Do you enjoy subreddits like creepypastas or nosleep? We do too! There’s nothing like a good jump scare or feeling the hair raise on the back of your neck to really jumpstart your work day. Well, if you’re a fan of those subreddits, then maybe you’ll enjoy the Let’s Not Meet podcast. Named after the eponymous subreddit, host Andrew Tate picks and chooses from the vast number of creepy, stalker stories written by Reddit users and reads them to the audience in a campfire style.
One of my favorite things to do when I’m looking for a good podcast is to look at the content and the production level. Let’s Not Meet is perfectly named after the subreddit of the same name, Andrew Tate retells select stories from the forum’s vast catalog of user posts with a soothing and low-key delivery. Accompanied by atmospheric tones and characteristic horror suspense sounds, Tate perfectly sets the mood to keep you paranoid during his weekly episodes.
I first found this podcast while working late at night in my house, I put it on and listened to the first eight episodes or so and had to shut the drapes in my windows just for fear that someone was watching me. Unlike some horror or supernatural podcasts, Let’s Not Meet doesn’t add unnecessary frills. One of the issues I have with podcasts like Lore and Astonishing Legends, and even The NoSleep Podcast, is that have a level of extravagance that destroys the mood whether it be too much speculation from the hosts or an overproduced feel that destroys the sensation of horror.
This podcast doesn’t do that, it gives you exactly what you came for, no more, no less. Let’s Not Meet walks the line between fiction and non-fiction, each story varies by the way that the writer tells the story. The downside is if you’re naturally suspicious or doubtful of personal accounts and you’re looking for facts and statistics, this isn’t your podcast. Aside from fact-checking some of the more unbelievable stories, some of the posts that Tate reads are from deleted accounts or from a long time ago. There’s no guaranteeing the story is real, but the feeling we get when we listen to them is definitely real.
Spodlights
I’m not above admitting a good podcast cover photo/logo draws me in, and the one for Let’s Not Meet is absolutely stellar.
Episode 8, Blueberry. That episode had me recommending the show to every person I knew. It gave me absolute chills thinking about how obsessive and violent some people can be.
One thing I’m not a fan of is the ending music, which I often skip. Not because it’s not my style, but rather because it is so jarring to jump from Tate’s even-patterned voice to the loud jams of whatever band he’s featuring at the end of the episode.
Each episode has about three to four short posts that Tate reads, with little to no commentary. It has the feeling of an old-time radio drama or even just flipping through a horror anthology.
While he originally started with weekly themes for the podcast, now each new episode is just a cluster of scary stories. It does little to change the momentum of the episodes and if it means he produces more episodes, then we’re all for it.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Let’s Not Meet encounters, these stories are about stalkers, antagonistic experiences, kidnappings/near-kidnappings, or even stumbling upon something creepy. They haven’t become as overly stylized as the nosleep forum (I’ve got my own issues with them) and still retain the feeling of being told a creepy story by a close friend.
English