The best spooky podcasts to fall asleep to

I love listening to spooky podcasts about ghosts, weird disappearances, and other unexplained phenomena. And my favorite time to listen to these stories is when I’m falling asleep. (Is that weird? Does anyone else do this?) But it can’t just be any ‘ol spooky podcasts — I have some strict rules:

Megan’s strict rules for the best spooky podcasts:

1. It has to have one single narrator (none of that “discussions amongst hosts” bs)
2. The narrator has to have a soothing voice (British accents are preferred)
3. No gratuitous violence (I don’t need ALL the gory details)
4. No annoying sound effects that will jar me awake
5. The episodes should be around or longer than 30 minutes (that’s how long it takes me to fall asleep)

If this sounds like the type of podcasts you also love to listen to (whether to fall asleep to or not) check out my list of my favorite scary podcasts:

Unexplained

“Unexplained is a haunting and unsettling bi-weekly podcast about strange and mysterious real life events that continue to evade explanation.”

This one is my favorite. The host Richard McLean Smith has an incredible voice with a lovely British accent. And the stories range from True Crime to UFOs and ghosts. I love this one so much that I’ve signed up for his Patreon so that I can get the ad-free version for even better sleepy times.

Casefile True Crime Podcast

This was the one that started it all for me: It’s a true crime podcast that is hosted by an Australian man who remains anonymous. He has the greatest voice and I love the way he conveys the stories in a way that respects and centers the victims. (Although, admittedly I save this one for my walks because the episodes are so long.)

The Dark Histories Podcast

“Dark Histories tells the stories of some of our darkest moments, deepest mysteries and strangest happenings, from large cultural events to smaller, localized legends.”

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The host, Ben Cutmore, has a less-formal way of narrating his stories, which can be quit charming to hear him giggle when he describes something silly, and has that bonus British accent. But… I don’t love that the show doesn’t start right away with the story, so I always skip his intro, and am able to fall asleep before he starts his end-of-story recap. I have also signed up for this Patreon as well for the ad-free version.

Skinwalker

A true crime podcast based in Scotland with a fantastic Scottish narrator whose voice is probably my MOST favorite to fall asleep to. (Although I can’t help but smile every time he says “murrrdurrr” …which is a lot.) You can also sign up for the Patreon which gives you access to a sleep-friendly ad-free version.

Tales of Mystery

“Each episode looks at baffling creepy mysteries, and the clues & riddles left behind. Strange disappearances, weird encounters, no easy answers…”

This one gets extra bonus points for the rare female host with a British accent and an ASMR-like delivery. She basically whispers spooky stories to you. I love it.

Park Predators

Lately I’ve become pretty fascinated by all the weird things that happen in our national parks. (Side note: What do you think is going on with that!?) This podcast has more true crime than I’d like to fall asleep to, but I can’t argue with host Delia D’Ambra’s relaxing delivery.

Lore

“Lore is an award-winning, critically-acclaimed podcast about true life scary stories. Lore exposes the darker side of history, exploring the creatures, people, and places of our wildest nightmares.“

This is an obvious one as it’s one of the most popular podcasts (hell, it also has a tv show). The host Aaron Mahnke has a soothing voice, and it’s very well-produced, and the catalog is extensive.

Ghost Tales by the Fireside

A podcast sharing true ghost stories from around the UK. I wish there were more of these! But sometimes I just listen to my favorites over and over.

The Dark Paranormal

This is a new find for me. But only half the episodes work to fall asleep to. The other half have jarring sound effects. But the narrator is from Liverpool and has such a great voice!

I’d love to find more spooky podcasts just like these, so I’d love to hear your suggestions. (But isweartogod, if you list any podcast where there are two annoyingly chatty hosts your life will become a spooky podcast because I WILL haunt you in your dreams for the rest of eternity.)