The Halloween Podcast

In this episode of The Halloween Podcast, Lyle puts Meghan’s spooky game knowledge to the test with a brand-new game show. Meghan is given a series of eerie titles and clues, and she must decide whether each one is a vintage video game, a classic board game, or something completely made up. Along the way, we explore the history behind real horror games from the 1980s and 1990s, including early Ata...

In this Haunted Thursday episode of The Halloween Podcast, we’re heading to Washington, D.C., to explore the history and haunting legend of the Hay-Adams Hotel. Guests and staff have reported strange activity inside the elegant hotel, including lights turning on and off, doors opening and closing, swaying chandeliers, the faint smell of almonds, and the feeling of a woman nearby. Many believe that...

In this episode of The Halloween Podcast, we look at the surprising places where Halloween has been banned, restricted, or tightly controlled. From countries that outlaw public Halloween celebrations to cities with trick-or-treat age limits, curfews, mask laws, costume bans, school restrictions, and even rules about porch lights, we explore how different communities have tried to manage the spooky...

There are now just 117 days until Halloween! In this week's Halloween Weekly Update , we're covering the biggest Halloween news from June 29 through July 5, 2026 . This week, LEGO unveils three brand-new Halloween sets for 2026, Universal announces that Hellraiser is coming to Halloween Horror Nights for the very first time, Spirit Halloween reveals its first wave of 2026 animatronics, and The Bra...

Happy Fourth of July! In this special episode of The Halloween Podcast, we’re celebrating America’s birthday with a darker twist. From Founding Fathers dying on the same date to battlefield anniversaries, explosive traditions, strange presidential coincidences, and the eerie history hiding behind the fireworks, this episode looks at the spooky side of Independence Day. We’ll talk about why July 4...

What if Summerween existed long before Gravity Falls ever gave it a name? This week on The Halloween Podcast , Lyle and Meghan explore the evolution of spooky summer fun by comparing vintage Halloween-inspired products with today's growing collection of Summerween merchandise. Lyle takes a nostalgic journey through the history of forgotten favorites like Goosebumps beach towels, Goosebumps Fan Clu...

For this special Summerween edition of Haunted Thursday, we travel to one of Utah's most infamous haunted locations: St. Anne's Retreat in Logan Canyon. Originally established as Hatch Camp in the 1920s before becoming a Catholic retreat, the property is now known for stories of a ghostly nun, shadowy apparitions, eerie voices, and unexplained encounters around its abandoned swimming pool. In this...

Summerween is here! In this special episode of The Halloween Podcast, we’re looking at the history of Summerween, the growing love for Halloween in the summer, and how a fictional holiday from Gravity Falls became part of real pop culture. We talk about where the idea came from, why fans connected with it, and how the desire for Halloween outside of October has turned into real events, merchandise...

In this episode of The Halloween Podcast, we're heading to Gravity Falls for Season 1, Episode 12, “Summerween,” the episode that introduced the idea of Halloween in the summer. We talk about our memories of Gravity Falls, the impact the show has had on pop culture, and why Summerween has become such a fun part of Halloween fandom. Then we go through the episode play by play, breaking down the jac...

There are now just 131 days until Halloween! In this week's Halloween Weekly Update, we're covering the return of a beloved Halloween haunt in Alabama after more than 20 years, Disney's Oogie Boogie Bash selling out on Halloween night despite slower overall ticket sales, and the growing popularity of Summerween events across Tennessee. We'll also take a trip Around the Crypt with the latest on Str...

Halloween and music go hand in hand. Whether you're decorating the house, carving pumpkins, hosting a party, or heading out for a night of trick-or-treating, there are certain songs that instantly put you in the Halloween spirit. In this episode of The Halloween Podcast , we're counting down our picks for the Top 5 Halloween Songs. We'll explore the stories behind these iconic tracks, the albums t...

For the first Haunted Thursday, we visit one of America’s most famous haunted locations: the Whaley House in Old Town San Diego. Built in 1857 on land tied to the execution of Yankee Jim Robinson, the house has become known for reports of heavy footsteps, apparitions, strange sounds, mysterious scents, and other unexplained experiences. In this episode, we look at the documented history, the Whale...

Welcome to Sounds of Halloween Part 2: Halloween Music. What makes a song feel like Halloween? Is it monsters and ghosts in the lyrics, creepy sound effects, or something deeper hidden within the music itself? In this episode, we explore the fascinating history of Halloween music and the sounds that have become part of the season. From novelty classics like Monster Mash and Ghostbusters to the end...

Welcome to the Halloween Weekly Update for June 8–14, 2026! There are now just 138 days until Halloween, and spooky season continues to gain momentum. This week, we're covering Spirit Halloween's plans to hire more than 52,000 seasonal employees, the growing popularity of Halfway to Halloween events, new details for Disney's Oogie Boogie Bash, and the latest updates on Halloween: The Game. We also...

What was Halloween really like in the 1970s? In this episode of The Halloween Podcast, we're taking a trip back to a decade of Ben Cooper costumes, pillowcases full of candy, neighborhood trick-or-treating, homemade haunted houses, and some of the most memorable Halloween traditions of all time. We'll explore the rise of licensed costumes, the growing popularity of horror films like Halloween , Ca...

Welcome to the very first edition of The Halloween Update! Every Monday morning, we'll bring you the latest Halloween, horror, haunt, and spooky season news from the previous week. In this inaugural episode, we're covering Spirit Halloween's new Summerween Terrifier collection, a brand-new Ghostbusters Stay Puft animatronic, Halloween Horror Nights merchandise arriving early, Disneyland's Hallowee...

National Donut Day may seem like a simple excuse to enjoy a sweet treat, but its history goes back more than a century. In this episode, we take a look at the origins of National Donut Day and the remarkable story of the Salvation Army volunteers who helped make donuts famous during World War I. Then we shift into the spooky season as we revisit some of Dunkin's most memorable Halloween-themed don...

Every October, the internet fills with photographs of strange homemade Halloween costumes from decades past. Children wearing oversized pumpkin masks, eerie clown makeup, and handmade ghost costumes somehow seem far creepier than anything found in a modern costume store. But why? In this episode of The Halloween Podcast, we explore the history and psychology behind vintage Halloween costumes and d...

This week on The Halloween Podcast , Lyle and Meghan dive into the spooky sounds of Halloween in Part 1 of a brand new series: The Sound of Halloween . From the iconic 1990s Halloween decoration noises that filled department stores and haunted houses, to eerie cassette tapes packed with screams, creaking doors, thunder, and ghostly laughter, this episode is a nostalgic trip back to the sounds that...

This week on The Halloween Podcast , hosts Lyle Perez and Meghan Cunningham sit down with Curtis Andersen and Nate Richert—better known as Gordie and Harvey from Sabrina the Teenage Witch . Lyle and Meghan talk with them about their time on the show, what it was like being part of one of the most iconic 90s series, and some of the behind-the-scenes moments fans don’t always get to hear about. They...

In this episode of The Halloween Podcast , we take a closer look at the life of Edvard Munch — the artist behind The Scream , one of the most recognizable and unsettling images ever created. But beyond the painting lies a story shaped by illness, loss, anxiety, and a lifelong struggle to understand the emotions that followed him. We explore Munch’s early life, marked by tragedy and sickness, and h...

In this episode of The Halloween Podcast , I take a look at the history of the night watchman , the lone figure once trusted to stay awake while entire towns slept. Long before modern police and security systems, night watchmen walked dark streets with lanterns, staffs, and bells, watching for fire, theft, and anything else that might go wrong before morning. Over time, their role became tied not...

This holiday season, The Halloween Podcast presents a chilling Christmas horror tale set in the quiet mountain town of Red Elk—where Christmas nights are silent for a reason. When Evan Merritt returns home for the holidays after years away, he expects family tension, old memories, and forced cheer. What he doesn’t expect are the howls echoing from the snowy ridge above town… or the discovery of a...

Christmas might be known for warmth, nostalgia, and twinkling lights—but if you listen closely, there’s always something a little strange hiding beneath the tinsel. In this 2025 Christmas special of The Halloween Podcast , Lyle Perez and Meghan Cunningham sit down to share their favorite Christmas memories, from childhood traditions to the moments that still feel magical years later. Along the way...

Happy Thanksgiving! Meghan takes the lead in this episode as we serve up a holiday special stuffed with history, tradition, and a hearty helping of SPOOKY! So, kick back, relax, and have a listen as you enjoy that 2nd slice of pie. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.