It’s Alive!: A Frankensteined IG Staff Playlist

By Imaginary Gardens Staff; Introduction by Eli Kolesar, Editor

It finally, FINALLY, feels like Fall outside, and just in time for Halloween. This time, we at Imaginary Gardens have stitched together a pulse-pounding playlist of not just spooky music, but of haunting podcasts and disturbing dramas. So before your costume parties and trick-or-treating actually roll around, give it a listen to help you get in the mood. 

Eli Kolesar, Editor and Patrick Dobyns, Staff Writer and Editor

“Old Gods of Appalachia” – DeepNerd Media

“Old Gods of Appalachia” is some of the best horror media I’ve ever experienced, especially as someone from Appalachia. A blend of folklore, cosmic horror, and history comes together to weave a bone-chilling audio drama that will leave you shivering under your blankets, despite the first season being about a mine fire that was based on one of the most deadly coal mining disasters in Kentucky history. 

– Eli

The folklore of Appalachia is something that has always fascinated me, and the stories of witches and wise women have hooked me into this series. I never heard a lot of this kind of regional folklore when I was growing up, which I consider a great shame. The stories of creatures such as Taily-Po and the Not-Deer are sadly being told less and less, but this podcast is keeping the tradition alive. Blending these stories with historic life in twentieth-century Appalachia gives this series an almost Lovecraftian feel. Even if you aren’t the biggest horror fan, if you have even the slightest interest in local folklore, I give this series a hearty recommendation. 

-Patrick

---

Jacqueline Ayala, Social Media Editor

“It’s Been So Long” by The Living Tombstone

It’s not a song I listen to daily, but when it’s time for some hauntingly fun songs, I always return to the Five Nights at Freddy’s soundtrack. The animatronic voices, the eerie lyrics, the weird feeling of nostalgia you can get from this song–  it all wraps into the perfect song for Halloween. Not to mention, we all need some fun songs in our lives. Halloween is the perfect time to embrace it.

---

Rebecka Jones, Staff Writer

“Devil by the Window” by TOMORROW X TOGETHER

Inspired by Peter Pan visiting Darling children by the window and tempting them to fly away to Neverland, the K-pop group TOMORROW X TOGETHER sings a mysterious and sultry song about resisting the temptation of growing up; in other words, falling into the urge to travel to Neverland, where they will be young forever. The low voices and deep rhythms of the song give it an eerie vibe, and the comparison of Peter Pan to a devil tempting people makes the lyrics dark. The band expresses their conflict of choosing the freedom of youth over the responsibilities of adulthood, which can be a scary choice to make.

---

Fin Jump

“Camp Here & There” by Blue Wolf

This queer fiction horror audio drama follows the day-to-day of a 25-hour day of totally normal summer camp with a totally normal amount of delightfully existential phenomena. Enjoy the comforting yet dreadfully whimsical narrations of camp nurse/ announcer, Sydney O. Sargent, with music by Will Wood.

---

Heather Lee Schroeder, Faculty Mentor

“Edge of the Map (Cumberland Gap)” by Small Fools

Nathan and Ruthie Prillaman, the duo behind Small Fools, bring their folksy weirdness to a song that embodies the spooky season and references the Cumberland Gap, the tripoint between Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee, a location Appalachians know well. Small Fools flirts with the fae and old Appalachian mythos in this stripped-down alt-folk-bluegrass mashup. The song’s narrator lures boys to her lair, plying them with Sycamore wine until they “no longer remember [their] name.” The alluring creature-songstress asks, “Whatcha gonna whisper when you know you’re gonna die?” which will bring shivers to Appalachian listeners who know better than to follow their name in the dark or to ask questions after midnight. Somehow, the song gives you the feeling that maybe taking a little long nap isn’t so bad, if Ruthie Prillaman is singing the lullaby. 

---

Katie Extine

“We Used To Live Here” from Creepcast

My most recent favorite horror story. Funnily enough, I haven’t listened to this episode yet since I’ve been reading the book based on it, and don’t want spoilers. The actual book has already taken me around 6 hours of reading time and I’m around two-thirds through it, so the original Reddit version is much shorter and condensed. A couple of episodes before this one, they read another story by the author, Markus Kliewer, called “The Man In My Basement Takes One Step Closer Every Day”, which is a 6-hour-long episode and took 3 days to finish, but it was an awesome story and when I heard the author had a full-length book out, I practically ran to the library.

---

Addison Chrivia, Managing Editor

“Yes to Err is Human, So Don’t Be One” by Will Wood

This song is from the perspective of a vampire begging you, the victim, to let him drain your blood. This is a fairly clear metaphor for a toxic relationship, in which your ex is begging you to come back and essentially steal your life from you. In this album, it’s part of a narrative in which a demon is a couple’s therapist for the subject of the song and his boyfriend. This song has the demon trying to convince the protagonist to commit suicide and, in classic Will Wood style, he fills the lyrics with double entendres and puns; his cleverness combines with a catchy tune to make the perfect Halloween listen.

---

Olyver LaGabed, Staff Writer

“Animal Farm” by The Kinks

Animal Farm, a song off of the Kinks’ 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, has experienced a massive boost in popularity since being featured in the credits of Zach Gregger’s most recent film Resident Evil. This song, in my opinion, is a perfect addition to this playlist for that exact reason. Its sound perfectly captures the wannabe optimistic, hollow feel that the Resident Evil film has, and ultimately just reminds me a lot of the movie. Honestly, if I could just… Add the entire Resident Evil film to the playlist, I would… But I think, as professionals, we’re meant to look down on piracy… Boo. Anyways, Resident Evil is a really great movie, and this song reminds me a lot of it. Everyone, go watch that movie.

---

Anna Matsen Cantrell, Faculty Mentor

“Murder at the Cakery Bakery” and “The Dark End of the Mall” by The Truth

As one who has spent years accumulating narratives to muse over and to push into the hands of variably willing friends and family members — I would like to take a moment to appreciate the modern delight of reading a short work with one’s ears. Podcasts are a wonderful way to experience tales both classic and new, whether while completing a chore or settling cozily in with loved ones ready to immerse fully in a bewitching chronicle. In this month of all things spooky, please enjoy the ability of a sharp audio performance to hone a tale to a fine knife’s edge. I am thrilled to share several standout audio performances from The Truth (and other podcasts) that I trust Edgar Allan Poe himself would praise for their captivatingly singular effects. “Murder at the Cakery Bakery” is an oddly relatable tale of retail employment gone horrifyingly wrong, while “The Dark End of the Mall” cheerfully stirs the unease in the pit of one’s stomach up until its iconic ending. Happy Halloween to all!

Series Navigation

<< Spice Up Your Listening: An IG Staff Playlist