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Halloween is the best night of the year for a story told in the dark. Here is the Tale Teller’s pick of scary stories to listen to this Halloween, from real Japanese cases and their yōkai to classic radio frights and modern creepypasta. Every one is free to play right here.
Turn the lights down, put your headphones on, and choose your poison.
Japanese horror for Halloween night
The Joker On The Halloween Train
Episode 994
Our Halloween special begins on a crowded Tokyo train on Halloween night 2021, paired with the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the one night when you cannot tell a person from a monster.
30 People. 90 Minutes. One Village. Japan’s Tsuyama Massacre & The Gashadokuro
Episode 983
Thirty lives in ninety minutes in a mountain village, and the giant skeleton of Japanese legend said to rise from those who are never mourned.
27 Pieces: The Unsolved Horror of Inokashira Park — True Crime Japan
Episode 986
Twenty-seven pieces in a Tokyo park, a victim with no answers, and the faceless ghost of Japanese folklore.
Classic radio frights
The Thing on the Fourble Board – Quiet, Please
Episode 210
“The Thing on the Fourble Board” from Quiet, Please, often named among the scariest radio plays ever broadcast.
Suspense: Banquo’s Chair – A Ghostly Truth
Episode 452
A staged haunting to trap a killer goes very wrong in this Suspense classic.
Escape: Finger of Doom & The Adaptive Ultimate | Old Time Radio Double Bill
Episode 995
A brand-new remastered double bill from Escape, released this Halloween season.
More vintage chills
- The Haunting Hour: Jennie Daniels Must Die – OTR
- Suspense: The Pit and the Pendulum – Old Time Radio
- 🔮Inner Sanctum — The Death of Mr Putnam🔮
Creepypasta and Nosleep
The Showers Creepypasta Part 1 – by clover10176
Episode 854
“The Showers” by clover10176: a teacher’s mystery, friends who go missing, and the start of a two-part nightmare.
My Son Won’t Take Off His Halloween Costume – Nosleep
Episode 149
A Nosleep story about a child who finds a Halloween costume that fits a little too well.
The Rake & The Wendigo – Creepypasta
Episode 316
Two classic creature creepypastas: The Rake, the pale thing said to appear at bedsides, and the Wendigo.
My Little Oubliette & The Auburn Wolf – Halloween
Episode 810
A Spooktober bundle of four creepypasta tales, including “My Little Oubliette” and “The Auburn Wolf”.
More Halloween creepypasta
- SPOOKTOBER — Shadow Forest, Gen “Freak” and Vintage Radio Ritual
- The Showers Creepypasta Finale – Narrated
The history behind Halloween
The History of Halloween – What Is Samhain?
Episode 349
Where Halloween really comes from: the Celtic festival of Samhain and how it became the night we know today.
Halloween Special: The History of the Ouija Board
Episode 495
The surprising history of the Ouija board, from parlour game to haunted object.
Halloween Special: Fairies, Elves, Dwarves, Trolls & Nisses
Episode 630
Fairies, elves, dwarves, trolls and nisses: the folklore of the hidden folk, in a mega Halloween special.
Crypt Keeper Special — Spooktober — Long Episode with TWO Classic Fairy Tales
Episode 812
Two classic fairy tales for Spooktober, including the story of the youth who went forth to learn what fear was.
New here? Start at the beginning
Weird Beginnings – Five Creepy Stories
Episode 1
Five short, creepy true encounters, the very first episode of Stories Fables Ghostly Tales from 2017.
Want more? Explore Japanese True Crime Cases, Japanese Urban Legends, Yokai & Folklore and Old Time Radio Horror & Suspense.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good scary story to listen to on Halloween?
For a first listen, try “The Thing on the Fourble Board” from Quiet, Please, the Night Parade Halloween special, or the creepypasta classic “The Showers”. All are free to play on this page.
What is Samhain?
Samhain is a Gaelic festival held at the end of October that marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. Many Halloween traditions grew out of it.