Introducing ‘Scare You To Sleep’: An Original Horror Fiction Podcast from the Bloody Disgusting Podcast Network!

The Bloody Disgusting Podcast Network is growing! This week, we’re excited to announce our two newest additions. You can read all about our video game podcast, Safe Room here, or keep reading to learn about Scare You To Sleep‘s guided nightmares, scary stories, and dark Reddit tales!

To properly introduce you to Scare You To Sleep we sat down with creator Shelby Scott, to talk all things horror, podcast, and horror podcasting!

Tell us about yourself?

I never know what to say to this question! I am Shelby Scott, I’m the host of the podcast Scare You To Sleep. I’m a horror author. I live in Los Angeles, CA. I also like baking and long walks on the beach. I’m an organ donor. My eyes are brown and my blood type is…

What is Scare You To Sleep all about?

Scare You To Sleep is my little experiment in bringing together relaxation and horror. I feel like so many of us use horror as an escape. So I read in a more gentle tone like I’m reading you a bedtime story! I like to use really immersive sound effects as well to further that feeling of being in that world (even if those sound effects make your skin crawl). So people can get away from their day-to-day monsters to meet my fictional ones for a little while each week.

Why did you join the Bloody Disgusting network? 

I have been a huge fan of Bloody Disgusting since the beginning. It was my favorite website in high school, and has continued to be a treasured part of my life. When I was asked to be a part of the network I was emotionally transported back to sitting in front of the family computer in the early 2000’s, just dreaming about writing my own horror stories someday. I was over the moon to be able to be a part of, and contribute to, something that has brought me so much joy.

What do you do in your free time?

Free time? I’ve never heard of that. Haha, when I do have free time I love visiting any and all museums. I also collect antique books so I love going to used bookstores and just sit on the floor and pour over them for hours.

What’s your favorite horror movie/game/show?

Scariest horror game I’ve ever played was still P.T., or “playable trailer”. I still have a PlayStation with a copy of it, a rare and prized possession these days! I feel like nothing I’ve played since has made me that scared, like, my body fighting against me and refusing to go forward down the hallway, scared.

How’d you get into podcasting?

I was a huge fan of podcasts, and at one point one of my own horror stories was featured on the No Sleep Podcast, which was such an honor. I realized it was a great way to get my own stories out there while also creating a sort of weird horror for relaxation or sleep show. At the time I thought it was way too niche and no one would listen, I was happy to find there was so much interest in my weird little idea.

What’s another podcast you think everyone should listen to?

I have a few!

• Watch If You Dare, which is a great horror movie review show, they really know their stuff and I’ve been a guest a couple of times.
• Twisted Mirror, which is Nina G. Jones’ show featuring all of her own stories, she’s just such a fantastic horror author.
• Thirteen Podcast, very moody and original horror, some of their episodes had me sleeping with the lights on.

Do you have any fun plans for the future of your show?

I’d really love to eventually release a book companion for the show. That’s the dream anyway! I will also be adding some more video versions of some of the stories done without sound effects for those who genuinely want that feeling of someone just reading them a story.

What are three episodes people should listen to? And why?

God Will Provide: it’s a listener favorite, which is flattering because it’s one I wrote, it gets brought up the most in my show’s Facebook Group so I think that’s a great one to start with. It’s set in both modern day and during the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma when people were very desperate, that’s all I’ll say!

Horror: A True Tale: is a great example of the classic horror stories (or the old and dusty ones as I call them) I like to highlight on the show. The Victorian era especially had a huge boom in ghost stories and a lot of them are sort of being forgotten, so I like to breathe new life into them for a modern audience.

Good Hair: this one is by an author named Nina G. Jones who does a beautifully terrifying job at presenting the struggles that POC go through with being fetishized and brutalized when it comes to society’s beauty standards. Very graphic.

You can listen to Scare You To Sleep wherever you listen to podcasts, and can also catch up with Shelby on Twitter, Instagram, or support her on Patreon!