Old Gods of Appalachia

According to its electronic press kit, Old Gods of Appalachia is “an eldritch horror anthology podcast” produced by Asheville, North Carolina-based DeepNerd Media, which is set in an “alternate Appalachia,” meaning a fictional place based on the real one (DeepNerd Media 2024a). According to its 2023 press kit, since its launch in 2019, the podcast has boasted a following of over nine million downloads and has won numerous awards, including DiscoverPod Best Overall Podcast in 2021, and thirty-six Audioverse awards through 2022 in categories such as best writing, best original composition, best performer and guest performer, to name a few of the many (DeepNerd Media 2024a). In the short time since the press kit was released, the website updated its download statistics to over sixteen million, and awards to include fifty-nine Audioverse awards (DeepNerd Media 2025).The podcast invokes the use of the term “family” as a direct reference to its audience, summoning its loyal listeners to its gripping storytelling performances, complete with chilling sound effects. If you are a patron of podcasts and prefer reverent, light, good-feeling types of podcasts, this is not for you. Indeed, at the opening of every episode in its over sixty episodes, there runs a content warning that the podcast, due to its unsettling nature, “may contain material not suitable for all audiences, so listener discretion is advised.” Additionally, because the podcast is an anthology filled with spine-chilling stories that span several episodes, it is not advisable to begin with the last episode and peruse backwards. In fact, at the beginning of Season 4, titled “Root & Branch,” the narrator and co-creator, Steve Shell, cautions the listeners that they may want to begin listening at Season 3. “Root & Branch” begins where Season 3, “As Above, So Below,” leaves off.The podcast production is played over several media outlets, including the website https://www.oldgodsofappalachia.com. And the podcast has reaped quite a following! Launched in 2019 and still going strong, the production not only boasts of podcasts in its repertoire, but also national live tours–some that sold out–and a role-playing game developed by Monte Cook Games within its oeuvre (DeepNerd Media 2024b). Many in the Appalachian studies community may appreciate that with that popularity comes a platform to inform. In the spirit of platforms, there is a portion of the podcast's website that contains links to interviews that allude to some historical and cultural references. However, more could be done to inform listeners spanning the United States and the world about Appalachia. While Appalachian studies was not the focus of the podcast, what a capital opportunity for that aim if the producers ever ventured into that subject matter!According to an interview done by Sara Murphy with the co-creators, in 100 Days in Appalachia, Steve Shell and Cam Collins are friends who grew up together within Appalachia in Wise County, Virginia. According to the article, Shell and Collins first came up with the idea of the podcast when meditating on Appalachia's unique landscape and history (Murphy 2021). Nicholas Reich from Vanderbilt University mused that the podcast explores the question not of “what are we doing to the land . . . [but] what is the land capable of doing to us if we don't pay attention to certain borders?” (Murphy 2021). Shell's and Collins's meditation on Appalachia led them to wonder “What kind of humans might be shaped by breaching these boundaries?” (Murphy 2021). Currently, Shell resides in Asheville, North Carolina, and Collins in Bristol, Tennessee. Neither is new to the podcast arena, as both have performed in earlier podcasts (DeepNerd Media 2024c).While character development is not a strength of the podcast, due to its time limitations, listeners will nevertheless appreciate the diversity included in its characters. In fact, the first episodes include queer witches. In an attempt to stay inclusive with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ audiences, the show collaborates with cultural sensitivity consultants in its creative endeavors (DeepNerd Media 2024c). Listeners will enjoy the voice talents of many diverse actors as well.With music being an important part of Appalachian culture, listeners to the podcast will also no doubt enjoy the spotlighted artistic talents of its unconventional intro and outro music (DeepNerd Media 2024c). For example, musical necromancer Landon Blood, who sings about life in mountain country, performs the intro music spanning over several seasons. The first seasons include outro music by a two-person band called Those Poor Bastards, who play a genre of music called gothic country. Spotlights include many other musical artists about whom you can read on the Old Gods of Appalachia website at https://www.oldgodsofappalachia.com/about/music.In summary, the Old Gods of Appalachia podcast contains loads of fun and eerie stories. If you enjoy the dark and unknown reaches of folksy legends within a fictional, ancient Appalachia, you will not regret listening to this podcast.