Obviously, you need a murder podcast in your life to satisfy your wont for morbid details about murder when you are walking, showering, or cooking, and can’t drop what you’re doing to stare at Dateline or Forensic Files. But how can you choose with so many options? Here is Emily Hall’s run down of the different kinds of murder podcasts available and her picks for each category.
In Depth Investigation: Serial
This podcast topped the charts for weeks and has spurred several spin-offs, but still remains one of the most in-depth podcasts. Focusing on the same murder for an entire season, it historically reveals new evidence on a case that has led to public opinion, and even the court, questioning state convictions.
Comedic Retelling: Last Podcast from the Left
This popular podcast covers the ‘heavy hitters’ of murders in intensely researched detail and, out of all of the options, is the most mocking of the murderers. Despite their quite raunchy, top-notch humour, these three comedians take their subject matter seriously and you can count on them for all of the details, from the most harrowing to the most hilarious.
Community Oriented: My Favourite Murder
This series featuring two lovable conversationalists is the most casual but it also comes with the biggest perk. The ‘My Favourite Murder Podcast’ Facebook group is an active place for the discussion of our morbid fascination with crime, and fellow ‘Murderinos’ greet each other enthusiastically in public and hold delightful themed regional gatherings worldwide. In all of the internet, I’m not sure if any group is more kindhearted, supportive or creative than this group of murder-enthusiasts.
Radio Drama Re-enactments: Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories
If you prefer less left to the imagination, or want more of a fiction-like experience, cue up some episodes of Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories. (Mostly) talented voice actors reenact what pre-murder, murder and post-murder scenes might have been like – in between titbits of factual narratives – giving you a more imaginative view of the killer in question.
(Extra) Terrifying: Sword and Scale
With truly graphic descriptions of the actions of murderers, real 911 calls and serial killer interviews that the other podcasts tend to shy away from, Sword and Scale is not for the faint of heart. With lots of research and expert interviews, you get a lot of information – but for many people it is too much.
Australian Casefile: True Crime
While this podcast does not focus on exclusively Australian murderers, it covers quite a few, and one of its defining characteristics is the lovely Australian accent of its host. With this podcast you get details, storytelling and context to keep you intrigued, and they cover a number of lesser known murders that you can mention later to catch even your most morbidly educated friends off guard.
Image: Lucy Southen