Hey there, public radio listener: it's time for the annual rites of Halloween frights and shivers. We're here for you with our top 10 spooky public radio tales:
10. What could possibly go wrong? MIT researchers create a "nightmare machine," using AI to learn what we think is scary, because of course we totally want supercomputers to know what we fear the most.
9. The creeping horror of pumpkin spice... everything. And we really do mean everything: dog treats, deodorant...what's next, a pumpkin-spice outing to the RMV? No. Just no.
8. Finally, public policy we can believe in: French town takes common-sense step of banning scary clowns.
7. Who had the bright idea of buying the creepy devil figurine at the tag sale? I dunno... but let's take it to Antiques Roadshow and see how much it's worth.
6. Missed out on your opportunity to snag that creepy carved devil figurine on that leaf-peeping trip? No problem: you can buy haunted dolls on eBay.
5. It's like one of those nightmares where you go to school only to find out you're completely unprepared for an important exam. Except instead you're in charge of crowd control in Salem, Massachusetts. On Halloween.
4. Time to make those popcorn ball treats from the secret family recipe? Why not pop on this mixtape of spooky New England tales from WGBY in the background?
3. Rats! Yuck, right? Worse news: our approach to fighting them is probably all wrong.
2. If we're going to make mortgage payments on a haunted house, let's at least be cleaning gutters accompanied by a literary ghost. Like, say, poet T.S. Eliot.
1. We believe we have reached peak public radio spooky content with this one: advice from the guys at This Old House on what to do if your house is haunted.
The Survey of American Fears (yes, a real thing) shows that Americans are actually more afraid of going broke or government corruption than they are of zombies or ghosts. We hope that you, our fellow listeners, enjoy a break from serious news for stories whose fears are a bit more fanciful. Have no fear, we'll remain on the serious news beat through All Hallow's Eve and beyond.
In the meantime, if you find yourself facing a truly frightful commute, may we recommend a few final spooky goodies for your ears? Snap Judgment's annual October surprise,
Spooked, is don't-miss Halloween listening. Or try
Archive 81, a suspense fiction podcast, tells a tale of an archivist whose boring job turns terrifying (it's produced by Marc Sollinger, who happens to work at WGBH on our
Innovation Hub show!) Lastly, check out The Book, about a man who hears knocking behind his pantry, then finds a hidden chamber. Should he go in?
You decide. In the meantime, don't be that house that passes out boxes of raisins or dental floss, and
stay safe this Halloween.
