Thirteen
Feature length, atmospheric, slow-burn scary stories. Explore an eerie universe of haunted houses, eerie forests, supernatural and occult tales
Our Editor's Take
The Thirteen podcast is for fans of spooky stories. The horror anthology series offers a wide variety of tales with different characters. The non-linear stories start slow and build up to satisfying climaxes. Fantastic narration and well-matched sound effects make this show superb listening. While it's filled with scary stories, the settings, characters, and storylines help romanticize each plot. The podcast pays tribute to small-town America and iconic places like Appalachia.
Thirteen has several narrators, voice actors, and writers. Brooke Jennett, Bridgett Howard, and Ian Epperson often feature as narrators and writers. Other writers include Kathryn England, Amanda Cecilia Lang, and Katie Marie. Lizz Walker and Caleb Ritche help with sound design. The team produces excellent ghost stories and paranormal tales on the podcast.
The audio drama examines the relationship between humans and the paranormal. Many stories explore questions and themes many are afraid to even think about. Character development is another commendable quality of Thirteen. Most episodes are under an hour, and in that time, the characters transform. The scenery also changes with ease as the host narrates. Most stories don't have horror movie staples such as jump scares. Instead, listeners find themselves in the middle of the action without realizing how they got there. The fear creeps in with each understated yet well-articulated scene. That's a testament to the expertise of the contributing writers and showrunners.
In "Shrieking Willow," the story starts with soft piano music playing in the background. The episode has a mild beginning as the narrator describes the legend of Willow, a girl who died of a broken heart. As the story progresses, it gets more intriguing. There is a legend that if Willow shrieks at a couple, their love will last forever. The story follows a young couple in search of Willow. Listeners can expect a surprising ending to the story. On Thirteen, Listeners can expect many more unpredictable storylines like this one. New episodes drop several times a week.
Episodes
