iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, today announced the release of “Aaron Mahnke’s 13 Days of Halloween” from Blumhouse Television and iHeartMedia a new, original scripted podcast series starring Keegan-Michael Key. iHeartMedia will produce alongside Blumhouse, the iconic horror studio behind Paranormal Activity, Get Out and The Purge, and the podcasting master of horror, Aaron Mahnke.
In the 13 days leading up to Halloween, Blumhouse Television, iHeartMedia and its partners will bring a spooky world to life through an immersive audio experience, giving listeners a new daily story that’s a little scarier than the one before it. Set in the purgatorial hotel “Hawthorne Manor” and hosted by the “caretaker” – voiced by Keegan-Michael Key – listeners play the role of the hotel’s latest guest, putting them at the center of a new terrifying tale. Episode stories will range from family haunts and doomsday scenarios, to neighborhood mysteries and more.
“Hawthorne Manor is a unique world and we’re so thrilled to be working with iHeartMedia and Aaron Mahnke to bring this sinister tale to life,” said Jeremy Gold, President of Blumhouse Television. “With people staying home this Halloween, we thought listeners would appreciate getting lost in this world with us and having a taste of the spooky spirit of this holiday.”
“Who doesn’t love a good Halloween story?” said acclaimed podcast host and creator, Aaron Mahnke. “With iHeartMedia’s unmatched distribution platform and Blumhouse’s deep roots in horror storytelling, we’ve built the perfect team to scare the socks off our listeners this Halloween.”
The series will be produced using binaural audio, a cutting-edge audio format that immerses listeners completely in the world of the haunted hotel with a three-dimensional auditory experience. Binaural audio simulates the way humans naturally hear, with detailed soundscapes that have a sense of distance and position relative to the listener, providing a virtual reality experience in audio.
“We’re always looking for different ways to immerse podcast fans into new worlds,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “With 13 Days of Halloween, we’re partnering with the best talent in horror to create something special, with deeply haunting stories and ambitious sound technology that makes the experience that much better.”
All episodes of “Aaron Mahnke’s 13 Days of Halloween” from Blumhouse Television and iHeartMedia will be distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network. The iHeartPodcast Network is home to more than 750 original podcasts with over 251 million downloads each month. iHeartRadio Original Podcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between – making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. The platform is also home to the most successful podcast of all time, “Stuff You Should Know,” and creator of hits like “The Ron Burgundy Podcast” and the “Atlanta Monster” series as well as fosters over a hundred shows from its on-air talent like the popular “Bobbycast” and “The Breakfast Club” radio show podcasts. These shows are distributed on all major podcast platforms including the iHeartRadio app, which additionally distributes more than 320,000 shows.
Fans can go to iHeart.com/apps to download and listen on all their favorite devices – including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions, gaming consoles and more.
