Spanish Sundown Podcast

With all this America First business, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the rest of the world excels in areas that the U.S. thinks it has dominance. Take podcasting, for example.

There is a thriving and growing European podcasting scene. Do you know how I know that? Through Eurowaves, podcast fans will receive podcast recommendations from Andreea Coscai, as well as industry insights, interviews with European podcast professionals, upcoming events and opportunities, spotlights on companies and organizations driving change in European podcasting.

Andreea notes: “The podcasting scene in Europe is very diverse. Each country has its own approach, but the more you look at it closely, you’ll see surprising similarities.”

Spanish Sundown is a recommendation from Andreea, and, after listening to several episodes, I readily admit that Andreea is right again! For horror fans, this show is pure gold. Or pure gore, whatever your preference.

Here are the opening lines to the show from the trailer, which was released in September 2025 by creator/host Samuel Mattern.

“Can you hear the voices? They are trapped in objects from Spain’s past. An antique door knocker that witnessed a beheading. A murderous revolver hidden under the floor tile of a theater. A centuries-old castle stone pissed on by a madman. The sun goes down, and every day, people stumble across these objects. When they touch them, the voices tell their story.”

What types of stories are contained in Spanish Sundown? In essence, your imagination and Samuel Mattern’s creativity are the limit.

There are Celtic warriors high on shrooms, mad bulls, gold-toothed bandoleers in hidden caves, Nazi collaborators, penis-shrinking witches, adulterous kings…

Creator/host Samuel Mattern warns/entices: “Discover the horrific blood stories of Spain’s past. Discover the horror…that lies inside your own mind. Spanish Sundown is the result of years of ongoing historical research. An original audio drama production, it features the authentic sounds of Spain recorded on-site. Close your eyes and travel here with your mind.”

Creator/host Samuel Mattern has lived between the U.S., Spain, and North Africa. In this multicultural journey, Samuel has learned that stories have power.

Samuel explains that, “Stories have the power to make us think differently. The power to teach us. The power to bring us closer. That’s why stories permeate everything I do: I translate stories with my fingers on the keyboard, I narrate and interpret stories with my voice in the studio, I write and record stories with my scripts and my podcasts, microphone in hand…”

The podcast began in September 2025 and has quickly established itself as one of the most popular horror podcasts in the U.S. and Europe.

Each episode begins with this ominous warning: “Beneath Spain’s wrought-iron balconies and the cobblestone streets lie voices…They are trapped in objects of the past. When touched, when the sun goes down, they come to life.”

Samuel smartly warns listeners that this is a horror podcast and has adult themes.

One of my favorite episodes is Pegasus: Chopped Wings, January 13, 2026.

In the show, the narrator announces: “In the Duero Valley lie the ruins of a 4th-century Roman villa. In what used to be the home’s entrance, there is an impeccably preserved mosaic of Pegasus. But Pegasus has no wings. Why?”

This episode’s character is a Latin translator who travels to the villa with his boss (and clingy romantic partner) for a work assignment, all while dealing with abnormal back pain. When he discovers a tablet with an ancient inscription, his boss strangely insists on ignoring it.

He also insists on our character never taking off the shiny black bracelet he gave him when they made things official. Even though it hurts his wrist. It turns out the voices are trapped inside this bracelet. They take us back to 409 AD, where we meet the final owner of the villa, at a time when the Alans, Visigoths, and Suebi are overrunning Hispania.

But the owner of the villa isn’t concerned. Because Rome is unbeatable…right?

The power of the Roman god Mars, Christian beliefs, and AI collide in a story spanning millennia. Discover with our character the true nature of the black bracelet he is not allowed to remove, where his back pain comes from, and why Pegasus doesn’t have any wings.

Samuel Mattern lives in two cultures — the U.S. and Spain. That blending of cultural legends bubbles up the most.

The sound design bathes the horror narrative in an audio fright fest without being intrusive, excessive, or gimmicky. Samuel’s narrative skill is on full display here, with a style that’s akin to a slowly boiling pot rather than a conflagration of gore and scare tactics. Like a classic Poe tale, these tales of horror have an underlying morality.

The inclusion of classic mythology and Spanish folklore only heightens the sense of impending dread.

For audio horror fans, it doesn’t get better than Spanish Sundown.