Stephen King Cast

This episode is an introduction to a larger exploration occurring over on Patreon. "Ladies and gentlemen, at long last I am diving into the bibliography of one of Stephen King's most prolific contemporaries, the legendary Dean Koontz. In the horror heyday of the 80s and 90s, you could count on two things in the horror section of any bookstore: massive quantities of King books taking up one section and massive quantities of taking up a complete other section just a few feet over. Their creative output and their books' close proximity from the beginning of their last names caused a generation to compare and contrast these two authors, and created a conjured, imagined war between the two: you were either a King fan or a Koontz fan. Clearly, King won the larger pop culture war, but let's not count out Koontz. With over 100 books under his belt, he has been a reliable source of entertainment for decades, and for many of us growing up in the 80s and 90s, it was a treat to have such a vast treasure trove of riches t

This week, I'm taking a break from the coverage of televised Stephen King works to review this banger of a movie that passed me by when it first came out. Starring rising Scream Queen Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets, Heretic, Companion), always likeable Chris Messina and everyone's favorite weirdo, David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), The Boogeyman tells the tale of a wounded family, recently shattered from the loss of its mother/wife, stalked by the mythological creature. This very easily could have been a generic, run of the mill, cut and paste horror movie, but between the talent on screen, the believable characterizations, the lived-in-world of this family, the visual flourishes and the strong direction from Rob Savage (director of Host, the Zoom-inspired horror that you need to see if you haven't already), it is a must watch Stephen King adaptation. As always, you can write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow me on Bluesky, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook. And check out more reviews at patre

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars crashed and burned its sequel trilogy with a final installment that created doubt for the future of the franchise. However, at that same time, a little show called The Mandalorian had taken the pop cultural world by storm, and the inclusion of Star Wars' newest character, Baby Yoda, breathed new life into a franchise that, at least on the big screen, seemed on life support. Flash forward seven years later, and Disney finally releases its next Star Wars movie, one based on that smash hit television show. However, we have to ask the question is, did they wait too long? Have audiences tired of this lone wolf and his cub? Is there enough substance in this movie to warrant its place in theaters? In this episode, I contextualize the character, his television show and his movie in the greater landscape of Star Wars before breaking down the elements of the film into the categories of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Strap on your jet packs and launch into my my revi

Airing during the summer of 2006, this 7 part TNT adaptation starred William Hurt, William H Macey, Kim Delaney, Steven Weber, Jeremy Sisto, Ron Livingston and more to provide seven adaptations of King's short stories. I'm all for a fun anthology show, but the question is: was it any good? Find out this week on The Stephen Kingcast! As always, you can write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow me on Bluesky, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook. And check out more reviews at patreon.com/stephenkingcast

Come for the review of Riding the Bullet, stay for the examination on Houlden Caufield, Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf and 28 Years Later.  It was a fun review. I can't say the same about the movie itself. But for all my thoughts, check it out.  As always, you can write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow me on Bluesky, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook. And check out more reviews at patreon.com/stephenkingcast  

I can't believe I actually did it! I went back and rewatched the 2004 Rob Lowe-starring TNT television movie adaptation of Salem's Lot. I have strong memories of watching it back in the day, and they were not positive memories. I had told myself that I wouldn't revisit it, but as the decades rolled on, heading into my time machine and checking out the early 2000s was an interesting proposition. I mean, with a cast that includes Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Andre Braugher and James Cromwell, this deserves a second look. What could go wrong? To find out what went wrong (and what went right--there's some good stuff here, too), tune in this week to the Stephen Kingcast!

2004 was a big year for Stephen King. We saw the publication of Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. And in TV, we saw Salem's Lot, Riding the Bullet, and the 13 part one season television adaptation of Lars von Trier's acclaimed surreal hospital nightmare tale, as known in the States as Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital. The dreamy, surreal, strange sensibility of the original is replaced with broad, cringe-comedy, early 2000s aesthetics and Stephen King tropes galore. As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com For even MORE Stephen Kingcast content, check out patreon.com/stephenkingcast

In this week's episode, I follow up with the sequel/prequel/spinoff of Rose Red, the TV movie, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer. Reframing the flashbacks from Rose Red, it gives a new perspective on what we thought we knew about Ellen.  Buuuuuut. . .is it good?  Find out! As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com For even MORE Stephen Kingcast content, check out patreon.com/stephenkingcast

In 2002, Stephen King continued his successful collaboration with ABC to bring an original story to life. The three part Rose Red was a ratings success, spawned supplemental promotional material and a spinoff prequel one year later.  Sandwiched between the heyday of the TV mini-series and the rise of prestige TV, Rose Red finds itself like a ghost, haunting the shifting landscape of television.  What legacy does it leave behind?  Not only do I discuss Rose Red, but I place it in context of other horror properties such as The Haunting, The Haunting of Hill House, The Blair Witch and The Sixth Sense. What do these horror tales have to do with Rose Red? Well, you'll have to listen to find out.  As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com For even MORE Stephen Kingcast content, check out patreon.com/stephenkingcast

Hello, everyone!  I just wanted to provide this mini-bonus episode. I fill you in on what's occurring over on the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/stephenkingcast) and provide the first ten minutes of the near 2 hour review of Haley Z. Boston's (not the Duffer Brothers') Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen.  I hope you like it! For all of your thoughts and questions, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com

1997 was a prolific year for Stephen King. Not only did he publish Wizard and Glass, but the television world also saw adaptations of The Shining, "Chattery Teeth" (Quicksilver Highway) and the second adaptation of his story "Trucks."  A vast tonal departure from 1986's Maximum Overdrive, Trucks strips down the more over-the-top, cocaine-fueled insanity of the original adaptation, leaving behind, well frankly, a car frame without an engine.  As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com For even MORE Stephen Kingcast content, head on over to patreon.com/stephenkingcast

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to keep you all in the loop with a big announcement regarding this podcast! 

In this episode, with a new introduction, I talk about the strength of this story and my disappointment that it wasn't a novel first as well as the impact of the character of Andre Linoge.  As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com Get even MORE Stephen Kingcast episodes over at patreon.com/stephenkingcast

In the Spring of '97, King once more partnered with director Mick Garris to fulfill his dream of bringing a more faithful adaptation of his novel The Shining to the screen. For years, King has never shied away from his criticism of Stanley Kubrick's take on his his material. Though 1980's Jack Nicholson starring movie is considered a horror classic, one of the best horror adaptations of all time, and one of the greatest works of cinema, it never measured up to King's own opinion of what the story should have been.  And in 1997, he had the opportunity to tell his story, except this time on his terms. Comparisons be damned! Who cares if the performance by Jack Nicholson will reverberate through the generations as a once-in-a-lifetime showcase? Who cares if the iconography that Kubrick brought to the property (elevators of blood, the teddy bear guest, the twins) has become synonymous with the story itself and wouldn't be present in the remake? Who cares if it, by the very nature of it airing on primetime televis

In 1997, Mick Garris stepped back behind the camera to launch what he'd hoped would be an ongoing anthology horror show on FOX. Capitalizing off the success of The X-Files, Quicksilver Highway would have been an ongoing series of standalone stories tethered together by a troupe of actors and narratively framed by the enigmatic Aaron Quicksilver, played by legendary Christopher Lloyd.  Though the show never took off, we were provided with a great What Could Have Been? In this episode, I review the movie, comprised of an adaptation of Stephen King's "Chattery Teeth" and Clive Barker's "The Body Politic." As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com

This was a fun one to revisit. The movie is atrocious, but it's a fun romp!  As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com

In 1994, Mick Garris had the unenviable task of bringing one of King's most beloved novels to life on ABC.  People tuned in to watch it, and it certainly remained faithful to the text, but does that make for a good adaptation?  Find out this week in The Stephen Kingcast! During my original review of this mini-series, I didn't fully appreciate how faithful this adaptation was to the source material and how difficult a production like this must have been for the time period. I provide new thoughts to kick off this review to the classic television mini series.  As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com    

As always, if you have any thoughts on anything related to Stephen King, write into stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow on Bluesky, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.  Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com

Let's travel back to a simpler time, to 1993 when TV mini series were safe, the visuals were soft, floral printed and rustic locations where overlayed with peaceful, ambient soundtracks. Though having aired over 30 years ago, it is incredibly resonant in our modern era. For a discussion on the role of AI plays in harming creativity, Apple TV's Pluribus, and the concept of a hive mind, tune into today's episode.  As always, write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com Follow me on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook and Bluesky. Stay organized and up to date with all things Stephen King at stephenkingcast.com Check out bonus material, early episodes and reviews of all things pop culture over at patreon.com/stephenkingcast

At long last, your greatly demanded requests for me to review Stephen King's The Golden Years has been granted! What? What do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? What do you mean you've never heard of The Golden Years? You mean you've never seen the the 1990 seven episode CBS television show about an elderly janitor bombarded by energy after a scientific experiment goes awry which causes him to begin to age backward? You don't remember cat and mouse espionage story of government officials trying to outsmart Shop operatives as the walls close in around the janitor, whose powers are stranger than we were led to believe? Well, don't worry. You're not alone. The Golden Years is not one of Stephen King's most recognized, fondly remembered--or remembered at all--work, but it is worth discussing for its place in television history. Coming off the heels of the success of Twin Peaks, TV stations were rabid for their own quirky, speculative, genre-story. Enter: Stephen King's The Golden Years. Tune into my