Hosted by Alex Reagan No. of seasons 2 | Language English | |
Genre Investigative journalism
Serialized audio narrative Updates Thursday morning
Season One:
Episode 1-6: weekly
Episode 7-12: bi-weekly
Season Two: bi-weekly Audio format Podcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3) | ||
The Black Tapes is a podcast hosted by Alex Reagan, released as a spin-off of the fictional radio program Pacific Northwest Stories. The series is produced by Nic Silver. Reagan narrates a nonfiction-styled fictional story over multiple episodes, using a format that has been compared to Serial. The story begins as a biography of paranormal investigator Dr. Richard Strand, an "evangelical skeptic" on a mission to debunk all claims of the supernatural. Reagan becomes interested in his collection of unsolved cases, which she begins calling his "Black Tapes," and the podcast evolves into an exploration of these cases, paranormal culture, and the mysterious life of Dr. Strand.
Episodes vary in length, from twenty to fifty minutes. New episodes were originally available weekly, but partway through the first season the schedule was revised to every other week.
The podcast has received generally favorable reviews for its writing, production, and intricacy. The Guardian described the podcast as taking place in "a world where math, musical theory, obscure points of history, and science become either clues of a possible demonic invasion – or just random events linked only by an active imagination."