It was so popular last year that we decided to do it again! Join us this holiday season as we introduce you to twelve of our favourite podcasts in the 12 Days of Podmas.
Welcome, friends, to a truly unique and captivating podcast, Old Gods of Appalachia. A horror anthology set within an alternate Appalachia, a cultural region of the eastern United States of America that stretches from the southern part of New York to the northern parts of Alabama and Georgia, where the forests and mountains contain very real menaces, and things lurk just beyond our vision but are destined to bring unimaginable madness.
Created by Steve Shell and Cam Collins, both natives of the region where the podcast is set, Old Gods was launched in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength since then. It has two full seasons of episodes that blend both cosmic horror and terrifying folklore, and there are extra stories for those who have become backers of the podcast on their Patreon. As of their second birthday, the podcast has been downloaded over five million times, and if you give it a listen you can understand why it is so popular.
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The voice acting and narration are sublime, starting you off feeling as though you are sat around a campfire being told a ghost story, but then pulling you into the story as it unfolds, trapping you alongside the beings locked within the mountains and mines as they start to wear their prison walls thin. The eldritch horrors contained within the tales certainly share similarities with other famous literary creations, but the creators have made it very clear that they will not use the term ‘Lovecraftian’ when describing Old Gods. Xenophobia and racism are not welcome within their show.
It is impossible to talk too much about the individual episodes without giving away too much of the plot, especially as there are recurring characters and entities throughout, but each and every one is well written and full of touches and slang terms that are unique to the Appalachian region. Although they can make the listener feel like an outsider, that is rather the point. The more you come to understand, the more you hear, the more you want to learn about the witches in the woods and the lurkers in the coal mines.
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Old Gods of Appalachia is currently on hiatus but the creators have already said that season three will premiere in 2022, as will a Kickstarter, in partnership with Monte Cook Games, for a TTRPG based within the podcast’s setting. But it is well worth your time to give the first two seasons a listen during this festive season.
You can listen to Old Gods of Appalachia on various platforms.