1 - Penpal by Dathan Auerbach

Drawn to Darkness

Send us a text

Do your friends think you’re weird because you like horror and true crime? Then join us on Drawn to Darkness. In our debut episode, we dive into the horror novel Penpal by Dathan Auerbach–a harrowing cult classic that started as a Reddit creepypasta and has since haunted readers worldwide. Warning: this one’s not for the faint-hearted—and yes, we will discuss spoilers! Penpal is a story about childhood innocence, fractured memories, and the terrifying consequences of being noticed by the wrong person. What begins as an elementary school penpal project quickly spirals into a haunting exploration of stalking, trauma, and the disconnect between children and the adults meant to protect them.

Through personal anecdotes, sharp critique, and a dose of dark humour, we unpack not just what makes Penpal so unsettling, but why stories like this resonate so deeply with our deepest fears. We dig into the book’s structure, born from serialized reddit posts—an origin story that’s both its strength and weakness. Expect some plot holes, but also some of the most unsettling scenes you'll ever read, like a whispered ‘hello’ from the woods that’ll stick with you long after the lights are out. We wrap up with personal stalker stories, and what this book teaches us about survival.

Spoiler and Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of children being stalked and harmed by a paedophile, and we will be spoiling key plot details.

Palate cleanser: The Fresh Prince re-enactment to “Anxiety.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI0BKE8m-dk

Recommendations:

• The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
• Exhalation by Ted Chiang (specifically The Truth of Fact. The Truth of Feeling)
• Interview with Dathan Auerbach on The Conner & Smith Show
• No sleep reddit and podcast https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/

Homework assignment:

Sweet Bobby (documentary). So grab a flashlight, cuddle with your cat, and bring your mace to the woods. We’ll see you in two weeks for another episode of Drawn to Darkness..

Special thanks to Nancy Azano for providing our cover art. You can find her on Instagram @nancyazano.

And Harry Kidd for composing and recording our opening score. His instagram is @harryjkidd and you can check him out on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/artist/43BiFkkOHykD8n9g4z0Qd7