Tag: spooky

Give Yourself a Scare With These Suspenseful Audiobooks

October 24, 2024

Gather your tricks and treats because Halloween season is upon us. Spotify launched our first Spine-Chilling Audiobooks hub this month featuring the “Fear Index,” an all-new editorial meter that consists of three curated shelves for every level of fright. These include editor- and author-curated playlists from Ashley Flowers, Freida McFadden, Alaina Urquhart, Alyssa Cole, and Stephen Graham Jones.

If you’re ready to dive all the way into the Halloween vibes, a thriller or mystery audiobook is a great start. Here are a few titles selected by Spotify’s editors that are sure to make your blood run cold.

The Midnight Feast: A Novel 

By Lucy Foley
Narrated by Joe Eyre, Sarah Slimani, Roly Botha, Laurence Dobiesz, and Tuppence Middleton

Lucy Foley’s latest murder mystery thriller begins at the opening night of a luxury retreat called the Manor. The infinity pool sparkles and the cocktails are flowing, but under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. It’s not too long before the local police are called. Turns out the past has crashed the party—with deadly results.

The Boyfriend: A Psychological Thriller 

By Freida McFadden
Narrated by Victoria Connolly and Adam Blanford

After a tough dating streak, Sydney Shaw finally thinks she’s hit the jackpot. Her new boyfriend is charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Then the brutal murder of a young woman—the latest in a string of deaths across the coast—confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them. Now Sydney can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems.

 All Hallows: A Novel 

By Christopher Golden
Narrated by January LaVoy and Ron Butler 

 Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales. But in this suburban drama, he brings the horror home. It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and mixed in with the trick-or-treaters are four children who do not belong. They seem terrified and beg the neighborhood kids to keep them safe from “The Cunning Man.” Strange things are happening, but with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children?

 The Only Good Indians 

By Stephen Graham Jones
Narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett

This New York Times bestselling novel is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience. The story follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

All Good People Here: A Novel 

By Ashley Flowers
Narrated by Brittany Pressley, Karissa Vacker, and Ashley Flowers

In this debut novel from the host of the true crime podcast Crime Junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor and the disappearance of another girl 20 years later. Twisty, chilling, and intense, the book asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

For more spooky picks, head to our Spine-Chilling Audiobooks hub.

Fuego’s New Haunted Playlist Turns Music Listening Into a One-of-a-Kind Game

October 26, 2023

Spotify's Fuego Haunted Playlist cover art with a spooky house comic style illustration with a front door that looks like a scary mouth

Halloween is just around the corner and we’re getting into the spirit with Fuego’s Haunted Playlist. This unique on-platform experience turns your listening session into a game where you can interact with our innovative Latin mixtapes in an all-new way. 

“Since its launch last year, Fuego’s mission has been to innovate and bring new listening experiences that feel unique and surprise our community of listeners,” said Antonio Vázquez, Spotify Head of U.S. Latin Editorial. “The inspiration for Haunted Playlist comes from the desire to introduce the “Choose Your Own Adventure” book format to the playlist world. It allows fans to become the protagonist in the story and unravel the mysteries hidden inside this playlist.”

All of the action unfolds inside Fuego’s spooky mansion, where you must navigate between rooms to discover a pair of secret mixtapes curated by a couple of surprise artists. For the visuals, we worked with Chinelo Creative Agency and Mexican illustrator Diego Lavalle, who created the ghostly characters and backdrops hovering throughout the playlists. We also partnered with Latin Grammy-winning producer-engineer Daniel “Vago” Galindo, who created various soundscapes inspired by popular Halloween themes.

To start your adventure, visit Fuego’s Haunted Playlist and click the link in the description to enter the mansion. Instead of the usual cover and tracklist, you’ll find a bespoke cover and 10 Halloween-themed sound clips. In the description, you’ll also find a series of links, each with a different prompt that will send you on a separate path. Where you head in the mansion depends on what you click.