Ethan Hawke leads supernatural horror podcast ‘Midnight Radio’ ahead of Halloween

Ethan Hawke is entering the world of audio horror with Midnight Radio, a supernatural thriller podcast scheduled to launch shortly before Halloween. The actor stars as the host of a late night AM radio programme whose routine broadcast takes a disturbing turn after he receives a mysterious call.

The caller claims to have been involved in a secret United States space mission that disappeared from public knowledge. As the story unfolds in real time, the radio host becomes caught in a web of alleged government cover ups, interdimensional breaches and psychological warfare.

According to the official synopsis, strange signals concealed within radio static gradually reveal themselves, raising questions about the identity and intentions of the voice on the other end of the line.

The first episode is scheduled for release on October 22 through the iHeartRadio app and major podcast platforms. The nine episode series will then release new instalments every Thursday at midnight Pacific Time, or 3am Eastern Time.

The project reunites Hawke with filmmaker Scott Derrickson and screenwriter C Robert Cargill, the creative team associated with horror films Sinister and The Black Phone. Hawke starred in both films.

Derrickson and Cargill created and co wrote the podcast, which is produced by Hawke and his wife Ryan Hawke’s Under the Influence Productions, alongside Crooked Highway and Mickey Schiff, in collaboration with iHeartPodcasts.

The ensemble also includes Noah Centineo, Willa Fitzgerald, Vincent D’Onofrio, Levon Hawke, Austin Pendleton and Hubert Point Du Jour.

Hawke said the team had no previous podcast experience but enjoyed having creative freedom. He also highlighted the intimacy of audio storytelling and its potential to create fear through sound alone.

“There’s an intimacy to the audio only medium that can be really powerful, and in our case, used to a terrifying effect,” Hawke said.

Derrickson described the project as an independently financed labour of love, explaining that the creators wanted to develop a complex narrative without creative restrictions. The collaboration with iHeartPodcasts will bring the series to listeners across multiple platforms.