Inspired by Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps, Nightmare Soup is a horror anthology podcast based on the Nightmare Soup books written by Jake Tri and illustrated by Andy Sciazko. Enter the Midnight Bite diner, where your friendly but unnerving waiters Betty and Billy serve up stories that will terrify all ages!

Creator of Bloody FM podcasts Haunted American History and the Nightmare Collective, Christopher Feinstein adapted the scripts from the Nightmare Soup trilogy: Nightmare Soup: Tales That Will Turn Your Stomach, Nightmare Soup II: The Second Helping, and Nightmare Soup III: Midnight Snack. 

“They’re meant to scare you, gross you out, and even sometimes make you laugh,” said showrunner Daisy McNamara, known for horror fantasy podcasts Eeler’s Choice and Waterlogged, and for showrunning Bloody FM original SCP Archives.

“As quintessential 90s kids, Andy and I absolutely loved Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. And what started out as an experiment to see if we could capture the same feel as those books, has led to project spanning nearly a decade, with its own narrative style, its own trilogy, a podcast, and plenty more to come,” Tri said about the inspiration for the books.

The Nightmare Soup book series is technically for kids but is written with all horror fans in mind. “This means there are plenty of stories older readers (and now listeners!) will enjoy. This also means there are a few stories that might push the edge as far as younger listeners go (but hey, a few bad dreams never hurt anyone),” said Tri. For example, the stories don’t contain any harsh language or sexually explicit themes, but body horror, a bit of cannibalism, and kids getting eaten by monsters are all fair game.

“We’re incredibly excited to hear our stories brought to life with this new podcast series. The format that’s been created is a lot of fun, and we think listeners will love the characters of Billy Cleaver and Betty Boil as they serve up our tales that will turn your stomach over at the Midnight Bite Diner,” Tri and illustrator Andy Sciazko said of the new podcast.

The podcast premieres as Tri and Sciazko launch their Kickstarter for Nightmare Soup: The Ultimate Feast, a 7×10 hardcover anthology of updated versions of the original Nightmare Soup trilogy. It’s over 450 pages long, and contains over 90 original stories, each of them illustrated by Andy Sciazko.

Backers will also have the option of getting first dibs on a brand new batch of stories targeted at a young adult audience, Nightmare Soup: Bloody Bites, unlike the original stories for kids. In addition, they’ll be releasing an 8.5 x 11 hardcover artbook Just Desserts: The Art of Andy Sciazko, that will showcase the best of the best from Andy’s portfolio of work.

Follow the Nightmare Soup series on Instagram and Facebook for updates on the Kickstarter.

The Nightmare Soup podcast premieres July 15th on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all your favorite podcatchers. Subscribe now!