Art by Stephany Torres
Everyone loves a scary story, even if they don’t admit it. But no one quite loves scary stories like Mexicans do. Stay late enough at a Mexican gathering — when tíos and tías begin asking for un cafecito — and you’ll likely get to hear about how abuelito fought away a nahual, when Tía Lulu’s childhood doll started walking, or the time a bruja tried to steal your younger sibling. It’s a time-honored tradition at this point.
The collective first-person spooky experiences of Mexicans are expansive, so much so that dozens of Mexican podcasts exist to tell the tales. Remezlca has gathered the 10 best podcasts out there to keep las ñañaras alive this spooky season, from ghosts to monsters and true crime.
No list is complete without mentioning the legendary show La Mano Peluda. The show was on for 22 years straight starting in 1995. At the height of its popularity, the night show was broadcast across eight countries, including Mexico, the U.S., Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras. This archival podcast compiles and publishes the best stories from the thousands of nighttime callers the show got during its golden era.
Relatos de la Noche has remained Mexico’s number-one podcast on Spotify since 2022. In every episode, RDLN host Uriel Reyes narrates a medley of scary stories written and sent to him by avid fans. From hospital hauntings to more traditional stories about brujas and more niche tales like those of Mexico City’s urban monsters.
In this talk-show-style podcast, hosts Eduardo Espinosa, Mario López Capistrán, and José Antonio Badía discuss everything from current events related to cryptid sightings to weird news, and urban legends. Leyendas Legendarias is great for people too afraid to get fully immersed in a scary story as the hosts bring an aura of lightheartedness to the conversation.
Famous Mexican YouTuber and blogger Luisito Comunica hosts his own spooky podcast. The man-on-the-street journalist does what he does best: gets up close and personal with Satanists, a Ouija board, and victims of alien abduction on La Hora Perturbadora.
Through research and investigation hosts Óscar Escárzaga and Pepe Perez walk listeners through frightening stories from across the world on Señales Podcast. From unsolved mysteries like the Moth Man to gruesome true crimes like the case of Magdalena Solis, a cult leader who went mad with power.
Ismael Méndez exclusively tells and discusses Mexican myths and legends in Leyenda Urbana MX. As well as exploring the typical stories of La Llorona and elves (more commonly known in different regions of Mexico as either duendes, aluxes, or chaneques), Méndez goes further. He also has episodes about lesser-known but equally terrifying local lore from seaside towns and Pueblos Magicos.
Narrated by Damián Alcázar, Fausto is the first installment of this three-part true crime podcast that revolves around the perplexing case of the Chavez Lopez family. In 1991, five members of the family were found murdered in their home in Ecatepec, Mexico City. The only living witness? The three-year-old son who was found covered in blood.
Unnoticed Podcast is no longer going unnoticed. This Spanglish talk-show podcast, hosted by Mezziah and Ricardo, talks about all things creepy, whether it’s legends, creepypastas, or true crime. Join these two homies for all kinds of spooky talk.
Reporter Jannis Merida and artist Maldo get together to explore the macabre in Morras Malditas. The horror lovers talk about terror-related art to nightmare interpretations and haunted places — there’s nothing these two morras chilangas won’t talk about.
If you can’t get enough crowd-sourced scary stories, tune into Relatos de Horror. Similar to Relatos de la Noche, this anonymous story-run podcast recounts stories sent into the podcast by fans. The podcast has collected stories from around Latin America and the U.S. since 2015.
