The Westside Fairytales Podcast
We at the Westside Fairytales have written a story for you. Not you in that broad sense where you just means anybody, but you, Dear Listener. We know all about you. What makes you nervous, what sickens you, what keeps you from leaving your house sometimes for the maddening worry of it. And we’ve put it in a story. A story we’ll read for you.
Demons, desperate souls, and eldritch horrors… These strange and varied original tales will linger long after you've finished listening. The Westside Fairytales horror and dark fiction podcast is an award-winning audiodrama written, read, and produced by author Tyler Bell.
Seasons 1-4 contain a variety of short stories; Seasons 5 and 6 are novels broken into chapters. While each story can stand on its own, all take place in the extended Westside Fairytales universe, with continuing themes, characters, and connections. The Horror and Lit Club episodes are discussions, interviews, and reviews independent of the fiction episodes. Original art by Yui Breedlove.
Latest Episodes
Mud of the Heart
In this episode of the Westside Fairytales, we join a young man contracted as a hospice nurse to a mute, elderly woman living in an aged mansion beside a swamp. As the woman in his care slips closer to death, he finds himself plagued by haunting visions.
HLC - "Beloved" by Toni Morrison and "Society"
In this month’s Horror and Lit Club is a discussion on Toni Morrison’s seminal work, “Beloved,” and the 1989 body-horror film “Society” directed by Brian Yuzna.
Best Roses, Manassas, West Virginia
Despite an all-consuming fire steadily approaching, a group of older folks are content to squabble amongst themselves about old feuds and grudges. That is, until one of them finds a seemingly innocuous sign that sets about the events that will bring an end to their little hilltop community.
HLC - Dead by Daylight and "It," by Stephen King
An off-the-cuff discussion of October’s literature and random horror recommendations, Dead by Daylight from Behavior Interactive and “It” by Stephen King. For “It” we discuss not only the novel, but the television miniseries and recent movies as well.
The Umbrella Man
Most of us had a small, comfortable group of friends in high school we seemed to do everything with. Today’s story concerns the end of just such a group as they begin their senior year of high school. These four aren’t lucky enough to simply grow apart, however, because some twisted and crooked thing has endeavored to make their parting far more deadly.
Summer Minisode (311) - Best Left Forgotten
It’s most often the least deserving who plague themselves with guilt, who allow the pain to build up until it suffocates them. This summer’s minisode is about just such a person who, whether he deserves it or not, is killing himself with regret over the past.
Season Four Promo
The Westside Fairytales returns October 4 with ten new, horrific stories. Tell your friends.
Update - Merch Store is Live!
Show your support for the Westside Fairytales by making a purchase from our merch store at westsidefairytales.com/merch.
HLC - “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls and “The Thing”
In this episode of the Westside Fairytales Horror and Lit Club, I discuss the recommendations for July 2019: John Carpenter’s 1983 horror film “The Thing,” and Jeannette Walls’ 2004 memoir, “The Glass Castle.”
Bonus Episode: Behind the Season
An in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the stories of season three of the Westside Fairytales podcast. This retrospective episode is a larger version of a thing I do on Patreon and I thought it’d be a nice bonus for you guys at the end of the season.
Ice, and Alley Walking
Some people are invisible to most of us, but that doesn’t make them any less important. Come along on a journey with one of those forgotten people on a slow escape from a city rotting apart from the inside out.
HLC - "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad and "Magic"
This is a discussion of June’s random horror and literature recommendations, the movie “Magic” starring Anthony Hopkins and the novel “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad.