S25 Ep3: NoSleep Podcast S25E03

The NoSleep Podcast S25E03 is a horror anthology featuring five original short fiction stories, each produced and performed by different cast members. The episode opens with "The Slurper" by Russell Nichols, a story with trigger warnings that sets an unsettling tone. "Attention Shoppers" by Z Martin follows, offering what appears to be a retail-themed horror narrative with multiple voice actors creating an intercom and customer service scenario. "Lester" by Philip Schaefer is the third story, featuring a two-character cast (narrator and Ms. Gager) and includes custom artwork. The fourth story, "New and Improved!" by Lauren D. Rossi, carries trigger warnings and involves a family dynamic with three cast members. The episode concludes with "Forever" by Connor Isaac, another trigger-warned story featuring a three-character cast. Across all five stories, the production involves multiple voice actors (Erin Lillis, Kyle Akers, Atticus Jackson, Mike DelGaudio, Dan Zappulla, Mary Murphy, Linsay Rousseau, Sarah Ruth Thomas, Marie Westbrook, and Jeff Clement), five different producers, and original music by Brandon Boone. The episode runs 1 hour 11 minutes total. The show notes emphasize that the podcast is "Human-made for Human Minds" with no generative AI used, and includes a sponsorship read for Weight Loss by Hims. The episode promises "sounds of unsettling unreality," suggesting psychological or surreal horror rather than gore-focused scares. Three of the five stories carry explicit trigger warnings, indicating mature or disturbing content. The production credits suggest professional-level audio drama work with dedicated producers for each story and a consistent host/executive producer (David Cummings) overseeing the season.

Verdict: A professionally produced horror anthology that delivers on the NoSleep brand promise, but limited source material prevents deeper assessment of writing quality, narrative grip, or whether the stories justify their runtime.

Fiction rubric

• Writing n/a

  No transcript or detailed content provided; cannot assess dialogue quality or script distinctiveness from show notes alone.

• Performance and production 4/5 31%

  Multiple dedicated producers per story, named voice cast, original music composition, and custom artwork suggest professional production values; consistent team structure indicates quality control.

• Plot momentum n/a

  Show notes provide only story titles and cast; no information about pacing, narrative tension, or whether stories compel continued listening.

• Substance 3/5 23%

  Five distinct stories with different authors and production teams provide variety, but show notes reveal no detail about thematic depth, originality, or idea density within each narrative.

• Delivers on its title 4/5 23%

  Episode promises "sounds of unsettling unreality" and delivers five horror stories with professional production; the anthology format directly matches the NoSleep Podcast brand expectation.

• Value for time 3/5 23%

  71 minutes for five stories averages ~14 minutes each; reasonable for short fiction, though without content details cannot assess whether pacing is tight or padded.

How we score Fiction

Worth it if you enjoy short-form horror fiction with polished production and don't mind trigger-warned mature content.

Content flags

• Ad-heavy One sponsor read (Hims weight loss) in a 71-minute episode is moderate but present.
• Sensitive Three of five stories carry explicit trigger warnings; content involves distressing themes.

Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.