The paranormal subgenre dates all the way back to the work of gothic fiction writers such as Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Henry James. Be it a monster created by a human, a vampire prince falling for a woman who resembles his dead wife, or a governess hired to take care of two orphans in an estate with unimaginable secrets, these are foundational texts of the paranormal: supernatural, spooky stories featuring events that resist a scientific explanation. Over the years, the genre has shifted in form and storytelling, inspired by cultural moments and the newfound horrors of modernity.
The paranormal genre is perfectly suited to podcasts, given how its ties to myths and legends are rooted in oral storytelling. In the same way that a campfire tale can give you goosebumps, the best paranormal podcasts are as much about performance and structure as the story itself. Some, like the gothic fiction of old, are purely imagined, while others offer a window into the unseen and unexplained pockets of our own reality.
