The paranormal podcast “Let’s Get Haunted” investigates all things haunted and unexplained.
Longtime friends Natalia Strawn and Alyssa Terry started recording their podcast together so that they could explore their interests, delve into the supernatural and have an extra excuse to spend time with each other.
“Let’s Get Haunted” covers a range of topics from cold cases and mysteries to cryptids and urban legends as well as hauntings and conspiracy theories.
The series’s tagline describes its content as “the only investigative journalism podcast about s— that may or may not have even happened in the first place.”
Aly explained the meaning of their signature phrase, “Let’s Get Haunted,” as well as the original purpose for the podcast in “Episode 1: The Dyatlov Pass Incident.”
“You and I have always been interested in the occult, the paranormal, murder,” Aly said. “But there are so many murder podcasts out there that I feel like in order for us to be original but still be true to ourselves, we should focus on the paranormal.”
In response to Aly’s comment, Nat joked that all of the subjects were all simply “haunted.”
“And ‘Let’s Get Haunted’ could mean let’s talk about murder; let’s talk about witches; let’s get bad vibes,” Nat said.
Aly added “let’s get drunk” to the list of all the interpretations attributed to the title of their podcast.
“Let’s get haunted, right? Let’s ruin our lives, get cursed, end up somewhere that we don’t know how we got there and now there’s a ghost following us around for the rest of our lives,” Aly said.
In separate episodes, Nat and Aly allowed their audience a sneak peek into the story behind their catchphrase. To sum it up here, they were basically just having a really “haunted” and drunken evening together.
“We’re investigative journalists,” Nat said. “Alyssa and I, since the days of Myspace, have known how to find s— out about people.”
The duo switches off researching and telling haunted stories to each other in each episode. To get an authentic reaction, each podcast is the first telling of the storyteller’s chosen topic for the week.
Nat and Aly update each other and their listeners on all the haunted happenings going on in their lives. Their entertaining misfortunes mixed with their knack for storytelling adds a personal touch to the podcast.
In the first episode, Aly describes her encounter with a homeless man in a Starbucks. He was rubbing food on his bare chest and snorting mysterious white substances while she tried to research for the podcast. The two also explore unconventional ways they could make enough money to continue producing “Let’s Get Haunted” in early episodes.
In one of Nat and Aly’s self-proclaimed favorite episodes, “Episode 4: The Curse of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine,” they discussed buried treasure.
“What if we get a giant net and we put it across the LA river just in one area and we just see what we can get in there. I bet there’s some coins in there,” Nat said. “Think about how many people live in Los Angeles, there’s got to be at least 50 million dollars in coins.”
The duo also almost never record “Let’s Get Haunted” in the same location. Because they live far away from each other, the two would meet in different places to record the podcast.
In one episode they could be recording in a mutual friend’s guest bathtub, while in another they could be inside an airplane hangar.
One of my favorite descriptions of their recording location was that of a recording studio one of their friends let them borrow. The two set the scene: “empty cans of La Croix all over the table, enough wine bottles to host a tasting party and a used condom as well as the hair extension lying on the ground.”
Because of the podcast’s casual structure, the audience feels like they’re listening in on their friends’ personal conversation. Nat and Aly’s stories and jokes flow naturally. Not only are their stories relatable, but the two have cultivated a dedicated cult following surrounding their podcast.
Other podcasts covering similar topics can feel more strict. When listeners feel overloaded with information, a story that was once interesting can almost become a boring academic lecture. Unlike other podcasts, “Let’s Get Haunted” does not take itself too seriously despite its coverage of dark subjects.
Nat and Aly’s dynamic is another gem that makes “Let’s Get Haunted” such a great podcast. In several episodes, the friends discussed knowing each other in college and being in a sorority together.
In fact, the hosts point out that they were celebrating their Facebook Friendiversary of eight years on the day they recorded “Episode 2: Elisa Lam.”
Also, their paranormal podcast is not the first time Nat and Aly have been in the entertainment spotlight together. Both of them were involved in the production company Sugar Pine 7, and were reoccurring characters in their mockumentary web series called “Alternative Lifestyle.” Aly is even engaged to one of the creators of Sugar Pine 7, Steven Suptic.
In addition to the podcast, Nat and Aly posted a few videos on their YouTube channel Let’s Get Haunted that chronicled some of their adventures together. The two vlogs include “AlienCon Los Angeles 2019” and “Storm Area 51 Raid & Haunted Nevada Roadtrip.”
If it sounds like you need this easygoing, paranormal podcast in your life, you can stream “Let’s Get Haunted” on Spotify, iTunes and SoundCloud for free. And if you want to know more about Nat and Aly, their podcast and the fanbase, you can check out @letsgethaunted on Twitter and Instagram.
