The Kingcast

Episode 1 starts off with the hosts building their characters, figuring out their skills and traits and learning the ropes on playing a tabletop RPG before the story begins in earnest as all of our characters find themselves in a Saturday detention even more hellish than normal.

Take a trip, if you dare, into Stephen King's London-based Lovecraftian nightmare where you can run into rat-faced teenagers, children with claws for hands and unimaginable eldrich horrors.

Sometimes these episodes feature deep dives into King's writing and examine the  subtext of its cinematic adaptation and sometimes these episodes use the title at hand as a jumping off point for a chaotic conversation. This episode is the latter.

If we're talking about buried alien spaceships, metal plates in heads, killer soda machines, a protagonist who is both a drunk and a wife-killer... you know what that means! That's right! It's time to talk Tommyknockers.

Bill Hader, the talented actor and comedian known for his roles in Saturday Night Live and HBO's Barry, shares his insights into the worlds of horror and comedy. He reflects on his experiences making It Chapter Two, influenced by Stephen King's storytelling. The conversation shifts rapidly, touching on dark comedy's impact and the nostalgia of childhood fears. Hader's humorous takes on personal anecdotes, alongside the legacy of classic horror films, create an engaging blend of laughter and introspection, highlighting King's lasting influence on creativity.

The Man in the Black Suit was something of a turning point for Stephen King. Published in The New Yorker in 1994, this short story went on to win many prestigious awards, including the O. Henry Award for short fiction and seemed to singlehandedly turn critical perception of the best selling author around.

In the late '90s the great character actor Miguel Ferrer starred in an HBO Original Movie adaptation of Stephen King's The Night Flier as a sleazy tabloid reporter on the trail of a Cessna pilot who also happens to be a vampire and it has become a favorite of the Kingcast boys.

Michael Whelan's paintings and illustrations have graced the covers and interior pages of the best genre authors. We're talking Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Edgar Rice Burroughs, HP Lovecraft and, yes, Mr. Stephen King.

A finger pops out of a bathroom sink's drain and drives the poor bastard who lives in that apartment out of his mind. That is the topic in today's surprise bonus episode drop.

The little town of Desperation, Nevada has fallen on hard times and that was before an ancient evil decided to take over the body of the town's gentle giant cop. Today's topic is Desperation, with a little talk about its twinner book, The Regulators, for good measure.