Best Fiction Podcasts of 2023

Fear From the Heartland, hosted by Paul J. McSorley, is a gripping horror anthology podcast. Although not exclusively set in the heartland, McSorley delivers chilling tales from there, intending to instill fear and bewilderment into listeners’ minds, souls, and hearts through these eerie stories.

Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery audio drama, follows Lillian Harper who relocates to Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to tend to her injured estranged mother. Residing in a generations-old family boarding house, she stumbles upon eerie conspiracies, encounters spirits, and finds a new family among the house’s unusual inhabitants.

Three survivors as they trek across the country trying to survive an alien invasion.

Dive into the eerie origins of horror with a Canadian anthology series. Unfathomable occurrences, from a black sea-stone unveiling a headless man, to mysterious mirrors on distant comets, an ape creating hooks from its companion’s ribs, crypt defilement, and a woman birthing a burning-names book, mark these frightful beginnings.

“Man In Space” chronicles Commander Kelly’s survival post nuclear catastrophe on Earth, alone in an orbiting space station. It’s been 154 days of isolation and dwindling resources. Each episode offers an audio log, revealing Kelly’s past and escalating adventure. A survival and existential quest, involving aliens and distant worlds, this narrative explores both the cosmos and inner self.

Discover the Mystery Theater Old Time Radio Podcast, your portal to Golden Age radio’s mystery, intrigue, and comedy. It delivers top-rated radio plays while illuminating the background of the programs, cast, and writers, fostering a deep understanding of this historical era.

Mike Archer, a rookie fire watcher in Wyoming, seeks solace in solitude after his mother’s death. He aims to detect fires and write his book from his lofty tower, but disturbing radio interferences and eerie sounds from the forest shatter his tranquility. Is this reality or his sanity cracking under isolation?