Lore is a podcast about non-fiction scary stories. Each episode examines historical events that show the dark side of human nature and is presented in a style that's been compared to a campfire experience. The series was created in 2015 by Aaron Mahnke as a marketing experiment and received the iTunes "Best of 2015" Award. The podcast was also given the award for the "Best History Podcast" by the Academy of Podcasters in July 2016. At the end of 2016, the podcast was included in the top lists by The Atlantic and Entertainment Weekly. As of October 2017, the series has 5 million monthly listeners. The podcast airs on a bi-weekly basis, and is usually released on a Monday. The podcast is recorded in a studio in Mahnke's home office. Mahnke's voice in the podcast is described as "coolly mesmeric".
Content
Each podcast episode features various stories bound together by a common theme. Mahnke spends an average of 20 hours a week researching the folkloric tales and has stated, "All of the material is from documented stories or historical events. Some are ancient and some are modern, but they are all factual in the sense that people reported these things and believed they were true."
TV adaptation
Lore has been adapted for television with the help of Gale Anne Hurd of the hit television seriesThe Walking Dead. Glen Morgan of The X-Files was announced as the showrunner, and the show was made in partnership with Valhalla Entertainment and Propagate Content. The series aired on Amazon Video followed the podcast's anthology format, with each episode featuring a new story and Mahnke remaining the narrator. The show premiered on 13 October 2017 and aired for two seasons before being cancelled in 2019. The show has been praised by The Economist as "good viewing" that manages "to shock and surprise"; however, adding that "it falls short as a television show in its own right." In another review, The Verge said, "the show is able to turn the inherent creepiness of Mahnke's podcast into original stories that are even more unnerving and resonant."
