Top 5 Favorite Podcasts of 2018
I listen to a lot of podcasts on my commute to and from work. I wish I had time for more of them because some of my Twitter friends do amazing things; I just haven’t had a chance to dig into them fully. In fact, it’s my goal to listen to more outside of these Top 5 in 2019 and share them with you.
Until then, here are the five podcasts that helped get me through 2018.
Shudder has been a joy this year, from their back catalogue to their original movies. This year, it gave me the most bang per buck of any of the streaming services. But I didn’t expect them to release a narrative podcast. And I didn’t expect it to be so perfect. Video Palace apes the style of crime and mystery podcasts, like “S Town” and “Serial” but adds a supernatural twist of digging into the mystery of a set of white VHS tapes that seem to infect the listener. It’s well-written and produced and has some fantastic performances. Give it a listen!
Start with: Start from the beginning, silly. It’s a narrative!
I’ll let the Thots tell you what it’s about in their own words, “A podcast, gabfest where a multiracial mix of queer writers talk about sex, identity, culture, what we like to read…and who we like to read.” These podcasters are a riot. They each bring a different perspective to the table, while discussing a variety of pop culture, literary prose and issues confronting queer people. While I might not always agree with them on certain subjects, they always make me laugh and then think about things from a different perspective.
Start with: “Sweet Sweet Fantasy (feat. John Paul Brammer)” because it’s the closest one to the horror genre. It tackles fantasy and its intersection with queer identity.
Putting aside that the logo is sexy AF, this podcast tackles horror from a LGBTQ+ perspective and asks important questions like whether the movie deserves a pride float and how gay is it and whether that representation is positive or negative. They dig into classic queer cinema like Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge and dig into the positives and negatives of that representation. It’s also funny as hell. The hosts have fantastic chemistry and their laughs are infectious. I love love love this show and more people need to know about it.
Start with: “Frederica, Queen of the Desert” with Katya and Same Wineman because it tackles the movie mentioned above and it’s a blast.
Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West take a more academic approach to analyzing horror films. Each episode typically takes a movie or two that are thematically similar and then researches the hell out of them. Each episode comes with links to the articles they reference and additional reading on the subject. They’re funny and charismatic, but also extremely well-versed. And as someone with a degree in English who likes to analyze movies, this is totally my jam. Honestly, this and the next podcast flip-flop constantly in the rankings; and really, who cares? Give it a listen!
Start with: Episode 67. Where is my mind: The Stepford Wives (1975) and Get Out (2017) because it’s one of their best this year and the analysis is as impeccable as the humor.
This is the podcast that truly got me into loving podcasts. The hosts are engaging and because they’ve known each other for so long they have a natural camaraderie. It feels like a group of friends, gathered around a table, catching up on the movies they’ve been watching. I’ve added so many movies to my library because of them and found indie films that would have slipped through the cracks, otherwise. And then they have interviews with some of the greats in the genre. I look forward to this every week. It’s like being around old friends; it’s comforting, fun and funny.
Start with: Episode 110: Birthday Shenanigans with Udo Kier! This interview was probably my favorite of the year. It’s such a blast.
