An excerpt from the Hidden Episode now available to unlock for free at www.darkriver.ca Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A recluse living in the forest outside Dark River receives a visit from a haunting stranger. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A nurse at the Dark River Hospital encounters more than death on her evening rounds during a typhoid epidemic. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A local boatman picks up a strange passenger on an early morning ferry up Dark Trout Lake. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

An incident at a brothel leads to deadly consequences. Story by Phillip Psutka [This story contains material that may not be suitable for all ages. Listener discretion is advised.] Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A telegrapher receives a strange message via morse code during an early morning snowstorm. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A woman faces a spectre from her past at a Valentine's Day celebration. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A woman and her sled dogs face a menacing apparition. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

The Manager of the Dark River Train Station receives an unscheduled stop on New Year's Eve. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

❄️ Welcome back, ghoul gang! ❄️ In the second instalment of a pair of very special holiday episodes, @reneewrought shares some lightly frightening, definitely shivery, winter stories. So grab a mug of something piping hot ☕ snuggle up under the covers and prepare yourself for a visit from ghosts of winters past. ⚠️TW: References to infant death (fi…

❄️Happy Winter Holidays, ghoul gang! ❄️ It's your favourite festive folklore and scary story spinner @reneewrought here to put you in the holiday mood with some of the winter holidays celebrated in small towns around the world and their traditions, superstitions, monsters and more. So grab a mug of something piping hot ☕ and settle in for some holi…

On Christmas Eve, a young girl encounters an all too familiar spirit. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

Subterranean horror has long been a favorite sub-genre here at The Spooky Town Podcast. The mystery of what lies below our feet is rife with spooky possibilities. Enter Superdeep (2020), the Russian horror movie that takes the real-life Kola Superdeep Borehole and paints a truly terrifying picture of what lives in the depths of the Earth. Join Ashl…

What's that shadow moving in the corner of the room? Better tuck yourself in tight, there might be something lurking in the dark...😴👹😱 @reneewrought illuminates the shadowy origins of the common childhood fear of monsters hiding in the dark. From folklore to creepypasta, imagination to the evolutionary origins of fear, depictions of under-the-bed m…

An artist discovers a frightening detail hidden in his paintings. Story by Phillip Psutka Dark River gratefully acknowledges the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for their financial support in the creation of this episode. Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.ca…

Who's that knocking on the dorm room door, or rattling the window above your twin bed? Is it your roomie, back from a late night study sesh, or something more otherworldly? Join @reneewrought for a walk down the haunted halls of the world's scariest schools, including: Acadia University, University of Toronto's University College, Flagler College, …

🎃Happy Halloween, ghoul gang! Tuck into this treat of an episode as @reneewrought explores the origins of the Halloween holiday, then offers up an original spooky short story. For best effect, listen with the lights off!👻 ⁠ Follow @smalltownspooky on social media and check out smalltownspooky.wixsite.com/home for updates and extras. Find the transc…

A girl faces her most terrifying Halloween ever at the annual Barker Corn Smash. Story by Phillip Psutka Dark River gratefully acknowledges the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for their financial support in the creation of this episode. Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.ca…

🚨WHOOP WHOOP🚨 It's the sound of the Maritime's most famous ghost. Join @reneewrought for another dive into Canada's creepy history, now with 100% more lumberjacks. Explore the origins of Canada's French colonies, the history of the Mi'kmaq First Nations, and stories of New Brunswick's haunted forest. ⚠️TW: Discussion of colonial settlers, exploitat…

Have you seen something serpentine moving under the water? 🐉 Could it be a creature, or one of the many spirits of the lake, restless to escape their watery grave? Join your sonic psychopomp Renée for a deep dive into the history, mystery and oddity of Lake Champlain, the body of water that holds as many shipwrecks as it does secrets (at least 300,…

Put on your spectral viewers and buckle up as The Spooky Town Podcast dives into the wonderfully over-the-top world of Thirteen Ghosts. In this episode, Ashley and Stephanie talk about their favorite moments from one of the 2000s most cherished horror movies, what kind of toast each of the ghosts would be, and our delight at discovering the actor w…

Small Town Spooky is back with a look at one of Alberta's largest and oldest cities: Edmonton, your sonic psychopomp Renée's current hometown. Learn about the history of the region, as well as the many haunted places across the city—from the Hotel MacDonald to La Bohème, and more about the historic Princess Theatre and the distressing legacy of the…

In this first-ever episode of Small Town Spooky, meet your sonic psychopomp Renée Meloche and hear the history and mysteries behind one of southern Ontario's most haunted stretches of asphalt: Texas Road. Follow @smalltownspooky on social media and check out smalltownspooky.wixsite.com/home for updates and extras. Find the transcript for this episo…

This is Small Town Spooky with Renée Meloche, your sonic psychopomp leading you through stories of haunted roads, abandoned hospitals, French cryptids and little haunts on the prairie, just for starters. Our first episode airs October 3. You can go to smalltownspooky.wixtsite.com/home or check out @smalltownspooky on all the socials for more update…

After his father doesn't return home one night, a boy enters the dark woods in search of him and encounters his worst fears. Story by Phillip Psutka Dark River gratefully acknowledges the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for their financial support in the creation of this episode. Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes …

A boy comes face-to-face with a terrifying figure while trying to escape a forest fire. Story by Phillip Psutka [This story contains graphic descriptions that may not be suitable for all ages. Listener discretion is advised.] Dark River gratefully acknowledges the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for their financial support in the creation of this epis…

In this episode of The Spooky Town Podcast, Ashley and Stephanie feature four of their favorite, and most recent, short horror film discoveries. From an evil entity with a bit of a sleep problem to one of the toughest interviews you’ve ever seen, these short horror gems may be brief, but they are terrifying. Come with us as we review Beneath The Sk…

A late night rehearsal takes a frightening turn for a local fiddler. Story by Phillip Psutka Dark River gratefully acknowledges the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for their financial support in the creation of this episode. Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.ca…

A log drive turns lethal as a certain familiar presence intervenes. Story by Phillip Psutka Dark River gratefully acknowledges the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for their financial support in the creation of this episode. Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.ca…

A girl from a wealthy family acquires an overly possessive companion. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

Atmospheric, nostalgic, and set in an apartment filled with nothing but synth music, The Djinn (2021) tells the story of a young boy trying to survive an hour with an entity bent on killing him before the clock strikes midnight. Listen in as Ashley and Stephanie dissect the story, talk about the dangers of summoning spirits while taking a nice bath…

While traveling aboard the new mobile school-cars, a math teacher meets an elusive student in a strange northern town. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.ca

In this week’s episode of The Spooky Town Podcast, Ashley and Stephanie do a dropkick into the wonderfully glitchy world of co-op horror video games. From a demonic lunch lady who attempts to thwack you with a frying pan to a goat demon chasing cult members around a farm, these horror video games are both terrifying and a blast to play alongside yo…

A woman from a mining camp receives an unexpected visit from from a long-lost friend. Story by Lindsay Bellaire Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.ca

In this week’s episode of The Spooky Town Podcast, Ashley and Stephanie head into the murky waters of Lake Mungo. Centered on a family grappling with the events surrounding their daughter’s untimely death, Lake Mungo takes viewers on a terrifying journey into the secretive life of Alice Palmer — a teenager dealing with the harsh realities of both h…

Bloody, atmospheric, and totally … hair-raising? The Stylist is a brilliant and terrifying horror drama that positions the villain as its protagonist, allowing us to see her for the human she is. After the short film of the same name premiered on the festival circuit in 2016, director and writer, Jill Sixx Gevargizian, began work on the feature-len…

Blood, chainsaws, and Deadites, oh my! In this episode of The Spooky Town Podcast, Ashley and Stephanie explore the making of the wonderfully gruesome Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. From its humble beginnings as a movie made by a few teenagers from Michigan, the Evil Dead series has grown to become one of the horror genre’s most prolific franchises. He…

Ashley and Stephanie sit down with Scott Benson, animator, illustrator, writer, and co-creator of Night in the Woods, to talk about how horror has influenced his creative work, what projects he’s working on now, and the wonderfully spooky world of folk horror. From Häxan (1922) to The Wicker Man (1973), Kill List (2011), Midsommar (2019), and more,…

If you thought we weren’t going to do two installments of The Lost 2000s in a row, you are dead wrong. This week, we take a look at the most blood-bag exploding, logging-truck colliding, eyeball-lasering movie franchise of them all, Final Destination. A pillar of the 2000s, Final Destination built a universe around the anxiety we all feel about our…

Hop on that Razor scooter and jack into your MP3 player because The Spooky Town Podcast is taking a look back at horror movies from the 2000s! In our first-ever series, we dive into the so-called dark ages of the horror film genre, smashing that stereotype through our reviews of the best movies to come out of the misunderstood decade. For our first…

In Episode 4 of The Spooky Town Podcast, Ashley and Stephanie explore the history of found-footage horror movies and dissect the best of what the sub-genre has to offer. From the rise of the epistolary horror novel hundreds of years ago to The Blair Witch Project and beyond, found-footage horror movies blur the lines between fantasy and reality in …

In our third episode of The Spooky Town Podcast, we dig into our most anticipated horror movies of 2021 before dissecting the best of what short horror films have to offer.Di The Spooky Town Podcast

In Spooky Town's last episode of 2020, we dig into our full list of best horror movies from the year and talk about why the genre is so important to us in times of turmoil.Di The Spooky Town Podcast

After her car breaks down on the way to her family's house for Christmas Eve, a woman has a life-changing encounter with something from another time. Story by Lindsay Bellaire Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

Hello, world! In our first-ever episode of the Spooky Town podcast, we introduce ourselves, talking about where our love of horror comes from, our favorite horror movies, and what iconic horror movies we actually hate. Then, we launch right into our recommendations for the best holiday horror out there.…

A family selects a Christmas tree that doesn't want to be taken. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A hunter encounters a ghost from the past. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A mining catastrophe leads to dark consequences. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

An annual attraction proves far more sinister than ever before at the Barker Halloween Corn Smash. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka

A girl receives a strange visitor the night after her best friend is involved a terrible accident. Story by Phillip Psutka Unlock the Hidden Episode & Join the Mailing List for Behind-the-Scenes Town Secrets Now! www.darkriver.caDi Phillip Psutka