Whether you are on a run, in the comfort of your home, or maybe looking for a place to conceal a dead body, there’s no better pastime than listening to an eerie true crime podcast. As someone who’s binged every episode of Criminal Minds, watched plenty of Netflix documentaries, and listened to hours of podcasts, I guess you could call me an expert. Over the past month, I listened to some of the best podcasts to give readers my ultimate review on the most hair-rising, blood-curdling podcasts there are.
Serial Killers: “Serial Killers” is hosted by Greg Polcyn and Vanessa Richardson, which at first listen, I thought were two AI-generated voices because of how robotic they sound. They are very active, releasing two new episodes each week. After listening to a few episodes, I was hooked. I loved the enticing storytelling of each episode and the eerie vibe. Each story has a part one and a part two, the second part explaining the outcome of the killer. The first part explains their early life and some psychology, which I thought was very interesting. The podcast is more informational and factual rather than opinionated or conversational, which I prefer. Overall, unless you want to sleep at night, this podcast earned a 5-star rating from me. (5 stars)
Crime Junkie: When you think of true-crime podcasts, you think of “Crime Junkie”, a cult-classic, well-known podcast hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. On browsing their Spotify account, I noticed they have different types of episodes: updates on missing people, murders, serial killers, and “mysterious deaths”. I liked this because they have something for everyone or for any crime mood you are in. After listening to a few episodes, I gathered that they are more conversational and casual. Honestly, I had a bit of a bias at first against this podcast. Because it was so popular, part of me wanted not to like it. And I didn’t. While I didn’t necessarily hate it, and I could understand it being some true crime lovers’ favorite, I didn’t like the boring storytelling, and was disappointed at the fact of how quickly it took me to become distracted. (2 1/2 stars)
My Favorite Murder: “My Favorite Murder” is hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, taking a comedic approach on the darkness of true crime. These two not only share their favorite, infamous crimes, but also unknown, quirky hometown stories. After listening to a few episodes, I noticed that this podcast had a true podcast feel; it was extremely conversational, casual and obviously did not have much of a script. This is perfect for the people who are podcast-lovers and who are just getting into true crime. It’s not heavy or gory due to its comedic approach; it’s the kind of podcast you can put on in the car and not be scared that a serial killer might be in your trunk. From episodes ranging from five minutes to an hour and a half, this podcast has something for everyone. (3.75 stars)
