Old Gods of Appalachia

*Old Gods of Appalachia*
Old Gods of Appalachia
Presentation
Genre	Horror podcast
Created by	Steve Shell; Cam Collins;
Narrated by	Steve Shell
Language	English
Updates	Weekly
Length	11–77 minutes
Production
Production	DeepNerd Media
Theme music composed by	Landon Blood
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	65
Publication
Original release	October 31, 2019 –; present
Provider	RustyQuill
Related
Website	oldgodsofappalachia.com

Old Gods of Appalachia is a horror podcast written by Cam Collins and Steve Shell that debuted on October 31, 2019. The show is produced by DeepNerd Media, is distributed by Rusty Quill, and was adapted into a role-playing game by Monte Cook Games. Each episode uses a combination of narration and audio drama to tell historical fiction stories based on Appalachian folklore. The fifth season is set to premiere on December 5, 2024.^[1]

Background

The show is written by Steve Shell and Cam Collins.^[2] The stories are original fiction that draws on a mix of history and folk tales for inspiration and address strange things from witchcraft to the paranormal.^[2] The cast for the show either currently live or grew up in Appalachia.^[3]

Episodes

Season	Episodes	Originally released
Season	Episodes	First released	Last released
1	14	October 31, 2019 (2019-10-31)	January 30, 2020 (2020-1-30)
2	20	September 10, 2020 (2020-9-10)	July 15, 2021 (2021-7-15)
3	20	March 17, 2022 (2022-3-17)	January 12, 2023 (2023-1-12)
4	20	August 24, 2023 (2023-8-24)	May 30, 2024 (2024-5-30)

Season 1 (2019–20)

No.	Title	Length	Written by	Original release date
0	"Prologue"	11:36	Steve Shell	October 31, 2019 (2019-10-31)
0.5	"The Witch Queen"	25:23	Steve Shell	November 6, 2019 (2019-11-6)
1	"Old Number Seven: Barlo, Kentucky 1917: Part One"	18:05	Steve Shell	November 7, 2019 (2019-11-7)
2	"The Schoolhouse: Barlo Kentucky 1917: Part Two"	19:57	Steve Shell	November 14, 2019 (2019-11-14)
2.5	"Let There Be Green"	12:59	Steve Shell	November 21, 2019 (2019-11-21)
3	"The Covenant: Barlo, Kentucky 1917: Part Three"	21:40	Cam Collins	November 28, 2019 (2019-11-28)
4	"The Sacrifice: Barlo, Kentucky 1917: Part Four"	23:21	Cam Collins	December 5, 2019 (2019-12-5)
4.5	"The Bad Death and Resurrection of Annie Messer"	22:53	Steve Shell	December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13)
5	"The Boy: Barlo, Kentucky 1917: Part Five"	29:22	Steve Shell	December 19, 2019 (2019-12-19)
6	"The Witch Queen Chapter II: Doubt"	24:04	Steve Shell	December 26, 2019 (2019-12-26)
7	"Afterbirth: Season Finale Part 1"	27:50	Steve Shell	January 9, 2020 (2020-1-9)
8	"Homecoming: Season Finale Part 2"	24:55	Cam Collins	January 16, 2020 (2020-1-16)
9	"You Ready to Go Home? Season Finale Part 3"	28:02	Steve Shell	January 23, 2020 (2020-1-23)
10	"The Witch Queen Chapter III: Last Harbor: Season Finale Part 4"	35:48	Steve Shell	January 30, 2020 (2020-1-30)

Season 2 (2020–21)

No.	Title	Length	Written by	Original release date
11	"Season Two Prologue"	14:18	Steve Shell	September 10, 2020 (2020-9-10)
12	"The Other Queen"	24:39	Steve Shell	September 24, 2020 (2020-9-24)
13	"The Dark Earth at Night"	30:34	Steve Shell	October 8, 2020 (2020-10-8)
14	"On Death Island"	26:25	Steve Shell	October 22, 2020 (2020-10-22)
15	"A Funeral in Pine"	29:15	Steve Shell	November 5, 2020 (2020-11-5)
16	"Between the Unburied and Miss Belle"	36:32	Steve Shell	November 19, 2020 (2020-11-19)
17	"The Boy Who Could Not Die"	36:33	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	December 3, 2020 (2020-12-3)
18	"Where the Cold Wind Blows"	30:55	Cam Collins	January 21, 2021 (2021-1-21)
19	"Where the Sun Never Shines"	28:05	Cam Collins	February 4, 2021 (2021-2-4)
20	"Am I Born to Die?"	38:22	Steve Shell	February 28, 2021 (2021-2-28)
21	"A Worthy Grave"	31:59	Cam Collins	March 4, 2021 (2021-3-4)
22	"Paper, Ink and Sorrow"	23:25	Steve Shell	March 24, 2021 (2021-3-24)
23	"A Bad Night for Hollow Men"	37:49	Steve Shell	April 8, 2021 (2021-4-8)
24	"Charcoal Suit and All"	41:31	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	April 22, 2021 (2021-4-22)
25	"The Siege of Pleasant Evenings"	42:50	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	May 6, 2021 (2021-5-6)
26	"Welcome to Paradise"	21:03	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	May 20, 2021 (2021-5-20)
27	"Strangers in Paradise"	29:14	Cam Collins	June 3, 2021 (2021-6-3)
28	"Paradise Lost"	36:34	Cam Collins	June 17, 2021 (2021-6-17)
29	"A Friend of the Family"	42:26	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	July 1, 2021 (2021-7-1)
30	"The Dead Queen"	1:17:46	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	July 15, 2021 (2021-7-15)

Season 3 (2022–23)

No.	Title	Length	Written by	Original release date
31	"Season Three Prologue"	20:19	Steve Shell	March 17, 2022 (2022-3-17)
32	"Runs in the Family"	29:10	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	March 31, 2022 (2022-3-31)
33	"Special Delivery"	34:05	Cam Collins	April 14, 2022 (2022-4-14)
34	"On Oak Mountain"	33:59	Cam Collins	April 28, 2022 (2022-04-28)
35	"More Harm than Good"	44:40	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	May 12, 2022 (2022-05-12)
36	"Eminent Domain"	32:27	Steve Shell	June 9, 2022 (2022-06-09)
37	"The Other Walker House"	31:17	Steve Shell	June 23, 2022 (2022-06-23)
38	"Diary of a Preacher's Daughter"	28:20	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	July 7, 2022 (2022-07-07)
39	"The Blood of the Mountain"	38:32	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	July 21, 2022 (2022-07-21)
40	"The Well of Remembrance"	46:22	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	August 4, 2022 (2022-08-04)
41	"Return to Paradise"	28:19	Cam Collins	August 25, 2022 (2022-08-25)
42	"A Fool's Paradise"	28:00	Cam Collins	September 8, 2022 (2022-09-08)
43	"Escape from Paradise"	39:05	Cam Collins	September 22, 2022 (2022-09-22)
44	"A Brace of Kinsmen"	26:39	Steve Shell	October 6, 2022 (2022-10-06)
45	"Hollowed Be Thy Name"	31:37	Steve Shell	October 20, 2022 (2022-10-20)
46	"Lay Not upon Us Innocent Blood"	28:19	Steve Shell	November 17, 2022 (2022-11-17)
47	"Cast Me Forth Unto the Sea"	25:52	Steve Shell	December 1, 2022 (2022-12-01)
48	"By Reason of Mine Affliction"	46:35	Cam Collins	December 15, 2022 (2022-12-15)
49	"Sackcloth and Ashes"	44:50	Cam Collins	January 5, 2023 (2023-1-05)
50	"The Horns of the Altar"	1:05:58	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	January 12, 2023 (2023-1-12)

Season 4 (2023–24)

No.	Title	Length	Written by	Original release date
51	"Season Four Prologue"	13:24	Cam Collins	August 24, 2023 (2023-8-24)
52	"The Men of the Rock"	25:58	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	September 7, 2023 (2023-9-07)
53	"Due Process"	32:52	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	September 21, 2023 (2023-9-21)
54	"Caveat Emptor"	34:03	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	October 5, 2023 (2023-10-05)
55	"The Matter of the Children"	35:19	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)
56	"The Traveling Marvels"	33:38	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	November 2, 2023 (2023-11-02)
57	"The Land of Nod"	34:47	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	November 16, 2023 (2023-11-16)
58	"Opportunity Knocks"	40:37	Cam Collins	November 30, 2023 (2023-11-30)
59	"Points of Order"	26:27	Cam Collins	December 14, 2023 (2023-12-14)
60	"The Tale of Mr. Poe"	33:38	Steve Shell	January 4, 2024 (2024-1-4)
61	"Mixed Blessings"	30:22	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	January 11, 2024 (2024-1-11)
62	"Small Favors"	29:42	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	February 8, 2024 (2024-2-8)
63	"The Ways of the Dead"	36:40	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	February 22, 2024 (2024-2-22)
64	"Last Stand at Copper Ridge"	27:58	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	March 7, 2024 (2024-3-7)
65	"Debt Collections"	35:06	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	March 21, 2024 (2024-3-21)
66	"Night Comes to the Rock"	TBA	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	April 4, 2024 (2024-4-4)
67	"Goldie Graves"	TBA	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	April 18, 2024 (2024-4-18)
68	"The Bonds of Friendship"	TBA	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	May 2, 2024 (2024-5-2)
69	"Nice and Easy"	TBA	Steve Shell and Cam Collins	May 16, 2024 (2024-5-16)
70	"The Burden of Proof"	TBA	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	May 30, 2024 (2024-5-30)

Reception

Toni Oisin of Collider praised the show saying that "the style the script is written in is gripping, making it hard to switch off after the first episode."^[4] Aysel Atamdede of 60 Seconds Magazine praised the show saying that the podcast contains "immersive, wonderfully written, lovingly narrated stories."^[5] A reader's pick on Vulture written by Eli L. praised the show saying that "it captures the spirit of Appalachia in a way that makes me nostalgic … in addition to keeping me jumping at shadows!"^[6]

Awards

Date	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2022	World Fantasy Awards	Special Award – Professional	Cam Collins and Steve Shell for Old Gods of Appalachia	Nominated	^[7]
2021	Discover Pod Awards	Best Overall Podcast	Old Gods of Appalachia	Won	^[8]
	Discover Pod Awards	Audio Drama or Fiction Podcast		Won	^[8]
	Audio Verse Awards	Overall Storytelling Production for an Existing Production		Won	^[9]
		Cover Art for an Existing Production		Won
		Writing for an Existing Storytelling Production	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	Won
		Storyteller in an Existing Production	Steve Shell	Won
		Music Direction in an Existing Storytelling Production		Won
		Environmental and Action Sound Design in an Existing Storytelling Production		Won
		Original Vocal Composition in an Existing Storytelling Production	"The Land Unknown (The Hollow Heart Verses)" by Landon Blood for Old Gods of Appalachia	Won
2020	Discover Pod Awards	Audio Drama or Fiction Podcast	Old Gods of Appalachia	Runner-up	^[10]
	Audio Verse Awards	Overall Storytelling Production for a New Production	Old Gods of Appalachia	Won	^[11]
		Writing of a New Storytelling Production	Cam Collins and Steve Shell	Won
		Storyteller in a New Production	Steve Shell	Won
		Environmental and Action Sound Design in a New Storytelling Production	Steve Shell	Won
		Original Vocal Composition in a New Storytelling Production	"The Land Unknown" by Landon Blood for Old Gods of Appalachia	Won
		Performance of a Leading Role in a New Audio Play Production	Betsy Puckett in Old Gods of Appalachia: Build Mama a Coffin	Won

Adaptation

The creation of the roleplaying game based on the Old Gods of Appalachia was formally announced on November 12, 2021.^[12]^[13] The show was adapted by Monte Cook Games.^[14]

References

^ "FAQ | Old Gods of Appalachia". Old Gods of Appalachia. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Stevens, Ryan (June 17, 2021). "Old Gods of Appalachia Creates An All-American Horror". Discover Pods. Elite Cafe Media. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
^ Lett, Phoebe (October 11, 2020). "4 Podcasts That Go Bump in the Night". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
^ Oisin, Toni (December 7, 2021). "7 Horror Fiction Podcasts to Check Out While You Wait for the Next Episode of 'Dark Woods'". Collider. Valnet. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
^ Atamdede, Aysel (May 31, 2021). "You Should be Listening To: Old Gods of Appalachia". 60 Seconds Magazine. OMICS Publishing Group. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
^ Quah, Nicholas (September 30, 2020). "Two Minutes Past Nine, No Compromise, and 7 More Podcasts Worth Trying". Vulture. New York. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
^ "Nominees for the 2022 World Fantasy Awards have been announced!". World Fantasy Award | WFC2022. July 20, 2022. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
^ "Announcing the winners of the 2021 Discover Pods Awards". Discover Pods Awards. October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
^ "2021 Winners – The Audioverse Awards". Audioverse Awards. April 17, 2022. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
^ "Announcing the winners of the 2020 Discover Pods Awards". Discover Pods Awards. November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
^ "20210Winners – The Audioverse Awards". Audioverse Awards. March 28, 2021. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
^ Hoffer, Christian (November 2, 2021). "Old Gods of Appalachia Tabletop RPG Announced". ComicBook.com. Paramount Global. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
^ B., William (November 2, 2021). "The Old Gods of Appalachia, RPG Announced". Game News 24. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
^ Tran, Tony (April 18, 2022). "Old Gods of Appalachia podcast invites you to try its new role-playing game". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.

External links

[FAQ-1] "FAQ | Old Gods of Appalachia". Old Gods of Appalachia. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.

[Stevens_2021-2] Stevens, Ryan (June 17, 2021). "Old Gods of Appalachia Creates An All-American Horror". Discover Pods. Elite Cafe Media. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2022.

[Lett_2020-3] Lett, Phoebe (October 11, 2020). "4 Podcasts That Go Bump in the Night". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.

[Oisin_2021-4] Oisin, Toni (December 7, 2021). "7 Horror Fiction Podcasts to Check Out While You Wait for the Next Episode of 'Dark Woods'". Collider. Valnet. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.

[Atamdede_2021-5] Atamdede, Aysel (May 31, 2021). "You Should be Listening To: Old Gods of Appalachia". 60 Seconds Magazine. OMICS Publishing Group. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.

[Quah_2020-6] Quah, Nicholas (September 30, 2020). "Two Minutes Past Nine, No Compromise, and 7 More Podcasts Worth Trying". Vulture. New York. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.

[WFC_2022-7] "Nominees for the 2022 World Fantasy Awards have been announced!". World Fantasy Award | WFC2022. July 20, 2022. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.

[Goldberg_2021-8] "Announcing the winners of the 2021 Discover Pods Awards". Discover Pods Awards. October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.

[Audioverse_2022-9] "2021 Winners – The Audioverse Awards". Audioverse Awards. April 17, 2022. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.

[Goldberg_2020-10] "Announcing the winners of the 2020 Discover Pods Awards". Discover Pods Awards. November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

[Audioverse_2021-11] "20210Winners – The Audioverse Awards". Audioverse Awards. March 28, 2021. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.

[Hoffer_2021-12] Hoffer, Christian (November 2, 2021). "Old Gods of Appalachia Tabletop RPG Announced". ComicBook.com. Paramount Global. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.

[B._2021-13] B., William (November 2, 2021). "The Old Gods of Appalachia, RPG Announced". Game News 24. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.

[Tran_2022-14] Tran, Tony (April 18, 2022). "Old Gods of Appalachia podcast invites you to try its new role-playing game". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.

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