Spooky Maine podcasts to get you into the Halloween spirit








Maine and all spooky things go together like a lock and a key. The state also has numerous locations with paranormal legends, isolation and mystery, plenty of ghost stories, history, and folklore. Here are a number of podcasts that capitalize on creepy Maine stuff.
Malevolent Maine
Malevolent Maine is a paranormal and horror podcast based in Maine. As noted by its creators and co-founders, Chris Estes, Lucas Knight, and Tom Wilson, their fictional podcast "blends the line between reality and urban legend. Our stories are a mix of urban legend, campfire ghost story, and traditional scary stories." We reached out to Chris Estes to find out a bit more about it.
Who inspired you to start digging into the darker folklore and legends of Maine?
When we started this podcast, we were all high school teachers. We were teaching about urban legends, and how they spread. We thought it would be fun to have our students write their own Maine-centric urban legends, so we wanted to give them some examples. We came up with a few of our own. Obviously, Stephen King is a huge inspiration—the way he blends his fiction with that real Maine vibe is something we all relate to. We've always been into ghost stories, like Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," as well as horror movies and legends and folktales in general.
What draws you to tell stories that blur the line between myth and reality?
Malevolent Maine sees itself as a sort of 21st-century campfire. We're all gathered around together, telling stories that sound real, and definitely could be. But there's always some doubt between fiction and reality. Myths and legends were created to explain things early mankind didn't quite understand. That hasn't changed in 2025. There's still plenty we don't know, and stories like ours might help fill some of those gaps. For us, we like the idea of not really knowing where a story ends and a fact begins. Our tagline or motto is: "We Believe You." No one else might, and it might seem far-fetched, but we believe you. Look, a good story is a good story, and at the end of the day, that's what we are—storytellers. Believing in a story is a little different than believing in a fact. There's a power in storytelling, a truth that sometimes extends beyond what can be proven.
Where in Maine have you found the most chilling or unexplained tale so far?
Maine is perfect for stories of the odd and the strange. We're a state with lots of unexplored areas. There are plenty of woods and plenty of old sites. We're in the heart of Puritan country, where early European settlers lived, but there are tons of Indigenous Peoples' stories, early explorers, and even possibly Vikings. Maine is a great place; we've got a little bit of everything and lots of places for creepy things to hide. We tell stories from all parts of the state. Northern Maine has lots of wilderness, but there are plenty of pockets of weirdness everywhere.
Who in your audience are you most hoping to reach — skeptics, believers, or storytellers?
We're trying to reach people who love good, old-fashioned scary stories. Anyone who likes things that go bump in the night, or asks what's waiting for us in the dark. We're amateur podcasters and storytellers, but we love talking about spirits, demons, aliens, and otherworldly interdimensional beings. If you like your stories on the spooky side, if you like tales of the unexplained, then we're here for you.
What do you think makes Maine’s folklore distinct from other regions in New England?
Maine is a perfect melting pot for folklore. We have the stories of the Indigenous People, the European explorers and settlers, the early American myths and legends, such as Paul Bunyan! It's this mixing of ideas and beliefs that we find fascinating. We're just far enough away from the big cities that the old-style beliefs can creep in. The ghosts and creatures of the old world migrated when the settlers came here, finding the creepy things already waiting, and they blended together, mixing the best parts. There are still places for unexplained things to hide here in Maine.
To listen to Malevolent Maine's podcasts, visit: https://malevolentmaine.com
Other notable podcasts with Maine connections Dark Downeast The granddaughter of a lobster fisherman, Kylie Lowis is the host of Dark Downeast, which mainly deals with true crime stories and missing persons in all of New England. Some of the podcasts focus on Maine stories. Take the case of Michael Madore, from Milo, Maine, who disappeared almost 30 years ago to start a new life in Alaska. There was no indication that he made it to his destination. You can listen to the podcast or read the transcript here. Murder She Told Murder, She Told is another true-crime podcast focused on lesser-known cold cases, missing-persons mysteries, and unsolved murders in Maine and the New England region. The show is created and hosted by Kristen Seavey, who is a native Mainer and a victims’ advocate. In one featured episode, "The Unsolved Murder of Brian Allen," a man from Orland, Maine, Brian Allen, was shot to death in his bed, and the murderer was never found. Small-town cases like this often fade from public view, and the episode keeps the case alive in the hope for accountability. The Lore Aaron Mahnke hosts The Lore podcast and features episodes about the dark side of history, including mysterious creatures and tragic events, with several episodes focusing on Maine. Episode 29, "The Big Chill" focuses on "...the real-life intersection of Maine's harsh winters and deadly coastline..." This episode covers lighthouse legends such as the piano-playing wife on Seguin Island who drove her husband mad, the shipwreck off Boon iIsland, in which the crew resorted to cannibalism, the 1850 storm that wrecked a ship near the Owls Head Light, and the hauntings that occurred ever since. New England Legends Though the podcast covers all of New England, several spooky episodes on Maine turn up, such as Podcast 413, "The Haunted Cellar of Great Chebeague Island." In Casco Bay, hosts Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger went out on Casco Bay to Great Chebeague Island to find an old cellar hole that is said to be haunted by the ghost of a slain pirate who is still lurking around guarding his treasure. As Auger tells his audience, "We’re always on the hunt for ghosts, monsters, aliens, roadside oddities, eccentrics, and all other weirdness that makes this place great." |
Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com