The Kingcast

The image of the toy monkey on the cover of Skeleton Crew traumatized a generation. This episode dives into the short story that inspired that cover image, all about a cursed toy monkey that can make really bad things happen when it clangs its little symbols together. 

The year of our lord 2022 saw the release of Blumhouse's remake of Firestarter in which a bunch of stuff got changed without much thought and all the stuff they left alone was boring. For the first time this new adaptation is up for discussion and they boys are ready with some sharp, sharp knives.

Insomnia is a rare Stephen King novel that has not yet been adapted. The book centers on an elderly protagonist named Ralph Roberts who must square off against a mischievous supernatural being working at the behest of the dreaded Crimson King.  The novel tackles abortion rights, ageism, and lets us know that a bout with insomnia is all you need to pull back the dull veil of our real world and see the colorful beauty and horror beneath it all.

Going back nearly 50 years of written material, Stephen King's queer characters run the gamut from authentic to caricature and it's about time someone took a long, hard look at that representation and have a lengthy discussion about where we think the popular author lands in terms of allyship.

If It Bleeds is the most recent novella compilation from Stephen King, containing four short stories (Mr. Harrigan's Phone, The Life of Chuck, If It Bleeds and Rat), three of which have either been adapted or optioned. 

N. is one of King's more disturbing short stories, which is all about the thin place between realities and the Old God style evil that might just be trying to break through. The story has a large focus on repetitive behaviors and OCD as well as a terrible fascination with round numbers.

When Dino De Laurentiis and Stephen King team up, things are gonna get wild, especially with Cat's Eye, a cable staple for '80s kids that features three Stephen King short vignettes all strung together by a cute cat and little Drew Barrymore.

Billy Summers is a damn good hitman out on his final job, so of course things go wrong. Today's episode takes a look at one of Stephen King's more recent books that is soon to be adapted by JJ Abrams and Ed Zwick.

Originally published in Cavalier magazine in 1972, Suffer the Little Children is a bleak, twisty short story of a stern teacher who begins to suspect her third grade students are turning into evil creatures and takes... well, desperate measures. 

The conversation once again turns to Stephen King's collaboration with George A. Romero. Creepshow and each of its segments is up for discussion in this lively chat.