The hardest part of adult life—other than health insurance, inflation, student loan debt, and imminent climate disaster—is not being able to embrace the full-body terror and joy of Halloween like you could in childhood.

From disturbing PG-rated Nickelodeon cartoons to the good old days before every costume was bastardized with a "sexy" version, Halloween should be the time of year we embrace our inner witch, demon, zombie, or punny Optimus-Amazon-Prime identities.

But you can't. Since Halloween falls on a boring Thursday this year, you'll probably be stuck working or trying to supervise hellish children so they don't die or get kidnapped or whatever. So while you're stuck at the office, or holding a smelly plastic orange pumpkin full of stale chocolate eyeballs, or holding a smelly child's hand while he fills an orange plastic pumpkin with stale chocolate eyeballs, you should listen to these creepy and chilling podcasts. Some are true crime stories, some are urban legends, and some are real-life unexplained events from listeners' traumatic childhoods, but all of them set the mood for the perfect adult Halloween: sleepless, paranoid, and full of f-bombs.

​Parcast's Unsolved Murders

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Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories

This true crime scripted series features a talented cast of voice actors dramatizing the known events surrounding unsolved murders. Based on testimonies, news reporting, and police investigations, the two hosts narrate the details of a cold case or unsolved disappearance as the characters unfold their own mysteries.