Spooked

Spooked is a spinoff of Snap Judgment, and it has carved out its own massive following by focusing exclusively on true supernatural stories told by the people who experienced them. Hosted by Glynn Washington and produced by KQED and Snap Studios, the show has 221 episodes and an impressive 4.6-star rating from over 16,000 reviewers. Every episode features real people describing encounters they can barely explain. A woman hears her dead grandmother's voice on the phone. A night security guard watches a figure walk through a locked door. A family moves into a house where the previous residents left without their belongings. The storytellers are not professional performers. They're regular people recounting experiences that clearly still shake them. The production values are superb. Like its parent show, Spooked uses original music and sound design to build atmosphere without overwhelming the narration. Washington's introductions set the tone perfectly, though some listeners note he can be a bit theatrical. Episodes run 25 to 40 minutes and drop every Friday. What makes Spooked work is the sincerity of the storytellers. These aren't ghost hunters or paranormal investigators with an agenda. They're teachers, nurses, truck drivers, and retired military personnel who experienced something they cannot explain and finally decided to talk about it. The show treats their accounts with respect rather than skepticism, which makes for genuinely unsettling listening. It's the kind of podcast you probably shouldn't listen to alone at night, but you will anyway.