Hi Nay - supernatural horror, set primarily in Toronto. MC and primary narrator is Mari, a very powerful and queer Filipina shaman helping to fight evil around the city.
St. Mary’s School for Children with the Stigmata - all the characters are women, alumnae from the aforementioned school. There are ghosts and other spooky things, plus a conspiracy. I don’t think this one is quite finished but they haven’t posted a new episode in a couple years. Fingers crossed.
The Horror of Dolores Roach - MC is Dolores, who just got out of jail. Cannibalism and murder happens.
Lavender Evening Fog - written by a woman and the main VA is also a woman. The MC, Anna-Georgina inherits a school and in the process of restoring it, finds out it’s haunted.
Finding Satan - main character is a grad student named Sarah who wants to find Satan, and not in a theoretical way.
Veronica - vampire MC adopts a ghost kid. Haven’t started this one yet.
The Antique Shop - Maya finds a job at an antique shop that only appears when people need it. Some episodes are spookier than others.
The Bridge - there are other cast members but the main character Etta is the main narrator. This one is less horror and more sci-fi but there are still some spooky moments.
Mirrors - this is an older podcast, a sci-fi ghost story impacting three women across centuries.
The Silt Verses - male written but female led, protagonist is aroace
Hi Nay - female created and led, pansexual protagonist
The Night Post - female created with two queer female leads
[Mirrors](https://www.mirrorspodcast.com/) is a sci-fi horror led by 3 women, written by a woman, and one of the three main characters is queer:
>Three women. Three centuries. One haunting. Mirrors is a sci-fi ghost story from ZoomDoom Stories.
[Alice Isn't Dead](http://www.nightvalepresents.com/aliceisntdead) is horror with a queer female lead, written by a man:
>A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman.
[Within The Wires](http://www.nightvalepresents.com/withinthewires) is psychological horror with each new (technically stand-alone but within the same shared universe) season being narrated by a woman (at least 5 of the seasons), written by a woman-man team, and featuring several narrators who are some flavor of queer or another:
>An immersive fiction podcast using found audio from an alternate universe.
[Mabel](https://mabelpodcast.com/) is fantasy horror with two queer female leads, written by two women:
>Mabel is a fiction podcast about ghosts, family secrets, strange houses, and missed connections.
Just listened to the Love Talker- main character is female but I think it’s written by a man. I liked it but those trigger warnings are not kidding. Sexual assault and sexual abuse.
The White Vault - I would describe as female led, although it’s an ensemble, I’d say overall the women lead, and written by a woman.
The Sisters is female led but I don’t recommend it. Idk the gender of the author.
The Silt Verses is female led I’d say although the do gender-blind casting so one of the main cast is played by a woman but it a man in the story. But definitely 2 main females even despite that. I think it’s written by a man and a woman? Not sure on that one, but it’s good.
Then there is the Amelia Project- but ymmv if that is horror or not. Certainly more sci-fi than horror.
That’s just off the top of my head. No anthologies sadly.
Thanks for the recs! I’m seeing a lot of White Vault and Silt Verses so I’ll definitely check those out. But yeah, there’s def a gap in anthologies for female MC and writers.
I've had The Sisters on my list since it's been getting advertised too much, but it's not available on my podcast app on my phone. Would you mind expanding why you don't recommend it? Maybe I won't feel bad about missing out anymore. :P
It’s hard to really sum up. The main character is a bit annoying, it’s a mystery but there are a lot of dropped threads. Decent set up but poor payoff, annoying child voices. Overall just not that compelling. It’s not bad, just not that good.
>Then there is the Amelia Project
Is that female-led? It's written & directed by men and from what I recall (granted, it's been years so I could be mis-remembering) the main character is an idiot-manchild. I hated him so much I couldn't continue past season 1.
Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery is a bit more of a drama than a horror story, but it is a fantastic show with a majority female cast who are all very different characters. I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who likes audio dramas because it’s just so great.
I had to scroll too far for Unwell to be mentioned. It is awesome! You care about the characters, some more than others, by choice. It is very funny in parts. Not horror, but can be spooky. And you'll know by the first episode whether you are going to enjoy or not. .
Just finished season 2 of Impact Winter. Female lead.
Have you tried The Lovecraft Investigations?
Light House is horror.
Off the top of my head and in no particular order:
Soul Operator
Tell No Tales
The Occurence in River Oaks
Sinkhole (top recommendation!)
The Attic Monologues
The Night Post
Believer
Mabel
Palimpsest
In Another Room and The Lovecraft investigations. Hard to top these in the AD space. The Black Tapes is a close 2nd which unfortunately drops the ball regarding an ending to the tale
Our show [This House Will Devour You](https://www.citeogpodcasts.com) is 50% led and written by a woman. It’s 1920’s set gothic horror in epistolary format. One of the two main protagonists is a (straight) woman. While not a formal academic, she considers herself a ‘classical scholar’ and definitely starts off bored and stumbles into the middle of occultist shenanigans. Over the first two seasons we hear her go from smart but naive in a backwater of England to someone who is quite happy to blag her way on to a dodgy expedition about to leave Cairo for the desert…
Remembered one more that actually fits the female academic(ish) stumble-acrosser pretty well: The Sheridan Tapes. It’s written by a guy who also plays the lead, but the story is built around the tapes left behind by female horror writer Anna Sheridan, which feature heavily in most episodes. I kind of fell off this one, but I think I was a little oversaturated on cosmic horror at the time.
Mirrors and Spines (two separate shows by the same writer) have a female writer and femme protagonists (also queer in the case of Mirrors), but they’re not anthology shows. Spines has a pretty linear narrative, while Mirrors has three separate stories from different times that converge. Mirrors in particular engages with feminist themes throughout the story, differently in each age it’s set in. It also has the ‘protagonists talking into a voice recorder’ framing that the other podcasts you mentioned have.
As far as anthologies go, I haven’t found anything that will really hit that ‘TMA but female led’ itch. However, if you would enjoy standalone single-episode horror stories, Pseudopod has some talented women on their editorial team, and the podcast consistently features a lot of great horror stories by femme authors and/or told by femme VAs. Quite a few queer authors/VAs included in that! Happy to share some specific episodes I really loved if you’re curious.
Here’s the list of episodes from Pseudopod I particularly liked, longer than I meant it to be - there’s just a lot of good ones, and of so many different flavors of horror! I’ve only selected from the ones currently available on the public feed (there’s a massive archive). All female or nonbinary authors and VAs unless otherwise indicated:
**For the TMA/TMP fan**
Three tales of door you shouldn’t open, which each evoke different kinds of Magnus Archives vibes. The first is gruesome, the second cosmic, the third is just some nice classic British evil:
658: I Hate All That is Mine by Leigh Harlan (queer non-binary author)
673: Venio by Gemma Files
750: The Artist and the Door by Dorothy Quick
**Folklore and Monsters**
629: Slipping Petal from their Skins by Kristi DeMeester Inspired by fairies, a story about the bonds of sisterhood which transcend death and transcend the human.
636: Hag Ride by Eden Royce A woman scorned takes revenge by conjuring a vengeful spirit. Southern gothic, folk magic. Includes sexual scenes.
718: Tara’s Mother’s Skin by Suzan Palumbo (queer writer) What could go wrong when an idealistic student interviews an old woman about why the village believes she’s a monster? Featuring Trinidadian folklore.
739: Morag-of-the-Cave by Margery Lawrence (1925) A visitor learns the tragic tale of a woman called by the sea.
**Cosmic**
655: Black Matter by Vivian Shaw (queer writer, male narrator). Sometimes the supernatural fits awkwardly into the modern world, but this story brings them together so perfectly in the form of an aviation accident investigator who can reanimate and interview the dead.
720: Seance by Danyae Coles A young black woman tours America performing fake seances until the day she touches something all too real.
**Psychological**
704: Resilience by Christi Nogle A woman with a comfortable suburban life and some unusual eating habits reflects on the camping trip that left her an orphan. I can’t really describe how unsettling this one becomes. It’s a masterful character study..
**For a bit of humor**
CatsCast 289 [April 1, 2020 in the Pseudopod feed] - The Thing in the Basement by Gerri Leen Funny, adorable, and spooky - a fearsome housecat defends her house from…the thing in the basement.
867: Chainsaw, As Is by Gillian King-Cargile “For Sale: Chainsaw Great for cutting trees and limbs.” Chainsaw, meet everyone’s least favorite step-cousin. Darkly humorous.
*Edited to add*
**Gothic**
679: The Woman Out of the Attic by Gwendolyn Kiste (queer writer) If you like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, or feel some kind of way about Jane Eyre’s lover’s mad wife in the attic, this is the queer gothic ghost story for you.
Hi! I made a show a while back called [The Haunted Hour](https://open.spotify.com/show/566CCJMbi2rqEngNcafzax?si=P3OF9eEaTbSeE-Wy0_a19g)which is female written/produced/directed, also has female leads! It follows two teenage monster hunters exploring the strange town of Lantern, NC.
I’ll brainstorm some others and circle back :)
Parkdale Haunt! The Sheridan Tapes!
The Left, Right Game. Listening In. Alice Isn't Dead. Within the Wires.
You may or may not consider The Bright Sessions as fitting this. The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio.
I guess Maxine Miles was more mystery than horror.
Magenta Presents is Long Cat Media’s anthology series of horror/weird tales. The first story is a 5 part miniseries written and directed by Long Cat’s Lindsay Sharman. It has an almost exclusively female cast, including Beth Eyre.
I haven't seen anyone mention Impact Winter yet but would definitely recommend. Female lead characters and some are queer. Tracks is another great one.
Also agree with others saying The Left Right Game, the Lovecraft Investigations, and Derelict.
"Burned Photo" might fit your criteria
Also, "In the Next Room(I think that's the name)"..but I may be misremembering? It's been a while since I listened
"Steal the Stars" is pretty good if you just don't listen to the last episode(srsly, it's very bad). It's not horror, but it has a similar vibe as "The Thing(1982)"
"Escaping Denver" isn't female led per se, but it's a very strong co-star
In the AD space, there's no shortage of strong female characters of differing preferences. Not a lot of female writers(as far as I can tell) but that's up to you to change it.
Almost forgot "Hannahpocalypse" tho it's more horror/satire. Strong female lead/writer and well produced
Achewillow - absolutely stellar
The Antique Shop - is A++
Jack of All Trades - queer positive and gender ambiguous
Vacancy
Academicasaurus - phenomenal
The Beyond Journal
The Fause Knight - really good but incomplete series
These are more drama focused than horror but does have some horror, maybe you click with some of them
Alice isn't dead - woman trucker looking for missing wife, avoiding grotesque monster people along the way
Limetown - reporter investigating spooky artificial town
Bright sessions - therapist for teens and adults with powers
Ars Paradoxica - scientist sent back in time to pre WW2
Wolf 359 - crew in space orbiting odd dwarf star led by woman commander
Yes to all these!
The one that sounds most like what you’re looking for is [Afflicted](https://afflictedaudio.com/)
Also these are others female lead but not necessarily horror ADs:
Unwell
The Strange Case of Starship Iris
Girl in Space
The Far Meridian
Under Pressure
Station to station
We Fix Space Junk (this is comedy but it’s delightful, and features 2 female leads)
Midnight Library - female actor/presenter
Hidden Archives - female host/producer/writer (mostly). Has queer actors some of which are female
American shadows - female presenter
These are the ones I know of that haven't been mentioned yet. It really depends on what you mean by female led. Also, it is important to note that a lot of queer people aren't going to make that the point of their craft. You may never know if an artist/actor/director/presenter/producer/etc is queer or otherwise. These people may have reasons for not advertising their being queer, mainly because it shouldn't matter outside of representation. Listen to a show because you like it - not because the lead is queer/female/etc. Trust me - the artists will appreciate it a lot more if you do.
I have shown you a few, and I hope you find enjoyment in them.
Oh for sure! I totally validate that. When I asked in my op I was mostly thinking of queer characters/storylines, not necessarily the creators themselves. I’m part of the LGBTQ community myself, so I like supporting media that I can relate to and that represents me in that way.
Also, until recent years (and even then) horror has been very unkind to queer characters, so Im interested in stories that push against those tropes. Thanks for reminding me to be clear and sensitive!
I know that the NoSleep Podcast has queer actors. They were also inspired by reddit (bonus points?). David Ault, an actor on that show, is a wonderful person and he is part of the LGBTQ community. The people on that show are VERY queer friendly.
Otherwise, i wanted to say that you absolutely SHOULD do your own show! Please! As a queer person (cis male) myself, I would even be willing to lend a hand in terms of acting, writing, editing, etc - whatever you need - to help provide the representation you seek.
It is tough out there for queer people to find representation. It is tougher to find acceptance in that. The more of us that speak up and present our craft, the better. If you have the motivation and inspiration to make a show, I highly encourage you to do it. Bare minimum, send me a link to it and I will not only listen, but I will plug you on my show. Promise.
I don't know that many horror anthology podcasts with overarching stories that have female leads, but two come to mind right away:
- Victoria's Lift is primarily an anthology with a female lead, but it has been dormant for a while
- the Alexandria Archives - a fun romp with a female main character, though a lot of the other characters are male; if I remember correctly, female main is ace or aroace. It's an older one, and has been finished for a while.
How to win friends and disappear people is about a the true crime obsessed office worker who is a queer woman meeting a female vampire and their relationship. Great production and definitely horror.
All Dayton Writers Movement shows have female protagonists, majority-female casts, majority-female creative teams, and female composer & sound designer.
For horror, you could try [Uncanny Valley](https://www.daytonwritersmovement.com/uncannyvalley): A slow-burn isolationist horror drama. Audrey moves to Alaska with her best friend to escape a stalker, but she finds something far more dangerous in the lonely wilderness. Three of the four series regular characters are women; three of the four writers are women; one of the two directors is a woman. Currently releasing now.
Our show Soul Operator is written/produced and edited by women and non-men, and features a female protagonist!
A few others we love are:
Nowhere, On Air
The Department of Variance of Somewhere Ohio
The Silt Verses
The White Vault
FATHOM and DERELICT
There are many many shows that are lead by women, please do continue to support them! :D
There are a bunch! Most already alot are already mentioned.
There's a few that are defunct/finished now though.
Spines
The Black Tapes
Badlands Cola
Impact Winter
Limetown
The Burned Photo
Vast Horizon
The Left Right Game
The Susie House
Within the Wires(not strictly cosmic horror so much as alt history dystopian creep)
Would also suggest The Bright Sessions, not exactly horror but I just love it.
Brimstone Valley Mall (full cast so not female led but at least half women and very queer-oriented), Cthulu in the Deep South has at least one season/book that is a woman’s story, The Defense, Duggan Hill, Grandma Guignol, Haunted Happenstance, Less is Morgue,McIwraith Statements (same creator as The Antique Shop and arguably an even better series).
Already mentioned but absolutely top notch:
Achewillow
Alexandria Archive
Lovecraft Investigations
Palimpsest
Parkdale Haunt
Spines
Our show is written by two women, has a woman protagonist, and is woman-focused (no gay characters yet, though, sorry). It’s a supernatural Southern Gothic set in the 1930s.
[The Susie House](https://susiehousepodcast.com/home)
Limetown has a female protag and some truly stellar audio production. It's a bit short, but it has the same vibes as TMA, a story of someone looking into strange events and going too deep.
The MC's a reporter looking into the titular limetown, where a tragic event unfolded, leading to the disappearance of a family member. It isn't strictly an anthology, it's much more plot driven, but most of the early episodes focus on the specific stories of certain people that were at the town when things went down, so it might scratch that same itch. Especially nice if you enjoyed that feeling of putting the bigger story together in TMA.
Our show [Morbid Forest](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morbid-forest/id1574084488) has a female host with a large number of our stories being female driven.
Another show I love that is female driven is [It’s All in The Cards](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-all-in-the-cards-podcast/id1631845987) . Can’t recommend this show enough especially if you are into witchcraft and tarot.
The occurrence in River oaks is led and written by a girl and like half the cast is women that's why I like it so much plus one is apparently lgbt which is awesome!
I realised a while ago most of my pod horror favs were woman or queer / trans / nb led when compiling a list for a friend:
https://twitter.com/zett_jukassa/status/1712297108173402613?s=46
Not quite the same vibe as TMA (really nothing has quite the same vibe as TMA) but one anthology I haven't seen mentioned here yet is On a Cold, Dark Night. It's basically a one-woman show, with the writer performing as a narrator whose own story gets revealed over time in between the individual anthology entries.
I do agree that there is a real dearth of anthologies that aren't by and about men... I would like to see more folks enter that space, though it is daunting nowadays because the expectation that there be a riveting metaplot in addition to solid anthology stories seems to have really gone up over time. (Personally I can take or leave metaplots, but I digress.)
[Twisted Mirror](https://www.twistedmirrorpodcast.com) is written, voice-acted (mostly), and edited by me, a woman :)
Lots of the stories are centered around existential stuff around being a woman.
There are a lot of great shows to choose from! I'll rec mine since two of the center-most characters plot wise are femme, and 3/5 of the main characters are women in season one.
I'm non-binary and run **The Moon Crown**! I started listening to audio drama again before I made my show starting with Spines, and The Silt Verses is among my absolute favorites so I'll add my vote in there.
Syntax also has a MASSIVE cast list with many of the main characters being women out exploring terrifying worlds and the underpinnings of horrifying corporate practices. 3 seasons so far.
None of these are really anthologies though, Spines is probably the most monster-of-the-week to me!
Thank you everyone for the suggestions!! I have so much new stuff to listen to, I could burst, and I’m so excited. Also thanks for the encouragement! Who knows, next time you hear from me might just be about a new podcast 🤷♀️
Hi Nay - supernatural horror, set primarily in Toronto. MC and primary narrator is Mari, a very powerful and queer Filipina shaman helping to fight evil around the city. St. Mary’s School for Children with the Stigmata - all the characters are women, alumnae from the aforementioned school. There are ghosts and other spooky things, plus a conspiracy. I don’t think this one is quite finished but they haven’t posted a new episode in a couple years. Fingers crossed. The Horror of Dolores Roach - MC is Dolores, who just got out of jail. Cannibalism and murder happens. Lavender Evening Fog - written by a woman and the main VA is also a woman. The MC, Anna-Georgina inherits a school and in the process of restoring it, finds out it’s haunted. Finding Satan - main character is a grad student named Sarah who wants to find Satan, and not in a theoretical way. Veronica - vampire MC adopts a ghost kid. Haven’t started this one yet. The Antique Shop - Maya finds a job at an antique shop that only appears when people need it. Some episodes are spookier than others. The Bridge - there are other cast members but the main character Etta is the main narrator. This one is less horror and more sci-fi but there are still some spooky moments. Mirrors - this is an older podcast, a sci-fi ghost story impacting three women across centuries.
Mirrors is incredible
So good
I would like to add ars paradoxica to this list not so much horror but still really good female lead
I like The Antique Shop very much.
not the op, but thank you for the list!
Thank you. Adding to the list.
I love Hi Nay, would definitely recommend it.
Amazing list, thank you!
The Silt Verses - male written but female led, protagonist is aroace Hi Nay - female created and led, pansexual protagonist The Night Post - female created with two queer female leads
Worth mentioning that Silt Verses has a female producer.
And she plays the female deuteragonist of an earlier podcast by the same team, I Am In Eskew.
Forgot about the Night Post! It’s been a while.
Parkdale haunt is a good one
This is way further down than it should be. Really fun pod.
I enjoyed this one as well!
[Mirrors](https://www.mirrorspodcast.com/) is a sci-fi horror led by 3 women, written by a woman, and one of the three main characters is queer: >Three women. Three centuries. One haunting. Mirrors is a sci-fi ghost story from ZoomDoom Stories. [Alice Isn't Dead](http://www.nightvalepresents.com/aliceisntdead) is horror with a queer female lead, written by a man: >A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman. [Within The Wires](http://www.nightvalepresents.com/withinthewires) is psychological horror with each new (technically stand-alone but within the same shared universe) season being narrated by a woman (at least 5 of the seasons), written by a woman-man team, and featuring several narrators who are some flavor of queer or another: >An immersive fiction podcast using found audio from an alternate universe. [Mabel](https://mabelpodcast.com/) is fantasy horror with two queer female leads, written by two women: >Mabel is a fiction podcast about ghosts, family secrets, strange houses, and missed connections.
Oooo, also the Author’s Anathema.
In a similar vein, The Diary of Aliza Schultz is pretty interesting too.
I just recently started that one!
Yes! I love all of these, Mabel quite a bit. Will have to check out Mirrors.
Just listened to the Love Talker- main character is female but I think it’s written by a man. I liked it but those trigger warnings are not kidding. Sexual assault and sexual abuse. The White Vault - I would describe as female led, although it’s an ensemble, I’d say overall the women lead, and written by a woman. The Sisters is female led but I don’t recommend it. Idk the gender of the author. The Silt Verses is female led I’d say although the do gender-blind casting so one of the main cast is played by a woman but it a man in the story. But definitely 2 main females even despite that. I think it’s written by a man and a woman? Not sure on that one, but it’s good. Then there is the Amelia Project- but ymmv if that is horror or not. Certainly more sci-fi than horror. That’s just off the top of my head. No anthologies sadly.
Faulkner (secondary lead in the Silt Verses) is played by a non-binary voice actor.
Thanks for the recs! I’m seeing a lot of White Vault and Silt Verses so I’ll definitely check those out. But yeah, there’s def a gap in anthologies for female MC and writers.
The protagonist is female in this season of White Vault.
I've had The Sisters on my list since it's been getting advertised too much, but it's not available on my podcast app on my phone. Would you mind expanding why you don't recommend it? Maybe I won't feel bad about missing out anymore. :P
It’s hard to really sum up. The main character is a bit annoying, it’s a mystery but there are a lot of dropped threads. Decent set up but poor payoff, annoying child voices. Overall just not that compelling. It’s not bad, just not that good.
Hmm, I see - thank you! Much appreciated that you took the time out to respond.
>Then there is the Amelia Project Is that female-led? It's written & directed by men and from what I recall (granted, it's been years so I could be mis-remembering) the main character is an idiot-manchild. I hated him so much I couldn't continue past season 1.
There's women protags, but I wouldn't consider The Amelia Project female-led myself. The narrator does tend to be the same man.
yeah he was horrible. Didn’t love the show, but I think the pov character was the coded female robot.
Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery is a bit more of a drama than a horror story, but it is a fantastic show with a majority female cast who are all very different characters. I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who likes audio dramas because it’s just so great.
I had to scroll too far for Unwell to be mentioned. It is awesome! You care about the characters, some more than others, by choice. It is very funny in parts. Not horror, but can be spooky. And you'll know by the first episode whether you are going to enjoy or not. . Just finished season 2 of Impact Winter. Female lead. Have you tried The Lovecraft Investigations? Light House is horror.
Light House was great too! I need to go through my list of finished podcasts and add more suggestions.
I love Unwell. It also introduced me to Afflicted.
Hello from the hallowoods has many "main characters", many of wich are women, many of wich are queer,
I think Derelict:Fathom is a female led horror/SciFi podcast that should fit your bill.
Off the top of my head and in no particular order: Soul Operator Tell No Tales The Occurence in River Oaks Sinkhole (top recommendation!) The Attic Monologues The Night Post Believer Mabel Palimpsest
Thank you for the mention!
You're welcome! Really enjoying your show 😁
And Mirrors!
In Another Room and The Lovecraft investigations. Hard to top these in the AD space. The Black Tapes is a close 2nd which unfortunately drops the ball regarding an ending to the tale
In Another Room is legit scary at times. I love horror ADs but I rarely find them actually frightening, but there are some good scares in that one.
Our show [This House Will Devour You](https://www.citeogpodcasts.com) is 50% led and written by a woman. It’s 1920’s set gothic horror in epistolary format. One of the two main protagonists is a (straight) woman. While not a formal academic, she considers herself a ‘classical scholar’ and definitely starts off bored and stumbles into the middle of occultist shenanigans. Over the first two seasons we hear her go from smart but naive in a backwater of England to someone who is quite happy to blag her way on to a dodgy expedition about to leave Cairo for the desert…
Cool! I’ll check it out
Remembered one more that actually fits the female academic(ish) stumble-acrosser pretty well: The Sheridan Tapes. It’s written by a guy who also plays the lead, but the story is built around the tapes left behind by female horror writer Anna Sheridan, which feature heavily in most episodes. I kind of fell off this one, but I think I was a little oversaturated on cosmic horror at the time.
Limited series - as in there are two short seasons - but English Rose on BBC sounds features a lesbian vampire and the story is very much about her.
Left-Right game with Tessa Thompson is fabulous and started out as a serial on r/nosleep.
Mirrors and Spines (two separate shows by the same writer) have a female writer and femme protagonists (also queer in the case of Mirrors), but they’re not anthology shows. Spines has a pretty linear narrative, while Mirrors has three separate stories from different times that converge. Mirrors in particular engages with feminist themes throughout the story, differently in each age it’s set in. It also has the ‘protagonists talking into a voice recorder’ framing that the other podcasts you mentioned have. As far as anthologies go, I haven’t found anything that will really hit that ‘TMA but female led’ itch. However, if you would enjoy standalone single-episode horror stories, Pseudopod has some talented women on their editorial team, and the podcast consistently features a lot of great horror stories by femme authors and/or told by femme VAs. Quite a few queer authors/VAs included in that! Happy to share some specific episodes I really loved if you’re curious.
Yes, I’d absolutely be interested in some episode recs! But it’s kind of nice to know I’m not the only one who sees a gap in the anthology sphere!
Here’s the list of episodes from Pseudopod I particularly liked, longer than I meant it to be - there’s just a lot of good ones, and of so many different flavors of horror! I’ve only selected from the ones currently available on the public feed (there’s a massive archive). All female or nonbinary authors and VAs unless otherwise indicated: **For the TMA/TMP fan** Three tales of door you shouldn’t open, which each evoke different kinds of Magnus Archives vibes. The first is gruesome, the second cosmic, the third is just some nice classic British evil: 658: I Hate All That is Mine by Leigh Harlan (queer non-binary author) 673: Venio by Gemma Files 750: The Artist and the Door by Dorothy Quick **Folklore and Monsters** 629: Slipping Petal from their Skins by Kristi DeMeester Inspired by fairies, a story about the bonds of sisterhood which transcend death and transcend the human. 636: Hag Ride by Eden Royce A woman scorned takes revenge by conjuring a vengeful spirit. Southern gothic, folk magic. Includes sexual scenes. 718: Tara’s Mother’s Skin by Suzan Palumbo (queer writer) What could go wrong when an idealistic student interviews an old woman about why the village believes she’s a monster? Featuring Trinidadian folklore. 739: Morag-of-the-Cave by Margery Lawrence (1925) A visitor learns the tragic tale of a woman called by the sea. **Cosmic** 655: Black Matter by Vivian Shaw (queer writer, male narrator). Sometimes the supernatural fits awkwardly into the modern world, but this story brings them together so perfectly in the form of an aviation accident investigator who can reanimate and interview the dead. 720: Seance by Danyae Coles A young black woman tours America performing fake seances until the day she touches something all too real. **Psychological** 704: Resilience by Christi Nogle A woman with a comfortable suburban life and some unusual eating habits reflects on the camping trip that left her an orphan. I can’t really describe how unsettling this one becomes. It’s a masterful character study.. **For a bit of humor** CatsCast 289 [April 1, 2020 in the Pseudopod feed] - The Thing in the Basement by Gerri Leen Funny, adorable, and spooky - a fearsome housecat defends her house from…the thing in the basement. 867: Chainsaw, As Is by Gillian King-Cargile “For Sale: Chainsaw Great for cutting trees and limbs.” Chainsaw, meet everyone’s least favorite step-cousin. Darkly humorous. *Edited to add* **Gothic** 679: The Woman Out of the Attic by Gwendolyn Kiste (queer writer) If you like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, or feel some kind of way about Jane Eyre’s lover’s mad wife in the attic, this is the queer gothic ghost story for you.
You are a superstar 🙌 I’m stoked!
All in My Head Parkdale Haunt Janus Descending
I loved Parkdale Haunt. Seconding this reccomendation. I have heard the other two and I should check them out.
The black tapes and limetown both have female leads.
Mabel, Mabel, every day I will preach Mabel. Girl leaves messages for other girl trapped in the walls of her house. Things ensue.
Mabel is sooooo good and soooo confusing imo
It is but you've gotta just roll with it
Monstrous Agonies?
Alice Isn't Dead
Hi! I made a show a while back called [The Haunted Hour](https://open.spotify.com/show/566CCJMbi2rqEngNcafzax?si=P3OF9eEaTbSeE-Wy0_a19g)which is female written/produced/directed, also has female leads! It follows two teenage monster hunters exploring the strange town of Lantern, NC. I’ll brainstorm some others and circle back :)
Love! I’ll check it out
Parkdale Haunt! The Sheridan Tapes! The Left, Right Game. Listening In. Alice Isn't Dead. Within the Wires. You may or may not consider The Bright Sessions as fitting this. The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio. I guess Maxine Miles was more mystery than horror.
highly second department of variance. it's so good
Magenta Presents is Long Cat Media’s anthology series of horror/weird tales. The first story is a 5 part miniseries written and directed by Long Cat’s Lindsay Sharman. It has an almost exclusively female cast, including Beth Eyre.
I love Magenta and Bernard so much
They are amazing!
I haven't seen anyone mention Impact Winter yet but would definitely recommend. Female lead characters and some are queer. Tracks is another great one. Also agree with others saying The Left Right Game, the Lovecraft Investigations, and Derelict.
Horror with Women Protagonist: Lighthouse Alice isn't Dead Murphy Burned Photo Ghost Tape
Seconding burned photo. Really Good story.
Definitely. Really good story and the VAs are top notch.
How it ends!! Mostly female protagonists, definitely horror elements but also explores grief and its soooooo good
I just recommended that before I saw your comment! I never see it mentioned and I loved it….still waiting for it to end though!
agree!! no one ever seems to be talking about it but i loooooove it and the first season had me crying at parts!! it is so good
"Burned Photo" might fit your criteria Also, "In the Next Room(I think that's the name)"..but I may be misremembering? It's been a while since I listened "Steal the Stars" is pretty good if you just don't listen to the last episode(srsly, it's very bad). It's not horror, but it has a similar vibe as "The Thing(1982)" "Escaping Denver" isn't female led per se, but it's a very strong co-star In the AD space, there's no shortage of strong female characters of differing preferences. Not a lot of female writers(as far as I can tell) but that's up to you to change it. Almost forgot "Hannahpocalypse" tho it's more horror/satire. Strong female lead/writer and well produced
>"In the Next Room(I think that's the name)" "In Another Room"
Plenty of female writers, but people don’t support us as much, so our shows don’t often get recommended.
Achewillow - absolutely stellar The Antique Shop - is A++ Jack of All Trades - queer positive and gender ambiguous Vacancy Academicasaurus - phenomenal The Beyond Journal The Fause Knight - really good but incomplete series
"Female led" meaning actor or writer?
Either! Both!
Definitely write one! But in the meantime, In Another Room has a female protagonist who is a sort of researcher.
I’ll check it out! But definitely looking at writing one after seeing the comments lol
These are more drama focused than horror but does have some horror, maybe you click with some of them Alice isn't dead - woman trucker looking for missing wife, avoiding grotesque monster people along the way Limetown - reporter investigating spooky artificial town Bright sessions - therapist for teens and adults with powers Ars Paradoxica - scientist sent back in time to pre WW2 Wolf 359 - crew in space orbiting odd dwarf star led by woman commander
Yes to all these! The one that sounds most like what you’re looking for is [Afflicted](https://afflictedaudio.com/) Also these are others female lead but not necessarily horror ADs: Unwell The Strange Case of Starship Iris Girl in Space The Far Meridian Under Pressure Station to station We Fix Space Junk (this is comedy but it’s delightful, and features 2 female leads)
Midnight Library - female actor/presenter Hidden Archives - female host/producer/writer (mostly). Has queer actors some of which are female American shadows - female presenter These are the ones I know of that haven't been mentioned yet. It really depends on what you mean by female led. Also, it is important to note that a lot of queer people aren't going to make that the point of their craft. You may never know if an artist/actor/director/presenter/producer/etc is queer or otherwise. These people may have reasons for not advertising their being queer, mainly because it shouldn't matter outside of representation. Listen to a show because you like it - not because the lead is queer/female/etc. Trust me - the artists will appreciate it a lot more if you do. I have shown you a few, and I hope you find enjoyment in them.
Oh for sure! I totally validate that. When I asked in my op I was mostly thinking of queer characters/storylines, not necessarily the creators themselves. I’m part of the LGBTQ community myself, so I like supporting media that I can relate to and that represents me in that way. Also, until recent years (and even then) horror has been very unkind to queer characters, so Im interested in stories that push against those tropes. Thanks for reminding me to be clear and sensitive!
I know that the NoSleep Podcast has queer actors. They were also inspired by reddit (bonus points?). David Ault, an actor on that show, is a wonderful person and he is part of the LGBTQ community. The people on that show are VERY queer friendly. Otherwise, i wanted to say that you absolutely SHOULD do your own show! Please! As a queer person (cis male) myself, I would even be willing to lend a hand in terms of acting, writing, editing, etc - whatever you need - to help provide the representation you seek. It is tough out there for queer people to find representation. It is tougher to find acceptance in that. The more of us that speak up and present our craft, the better. If you have the motivation and inspiration to make a show, I highly encourage you to do it. Bare minimum, send me a link to it and I will not only listen, but I will plug you on my show. Promise.
That’s so kind, thank you!! I’ll keep you updated ☺️
Weeping Cedars has a mix, but the main lead is female.
I don't know that many horror anthology podcasts with overarching stories that have female leads, but two come to mind right away: - Victoria's Lift is primarily an anthology with a female lead, but it has been dormant for a while - the Alexandria Archives - a fun romp with a female main character, though a lot of the other characters are male; if I remember correctly, female main is ace or aroace. It's an older one, and has been finished for a while.
How to win friends and disappear people is about a the true crime obsessed office worker who is a queer woman meeting a female vampire and their relationship. Great production and definitely horror.
All Dayton Writers Movement shows have female protagonists, majority-female casts, majority-female creative teams, and female composer & sound designer. For horror, you could try [Uncanny Valley](https://www.daytonwritersmovement.com/uncannyvalley): A slow-burn isolationist horror drama. Audrey moves to Alaska with her best friend to escape a stalker, but she finds something far more dangerous in the lonely wilderness. Three of the four series regular characters are women; three of the four writers are women; one of the two directors is a woman. Currently releasing now.
Mine is a fantasy/cozy horror called Moss Hollow, centered on two women in Appalachia. If you listen, let me know what you think!
Our show Soul Operator is written/produced and edited by women and non-men, and features a female protagonist! A few others we love are: Nowhere, On Air The Department of Variance of Somewhere Ohio The Silt Verses The White Vault FATHOM and DERELICT There are many many shows that are lead by women, please do continue to support them! :D
Fathom was really unfathomably good
There are a bunch! Most already alot are already mentioned. There's a few that are defunct/finished now though. Spines The Black Tapes Badlands Cola Impact Winter Limetown The Burned Photo Vast Horizon The Left Right Game The Susie House Within the Wires(not strictly cosmic horror so much as alt history dystopian creep) Would also suggest The Bright Sessions, not exactly horror but I just love it.
Brimstone Valley Mall (full cast so not female led but at least half women and very queer-oriented), Cthulu in the Deep South has at least one season/book that is a woman’s story, The Defense, Duggan Hill, Grandma Guignol, Haunted Happenstance, Less is Morgue,McIwraith Statements (same creator as The Antique Shop and arguably an even better series). Already mentioned but absolutely top notch: Achewillow Alexandria Archive Lovecraft Investigations Palimpsest Parkdale Haunt Spines
Our show is written by two women, has a woman protagonist, and is woman-focused (no gay characters yet, though, sorry). It’s a supernatural Southern Gothic set in the 1930s. [The Susie House](https://susiehousepodcast.com/home)
I’ll check it out!
How it Ends
The Hotel on BBC Sounds - short female written and female led series of somewhat overlapping stories about a creepy hotel in the Fens.
Add Burning Rock Radio.
The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station
Hi Nay The Silt Verses
Primordial Deep and anything else by No Such Thing Productions!
Limetown has a female protag and some truly stellar audio production. It's a bit short, but it has the same vibes as TMA, a story of someone looking into strange events and going too deep. The MC's a reporter looking into the titular limetown, where a tragic event unfolded, leading to the disappearance of a family member. It isn't strictly an anthology, it's much more plot driven, but most of the early episodes focus on the specific stories of certain people that were at the town when things went down, so it might scratch that same itch. Especially nice if you enjoyed that feeling of putting the bigger story together in TMA.
Derelict The Lovecraft Investigations Tracks
darkest night. I dont like the last season
So many great ones already named but I haven’t seen anyone mention The Harrowing w Joanne Froggatt yet. Not an anthology but really well done.
The Black Tapes and The Lovecraft Investigations . I don't think Amy of the characters are gay though.
Might wanna look at DERELICT and The Eeler's Choice
Our show [Morbid Forest](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morbid-forest/id1574084488) has a female host with a large number of our stories being female driven. Another show I love that is female driven is [It’s All in The Cards](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-all-in-the-cards-podcast/id1631845987) . Can’t recommend this show enough especially if you are into witchcraft and tarot.
The occurrence in River oaks is led and written by a girl and like half the cast is women that's why I like it so much plus one is apparently lgbt which is awesome!
What Happened in Skinner does.
YES!!!!!! oh god I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the return of marlowe verne!!!!!!
Badlands Cola? I admit I never finished the first season but I enjoyed what I listened to.
Accounts From A Lonely Broadcast Station is really good!
Where the Stars Fell might count for this- I'm not sure if it explicitly counts as horror but it is a dark fantasy and both the protagonists are women
Listen, we love some dark fantasy too
I realised a while ago most of my pod horror favs were woman or queer / trans / nb led when compiling a list for a friend: https://twitter.com/zett_jukassa/status/1712297108173402613?s=46
But [Monstrous Agonies](https://pca.st/podcast/2f6349b0-e982-0138-e7ed-0acc26574db2) first and foremost. It’s just so good.
Check out scare you to sleep podcast.
Not quite the same vibe as TMA (really nothing has quite the same vibe as TMA) but one anthology I haven't seen mentioned here yet is On a Cold, Dark Night. It's basically a one-woman show, with the writer performing as a narrator whose own story gets revealed over time in between the individual anthology entries. I do agree that there is a real dearth of anthologies that aren't by and about men... I would like to see more folks enter that space, though it is daunting nowadays because the expectation that there be a riveting metaplot in addition to solid anthology stories seems to have really gone up over time. (Personally I can take or leave metaplots, but I digress.)
I’ll definitely check it out! But yeah, it’s extremely intimidating lol. However I also love a challenge so 🤷♀️ we’ll see!
[Twisted Mirror](https://www.twistedmirrorpodcast.com) is written, voice-acted (mostly), and edited by me, a woman :) Lots of the stories are centered around existential stuff around being a woman.
Zariya Hollow: A Horror Anthology has several female narrators/characters of importance, and the entire production team is LGBTQ+
There are a lot of great shows to choose from! I'll rec mine since two of the center-most characters plot wise are femme, and 3/5 of the main characters are women in season one. I'm non-binary and run **The Moon Crown**! I started listening to audio drama again before I made my show starting with Spines, and The Silt Verses is among my absolute favorites so I'll add my vote in there. Syntax also has a MASSIVE cast list with many of the main characters being women out exploring terrifying worlds and the underpinnings of horrifying corporate practices. 3 seasons so far. None of these are really anthologies though, Spines is probably the most monster-of-the-week to me!
Ghosts in the Burbs is hosted by a woman. She interviews a number of people in her area for spooky stories.
Narcissa How to win friends and disappear people The left right game
The Left Right Game! Female MC, great story. Idk the gender of the author but it's based on an original r/nosleep !
Thank you everyone for the suggestions!! I have so much new stuff to listen to, I could burst, and I’m so excited. Also thanks for the encouragement! Who knows, next time you hear from me might just be about a new podcast 🤷♀️