The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast

The Losers head to Frazier, New Hampshire to review Stephen King's novel Doctor Sleep. Together, they weigh in on the True Knot, dirty dozens of dishes with poundcake, and argue whether King should have ever burned down The Overlook Hotel. Note: This episode was recorded in Fall of 2019 and is being re-published for our chronological read through. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We interrupt our regular programming to give you a taste of The Lady Killers: A Feminine Rage Podcast. Our sister series -- featuring Jenn Adams, Sammie Kuykendall, Mae Schults, and Rocco Thompson -- celebrated the 50th anniversary of Stephen King's first novel by revisiting King's first adaptation. Brian De Palma's 1976 Oscar-nominated Carrie. Together, they discuss cinematic mean girls, upsetting monologues, cartoonish calisthenics, egregious red hats, Carrie’s true motivations, and more. They also answer burning questions like: What do we think of De Palma’s opening shower scene? Why does King like to burn down his fictional towns? Enjoy and be sure to subscribe to The Lady Killers! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifty years ago today, Stephen King published his first novel, Carrie. A lot has changed since 1974 -- the world, the culture, King himself -- and yet his debut novel pervades. Half a century later, Carrie has become a trope, a story we all think about when we see the curious kid in the corner. It's been adapted, emulated, and influenced countless cultural moments. Carrie White lives. Today, the Losers gather for their very first Twinner episode, which sees all your favorite co-hosts who weren't on the original book episode getting a chance to record their own. To celebrate the major milestone in King's Dominion today, co-hosts Jenn Adams, Rachel Reeves, Ashley Casseday, and Mel Kassel gathered around the mic and recorded their own thoughts. Same categories, different voices. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a clip from our recent installment of Firestarters in which the Losers leave The Shop and come face to face with some scorching Stephen King hot takes from all of their testy Constant Listeners. Want to hear the full track? Become a member of The Barrens (Patreon) by visiting www.patreon.com/thebarrens, and here’s the good news. We’ve done away with tiers. We got one single tier: Losers Forever, which gets you access to everything under the Derry sun for $7 a month. That means hundreds of hours worth of exclusive content we’ve already recorded over the last four years: our Stephen King Archives series, our Dark Tower Detour series, our spooky Soul’s Midnight series, our Stranger Things spinoff series, our Michael Crichton spinoff series, dozens of commentaries on all your favorite Stephen King movies, rankings, bracket games, lists, AND that’s not all. You can submit your own hot takes for another Firestarters, submit questions that we’ll 100% answer on Bag of Bones episodes, and tell us what to talk about on another Oops All Tangents. Plus, you’ll have access to our 24/7/365 Discord to find Constant Listeners and Readers just like you. Only $7 bucks… for all that. Subscribe now through the link in the description of this episode, or visit www.patreon.com/thebarrens. Hope to see you there -- over long days and pleasant nights. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers head down to North Carolina for a summer job at Joyland. Together, they discuss Stephen King's second Hard Case Crime novel, weighing in on the era, the crime at the center, and how it connects to an iconic work in King's Dominion. Spiritually, of course. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today marks the release of Stephen Graham Jones' The Angel of Indian Lake, the final chapter of his Indian Lake Trilogy. To celebrate its release, co-host Jenn Adams joins Scare You to Sleep's Shelby Novak as they speak with Jones about final girls, slasher tropes, and more. Pick up The Angel of Indian Lake now at your local bookstore! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers return to Mid-World to discuss the eighth and final (?) Dark Tower novel: 2012's The Wind Through the Keyhole. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lobstrosities is a Patreon-only segment of The Losers' Club that journeys into the barren wastelands of Stephen King movies and sequels. Today, in light of its 25th anniversary, the gang is unlocking their 2020 Lobstrosities episode on the 1999 sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2. Join Losers Michael Roffman, Randall Colburn, and Jenn Adams as they discuss toxic jocks, late '90s fashion, King connections, and, well, Zachery Ty Bryan. You can also read Jenn's new editorial on the film over at Bloody Disgusting. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month marks the 40th anniversary of Fritz Kiersch's Children of the Corn. Starring Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton, the 1984 adaptation largely ignored King's Night Shift story -- and his own screenplay -- in favor of a more rote entry in the slasher genre. Join the gang as they return to Gatlin, Nebraska to chart its leap from page to screen ... to unlikely franchise. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers untie another big ol' Bag of Bones and answer your questions. Questions like "How has Stephen King informed or influenced your personal vocabulary?", "What should be the first Stephen King adaptation for A24?", "Which Muppets would you cast for The Dark Tower?"; and "What are the three best and worst Stephen King sequels?". They also share their earliest memories with the horror genre, share a few underseen horror movie recommendations, and name the most "dudes rock" King work. Want to ask them a question on the next Bag of Bones episode? Become an Overlook patron at www.patreon.com/thebarrens. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a clip from our recent discussion on Tales from the Darkside, specifically Stephen King's entries. Want to hear the full track? Become a member of The Barrens (Patreon) by visiting www.patreon.com/thebarrens. You'll unlock hundreds hours of exclusive content that includes The Stephen King Archives, our Dark Tower Detour series, dozens of Ka-mmentary tracks for your favorite King flicks, all of our Lobstrosities episodes clawing through those silly King sequels, in addition to spinoffs like Talkin' Hawkins and CrichtonCast. Not to mention, countless locked episodes and one-offs, including a 24-7 Discord community featuring Constant Listeners just like you! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly three decades ago, Stephen King stumbled upon a copy of Lars von Trier's Danish miniseries The Kingdom in a dusty Colorado video store. Roughly seven years later, ABC premiered Kingdom Hospital, the author's own take on von Trier's haunted hospital. While conceived as a miniseries, King was so excited about the project — developed alongside his Storm of the Century and Rose Red collaborators — that he was ready to start work on a second season. The series premiered strong, but ratings dwindled and ABC pulled the plug just months later.  Join the Losers as they unpack both the 13-episode series and King's candid thoughts about the adaptation and its swift cancellation, which he detailed in a 2004 EW column. Was it ahead of its time? Are the Twin Peaks comparisons warranted? And just how much did it inspire season 2 of American Horror Story? These questions and more — including its place in the larger canon of King's work — are discussed. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers return to a very familiar place: 'Salem's Lot. The only difference? Rob Lowe. Well, there are a lot of differences, and the gang goes into all of 'em. Follow along as they sink their teeth into this sprawling TNT miniseries update from 2004. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since Valentine’s Day is next week, we thought we’d unlock a sweet treat for you: Our Valentine’s Day special from last year! We called it The Sweetest Slice, because in this episode, we played Kinky Cupid and tore out our favorite sex scenes from Stephen King’s works. So, if you want two hours of sensual smut, enjoy. No need to send us any bubbly either.  Although, you could be our Valentine by joining The Barrens. The sweets keep on coming’ over there: hundreds of hours worth of exclusive content – from our Stephen King archival series, to our spooky Soul’s Midnights, to over a dozen commentaries on all your favorite Stephen King movies to spinoff series like Talkin’ Hawkins or our on-going CrichtonCast. You can subscribe now through the link in the description of this episode, or you can visit www.patreon.com/thebarrens. For now, grab some milk and enjoy a whole tray of poundcake. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This past December marked the 40th anniversary of John Carpenter's Christine. To celebrate, the Losers are revisiting the 1983 adaptation of the 1983 novel -- more on that later -- with their first Long Watch movie review episode in over a year. Joining the gang for the ride is Kayleigh Jensen of the Glitter & Gore podcast. Together, they chart the (very) short production history from page to screen, the iconography of the Plymouth Fury, the sounds of the film, and those timeless effects. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers return to Lisbon Falls, Maine for one last ride: to discuss Hulu's 11.22.63. Produced by J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, Kevin Macdonald, Bryan Burk, and Bridget Carpenter, the 2016 eight-part miniseries starred James Franco as Jake Epping, Sarah Gadon as Sadie Dunhill, and Chris Cooper as Al Templeton. Was it a hit? Did it come and go? Was it the true origin of the latest King Renaissance? All questions will be answered. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a clip from our recent discussion on Syfy's Haven. Want to hear the full track? Become a member of The Barrens (Patreon) by visiting www.patreon.com/thebarrens. You'll unlock hundreds hours of exclusive content that includes The Stephen King Archives, our Dark Tower Detour series, dozens of Ka-mmentary tracks for your favorite King flicks, all of our Lobstrosities episodes clawing through those silly King sequels, in addition to spinoffs like Talkin' Hawkins and CrichtonCast. Not to mention, dozens upon dozens of locked episodes and one-offs, including a 24-7 Discord community featuring Constant Listeners just like you! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers begin catching up on all the adaptations they've missed during their chronological re-read. Today's episode sees them discussing Mikael Salomon's Big Driver starring Maria Bello, in addition to Peter Askin's A Good Marriage starring Joan Allen. Both films pull from Stephen King's novellas collection Full Dark, No Stars and both are from 2014. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you recall from last week’s episode, we’re spending the next two months catching up on all the Stephen King adaptations and anniversaries we missed over the past year. So, to stay on theme, we’re unlocking a very topical episode of The Stephen King Archives, our Patreon exclusive imprint in which your Losers search the vault of Stephen King material – dusting off unpublished short stories, long-forgotten interviews, coffee-stained manuscripts, and alternate versions of your favorite tales. This particular entry was recorded in June 2022 and finds the Losers dusting off their copy of Stephen King’s World of Horror.  Released in 1986, the 45-minute doc covers the works of King and his influence on pop culture. Peppered between segments with King are a number of clips from essential horror titles alongside interviews with John Carpenter, Clive Barker, Tom Savini, etc. Together, Randall, Mike, and Jenn revisit the analog era of being a horror fan, digress on King's myriad quotes throughout the 45 minute special, and chew on the evolution of pop culture icons. And, naturally, as we’re wont to do, we detour into a number of unexpected tangents, the likes of which lead us to places both wonderful and strange. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seven years, eight seasons! The Losers look ahead at 2024. Together, they share their own highlights of Season 7 and go over the Club's reading and viewing lists for the year. Consider this a big old teaser trailer. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices