Scary stories pod for tweens and teens; no gore or violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Perilous and suspenseful situations are central to stories: sharp nails dig into ankles and drag kids to the edge of the bed, family members bleed with injuries, children have night terrors about monsters hiding in closets and people and parents disappear, "never to be seen again." Distorted voices and eerie music emphasize scariness. Sound effects include crashes and bangs, distressed heavy breathing, monster growls, and victims' screams. Avoids typical weapons like guns and knives. No explicit talk of killings or murders. Narrators use words like missing, eliminated, or disappeared. Victims are often relatable kid characters. Some humor and upbeat carnival-like music adds a bit of lightheartedness and fun to the spookiness.
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Eli, the fictional janitor of a haunted summer camp and main storyteller, lightly curses his owl friend Owliver: "starting to tick me off", "damn owl!" The podcast avoids language of violence and killing, with stories more often mentioning people being eliminated, disappearing, or fearful that an evil being is, "going to get [them]!"
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Implicit messages that scary can be fun, kids can be brave and courageous, and fear can be shifted into creativity and curiosity. Most of the scary stories end with missing parents and peril, with no positive resolve. Reaction shows invite listeners to share their thoughts on the stories with creators, empowering critical thinking about media.
Positive Role Models
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The consistent fictional main character Eli is mysterious and creepy, but without malice or violence. He tells scary stories in order to try to escape Camp Redrum, not to do harm to the kids. Some main characters in the scary stories show bravery despite fear, and try to do what's right in tense situations. In reaction episodes, kid co-host Jameson models using imagination to think critically about horror stories. Some instances of adults not listening to or not believing kids when they express their fears or concerns. Eli appears scary, but he shows his soft side at times and his love for animals.
Diverse Representations
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The podcast's main character Eli, the janitor of Camp Redrum, is Black and voiced by African American actor Damon Webb. Names of multiple characters within stories such as Asha, Zuri, and Ms.Choi suggest non-White backgrounds. Show co-creator Wanda Reynolds co-hosts reaction episodes. ABF Creative is a kids and family podcast network focused on creating more authentically diverse and inclusive audio content.
Parents need to know that Camp Redrum is a fictional scary story podcast from ABF Creative that includes eerie music, startling sounds, spooky realistic sound effects, and perilous situations. While it may be too scary and mature for younger kids, it's a great listen for tweens and teens who like scary stories, but aren't ready for more graphic horror content. There's no descriptions or depictions of gore or violence and there's some humor infused to lighten the fear factor in moments. The podcast relies on more classic scary story characters like monsters, ghosts, werewolves, Krampus, and haunting spirits. Tales are told inside a fictional frame that features a mysterious janitor named Eli stuck in abandoned Camp Redrum, telling scary tales to children that visit him. Although Eli comes off as spooky and mysterious, he also shows a softer side at times that makes him likable and relatable. The audio quality and fun music definitely makes this a fun listen for adults as well.
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What’s It About?
CAMP REDRUM is a fictional thriller podcast meant for older kids, tweens and teens -- but is also great for adults as well. Eli, the janitor of the spooky abandoned Camp Redrum, is mysteriously stuck at the camp with his companion Owliver the owl, and is trying to figure out how to escape. In each episode, kids from the nearby school come to visit, so Eli tries to tell them a scary story to enlist their help in finally escaping. Stories are told through a female narrator who voices the characters, along with immersive sound effects and an eerily electric soundtrack. The scary stories told often includes a classic spooky trope like a haunting, disappearance, werewolf, or monster, but don't include gory or violent themes. Reaction shows include kid listener's discussions with creators about episodes.
Listen if you dare! This podcast is reminiscent of a modern audio take on Goosebumps with a little more style and edge. The combination of thoughtful writing, delightfully creepy voice acting, immersive audio production, and infectious soundtrack make this horror podcast anthology stand out above many others. It has a perfect mix of spookiness and playfulness, and shows tweens and teens that the horror genre doesn't have to rely on gore or violence to be engaging. Camp Redrum is likely to be nightmare inducing for younger listeners, but tweens, teens and even adults who love scary stories will love this podcast.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what elements of Camp Redrum make it scary or mysterious. What do the podcast creators do with story elements, voices, sound effects, and music to set a convincingly terrifying mood? How is this different than what authors do for scary stories or how scary movies or tv shows set a spooky scene?
What's the appeal of scary things? Do you enjoy feeling scared? Why or why not?
If you could suggest a scary story or an alternate ending to the creators, what would it be?
Check out a reaction episode. Did you have any similar ideas to other kid listeners? Or did you imagine one of Eli's stories differently than they did?
Camp Redrum adds elements of humor, fun music, and relatability (Eli tries to be spooky, but we see his softer side in moments). Does this help to ease the fear factor of the show? Do you think this adds value to a scary podcast or does it distract?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Laura Ordonez
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
