The Black Tapes
The Black Tapes is a fiction podcast created by Paul Bae and Terry Miles. It is hosted by Alex Reagan (voiced by Lori Henry), released as a spin-off of the fictional radio program Pacific Northwest Stories.[1] The series is produced by Nic Silver (voiced by Terry Miles). Reagan narrates a nonfiction-styled fictional story over multiple episodes, using a format that has been compared to Serial.[2][3] The story begins as a biography of paranormal investigator Dr. Richard Strand (voiced by Christian Sloan), 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,"[2] and the podcast evolves into an exploration of these cases, paranormal culture, and the mysterious life of Dr. Strand.
| The Black Tapes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Alex Reagan |
| Genre |
|
| Language | English |
| Updates |
|
| Production | |
| Audio format | Podcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3) |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | May 21, 2015 – November 7, 2017 |
| Provider | Pacific Northwest Stories |
| Website | The Black Tapes Podcast |
Episodes vary in length, from thirty-five 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."[4]
The original run of the Black Tapes was from May 21 2015 to September 7 2017. The show ended with a 6 episode wrap-up and the creators stated that was the end. Then on March 20 2018 it was announced on the official Twitter account for the Black Tapes that the show would return for another season.[5]
On January 13 2020 season 3 of the Black Tapes was re-released with no changes to the audio. However, the episode description of the final episode "Into the Black" was change to denote that it is the "Season Three Mid-Season finale".[6]
Episodes
The first season of The Black Tapes premiered May 21, 2015. The last episode, the mid-season finale, was released November 7, 2017.[7]
Season 1
| Episode | Title[7] | Release date[7] | Production code[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Tale of Two Tapes Part I" | May 25, 2015 | 101 |
| 2 | "A Tale of Two Tapes Part II" | May 26, 2015 | 102 |
| 3 | "The Unsound" | June 2, 2015 | 103 |
| 4 | "Turn that Frown Upside Down" | June 9, 2015 | 104 |
| 5 | "The Devil You Know" | June 16, 2015 | 105 |
| 6 | "The Devil's Door" | June 23, 2015 | 106 |
| 7 | "Cabin Fever" | August 4, 2015 | 107 |
| 8 | "Board to Death" | August 18, 2015 | 108 |
| 9 | "Name that Tune" | September 9, 2015 | 109 |
| 10 | "Their Satanic Monastery’s Request" | September 15, 2015 | 110 |
| 11 | "The Codex Gigas" | September 29, 2015 | 111 |
| 12 | "Shadow Dancing" | October 13, 2015 | 112 |
Season 2
| Episode | Title[7] | Release date[7] | Production code[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sleepless in Seattle" | January 19, 2016 | 201 |
| 2 | "Speak No Evil, Think No Evil" | February 2, 2016 | 202 |
| 3 | "Hush Little Baby" | February 16, 2016 | 203 |
| 4 | "Voices Carry" | March 1, 2016 | 204 |
| 5 | "Cheryl" | May 10, 2016 | 205 |
| 6 | "All in the Family" | May 24, 2016 | 206 |
| 7 | "Personal Possessions" | June 7, 2016 | 207 |
| 8 | "Riverview" | June 21, 2016 | 208 |
| 9 | "The Brothers of the Mount" | July 5, 2016 | 209 |
| 10 | "Welcome to the Machine" | July 19, 2016 | 210 |
| 11 | "About a Boy" | August 2, 2016 | 211 |
| 12 | "The Axis Mundi" | August 16, 2016 | 212 |
Season 3
This season was re-released on 13 January 2020 with changes to the description of episode 6 "Into the Black" to describe it as the "mid-season finale".[8]
| Episode | Title[7] | Release date[7] | Production code[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Sins of the Father" | August 29, 2017 | 301 |
| 2 | "The Musica Mundana" | September 12, 2017 | 302 |
| 3 | "A Family Gathering" | September 26, 2017 | 303 |
| 4 | "Songs and Signs" | October 10, 2017 | 304 |
| 5 | "Worlds Collide" | October 24, 2017 | 305 |
| 6 | "Into the Black" | November 7, 2017 | 306 |
See also
- Tanis, a sister show to The Black Tapes in which Alex Reagan sometimes appeared
- Horror podcast
References
- Grant, Drew (12 July 2016). "Top 10 Creepy, Fictional Podcasts: What to Listen to When Reality Becomes Too Scary". Observer. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (13 October 2015). "'The Black Tapes' is a 'Serial'-style podcast that will scare your socks off". Daily Dot.
- Osberg, Molly (24 February 2016). "'The Black Tapes' Is 'Serial' Meets Creepypasta". Motherboard. Vice.
- Locker, Melissa (11 December 2015). "The 10 best new podcasts of 2015 (that aren't Serial!)". The Guardian.
- "The Black Tapes on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- "The Black Tapes". theblacktapes.libsyn.com. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
- "The Black Tapes by Pacific Northwest Stories on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- "The Black Tapes". theblacktapes.libsyn.com. Retrieved 2020-01-12.