Internet Urban Legends

I found Internet Urban Legends when one of the co-hosts, Loey Lane, appeared on an episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved. I love urban legends, and I love the internet. Put them together, and it feels like a win/win.

I’ve been listening to this podcast off and on for about a year now. I only listen to it off and on, because I only listen to it when I haven’t got any other podcasts to listen to. 

Let’s discuss.

Internet Urban Legends started on Spotify in April of 2021. It’s hosted by the aforementioned Loey, and her skeptic friend Eleanor. Together they call themselves the Gruesome Twosome.

If you’re wondering, yes this little nickname is one of my issues. Honestly, I cringe every time I hear them say it. 

In each episode, the Gruesome Twosome discuss some fantastic story online. Sometimes, it’s a classic story like Robert the Doll. Sometimes it’s something I’ve never heard of before, like the Dead Internet theory. 

Sometimes it’s stupid shit, like if cats are aliens. 

I do love the premise of the show. As I said, urban legends are one of my favorite forms of horror, and the internet is the new frontier for urban legends. The blend of spooky stories, weird social media posts and bonkers conspiracy theories is what brings me back to this podcast over and over.

Ah, but of course, there’s a reason it’s not among my favorite podcasts. It’s not one that I wait for with bated breath.

There are two reasons why I don’t love this podcast, and the reasons unfortunately Laney and Eleanore themselves. 

I can barely tell them apart, for one thing. If it wasn’t clearly explained in the description of the show, I’d have no idea that Laney was the believer and Eleanore was the skeptic. 

And even if I could tell, I wouldn’t care.

Look, I listen to a lot of spooky stories, and most of them I’ve heard before. And if I haven’t heard of a story, I will hear about it elsewhere. So what will bring me back to a podcast over and over is the host. Are they funny, or charming? Do I love listening to them tell a story? 

What I’m looking for is someone like Aaron Manke, who created Lore. He can tell you a story about mass murder and make you feel warm and comforted. And the Gruesome Twosome just doesn’t have that. Not only can I not tell them apart from each other, but I also can’t tell them apart from hundreds of other urban legends and true crime podcast hosts.

It’s an interesting podcast to listen to, but until Laney and Eleanore work on their personas, it’s never going to be top-shelf. 

That being said, if you’re looking for a new podcast you could do worse. At the very least, it’s fun to listen to while walking the dog. Here’s a link to the podcast on Spotify so you can check it out for yourself.