some official uploads of old kiddie monster story albums! Godzilla: King of Monsters is split into “Godzilla vs. Amphibion” and “Godzilla vs. The Alien Invasion.” Similarly, Famous Monsters Speak is divided into “Frankenstein Speaks” and “Dracula Rises.” I also found Baron Dixon’s poem “The Thing That Lives in the Toilet.”
Speaking of creepy poems, SoundCloud is the home of Mike Galsworthy’s “She Will Be My Witch.” Don’t let its name fool you, the Thrilling Adventure Hour has plenty of horror material. This is also true for Twelve Chimes It’s Midnight.
Before we wrap things up, let’s stop by iTunes and check out The White Vault, Station Blue and Limetown.
Astrophobia is an upcoming “Lovecraftian Space Opera” and you’d better bookmark that link so you don’t miss it! Finally, let’s not forget last year’s Six Foot Plus Halloween special.
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…
