Runalong The Short Shelves - Psuedopod October and November

Publisher - Escape Pods https://pseudopod.org

Available at all good podcast courses

I go time to play a little catch up as the end of the year got me and next up I treated myself to to Psuedopod’s as per usual varied and excellent selection of horror podcasts

First up!

PseudoPod, episode 996 - The Suitable Surroundings, written by Ambrose Bierce and narrated by Ben Phillips, and The Resurrection of Chilton Hills, written by Philip Curtiss and narrated by David Casano, hosted by Joshua Tuttle

This episode has two very strange stories but I think show the strength of Pseudopod !95 just dramatising a storey in audio form but interrogating what the story does. The Suitable Surroundings is a tale of something so terrible that it can make people die but while the prose is perhaps a little purple for my usual tastes get wise a fascinating bit where a character who is a writer tells off readers using their work for simple commute pleasure. It’s very much felt like an author interrogating what makes horror stories work best.

The second serving is mischievous a small suburban village full of dangerous ruins and yet the actual truth is more bizarre than the usual horror tale. Again as the episode notes at the end show in reality this story gets to the heart of stories creating something new that looks real to scare people away. This is an episode where the stories are decent and fun but the context is real food for thought.

PseudoPod, episode 997 Flash on the Borderline 75. Together is our favorite place to be.Written by Alex Ebenstein, Scott Weisser and Annie ZH Sun. Narrated by Jarius Durnett, Kevin M. Hayes and Dani Cutler. Hosted by Scott Campbell

The Borderline episodes offer a feat of short fiction in audio form and this starts with The Wind Beneath, written by Alex Ebenstein and narrated by Jarius Durnett

This is a fascinating mournful tale of a father and son but interrogating the darkest of circumstances. A flash of hope here though requires something quite hard to imagine being made into reality. Was very much a he did what?!? As I walked across a city and I did not see this story coming.

Something even darker awaits in “They Still Haven't Found Stevie by Scott Weisser narrated by Kevin M. Hayes it captures the confusion of a child in a scary situation where adults can’t always be heroes and is an unsettling listen.

Lastly in this episode “Precious Darlings by Annie ZH Song “Narrated by Dani Cutler again uses a child in danger to make an unsettling story where a mysterious child that only another can see finds they are being slowly torture and the games are getting worse. Nothing is explained here and that makes things even more disquieting.

PseudoPod, episode 998 The Story-Stealer's Night by Madhu Campbell, narrated by Suna Dasi, hosted by Kat Day

Here an excellent performance by Suna Dasi is the icing on a cake for this original story set in India. Three young children are riding they need to tell stories but not quite sure why. It mixes history, local myth and cosmic horror to create a advancing story that really shifts shape quite a few times, Kat Day as usual has some incredulous commentary as to how this story breaks the rules of storytelling but reminds us reeled can be broken whenever they need to be. I loved the way the various characters all came alive in this one and again not everything is resolved by the end leaving it up to the listener to decide what’s next for the world.

PseudoPod, episode 999. This week's story, Barghest, by Susan King, narrated by Louise Hewitt, hosted by Alasdair Stuart

A delightfully dark story of a mother and child trying to settle down away from London and their pasts. The past though has a habit of fining people and this beautifully written and atmospheric story reminds us childhood not parenthood is never easy. The story is worryingly silent and tow ha happens next and Alasdair Stuart’s poignantly honest commentary reminds us the world often creates the monsters first.

PseudoPod, Episode 1000 The Novel of The White Powder by Arthur Machen, narrated by Cat Day and Alasdair Stuart, hosted by Alasdair Stuart

for Halloween and a milestone episode this is a great double bill first with The White Powder and here we got to 1895 and a young woman very worried by her brother’s increasingly strange behaviour, the title alone these days would suggest something else to us but I really liked this story as well for a modern audience that title means something different and it’s hard not to see a metaphor for drug abuse.

Celebrating the milestone there is also a great interview with outgoing editor Shawn Garrett and its two people who know their subject matter of storytelling really flowing in a chat.

PseudoPod, episode 1001 A Coven of Cats Under the Light of the Moon by M. Halstead and The Halloween Parade, 2025 by Alasdair Stuart. Narrated by Laura Pearlman and Alasdair Stuart. Hosted by Alasdair Stuart.

For ‘A Coven’ would warn that this episode does have some abuse to an animal but fear not the cats have their delicious and bloody revenge. Short but powerfully told

The Halloween Parade is an annual tradition where Stuart creates a free flowing story based around all the horror mediums they’ve seen in the year. How many can you spot?

PseudoPod, episode 1002 The Squatters by Shawna Yang Ryan. Narrated by Rebecca Wei Hsieh Hosted by Kat Day

i loved this story again and Wen Hsieh captured the characters and the emotional toll of this story beautifully. An archaeologist who specialises in helping uncover mass graves goes to Taiwan and finds out a family connection. The mix of the supernatural, history and culture here is brilliantly done and really builds up tension and a feeling of loss.

PseudoPod, episode 1003, for November 14th, 2025. House Traveler, by Thomas Ha. Narrated by Preston Buttons, hosted by Scott Campbell

I read this brilliant slice of weird fiction in Ha’s excellent collection Uncertain Sons and this story bends reality and makes us question everything we listen to, again this shows why Pseudopod’s ability to match a narrator to a story is so good as you get a fresh approach with Button’s various voices and the overall effect is beautifully eerie and menacing.

PseudoPod, episode 1004 for November 21, 2025. Madame Painte For Sale by John Langan. Narrated by Ian Gordon.Hosted by Graeme Dunlop

Finishing off the two months hugely enjoyed this story taking us to Australia and a brilliant bit of story structure. A cursed object story had a tragic story to tell which an enigmatic shopkeeper delights in telling our growing shopper. It’s the final reveal of why he is so interested in the story that adds a much darker shade to what may happen next. I will though caveat a gruesome fate awaits a cat in this one

Pseudopod doing this level of quality week in week out means they can be overlooked but I’d be strongly recommend some audio horror here to help unsettle you more than trying to work out when January payday is. This horror is far more enjoyable!