Dark Natter

MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT for The Prestige!!!Seriously, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, do not listen to this. In fact, do not listen to this at all. It’s our notorious, infamous, legendary LOST EPISODE, considered too shambolic even for Dark Natter. But as the show’s on hiatus, and it’s Yuletide after all, we decided to finally release it as a bit of a festive treat.Listen at your peril… and merry Christmas!!

It's the end of another sinister series of Dark Natter! And it's also Halloween... so what better way for us to bow out with a bang than by celebrating the Springwood Slasher himself, Freddy Krueger and his Nightmare On Elm Street movies??

It's Jon's turn to pitch to Liam, and you know how Jon gets when he's 'into' something... his recent addiction to revolutionary 90s first person shooter Quake has led him to rediscover genre granddaddy Doom, as well as the host of other 'retro FPS' games now available as other 90s gamers get their nostalgic kicks (and shotgun blasts, and rocket-propelled grenade explosions)! But will these venerable games and their disturbing imagery still hold up well enough to earn a place in the Hall Of Pain, or are they doomed to rot in Hell...?

We're delighted to be joined by cyberpunk writer extraordinaire Nik Whittaker (just look at the beautiful covers of his books... immense author envy!!) to discuss Clive Barker's dark fantasy horror flop, Nightbreed (based on his 1988 novel Cabal).  Find out why this bonkers movie has amassed a cult following, learn about David Cronenberg's acting career, and encounter a mask that's creepier than any slasher villain's...

For Dark Natter's 50th anniversary (thankfully in episodes, not years) we thought we'd attempt an unprecedented four-person discussion about a never-before-touched subject: professional wrestling, and specifically the incredible career and storytelling of legendary grappler The Undertaker!!  Liam and Jon are joined by the Brothers Of Destruction, Haydn Kilyan and podcast debutant Jack Kilyan, for an episode as chaotic as you'd expect when Haydn's had a few cans before recording starts.  Expect heated discussion, childish humour, enthusiastic nostalgia and Liam inexplicably challenging the Undertaker to a fight.

Join us and guest Rob Yates, long-time pal of Jon Richter and walking horror library, to discuss one of the greatest movies of all time: Jaws.  Will the first film's brilliance secure it a place in our illustrious Hall Of Pain, or will the abject crapness of the sequels prove too much to overcome??  Join us for fun, fins and fishfood... we're gonna need a bigger podcast.

After a couple of glowing recommendations, including from today's guest Mr James, host of the Right In The Schoolies Podcast and fellow dark fiction enthusiast, Jon embarked on a quest to get hold of this elusive movie...  When he finally did, he found that its reputation and mysterious aura were thoroughly deserved, and that its ending was even darker than he expected.  Tune in to find out why Lake Mungo is almost certainly the best horror movie you've never seen.

Liam's back to pitch a classic British TV series, which started as a vehicle for Roald Dahl's sinister short stories... but are these tales twisted enough to secure a place in the Hall Of Pain?

In this episode, Jon is joined by science fiction author, comic genius and movie encyclopaedia Matt Adcock, author of the brilliant novel Complete Darkness!  Matt is pitching Hardware, a brilliant and underrated gem which Jon hadn't even heard of before Matt's recommendation... but will its robotic techno-horror be enough to secure it a place in the Hall Of Pain?

Listen to an extract from Jon's latest book, psychological techno-thriller The Warden... if it's up your (dark) alley, head to www.jon-richter.com for more information, or to Amazon to get your claws on a copy at https://amzn.to/3pClPqF

Long-time friend of the show (and even longer-time friend of Jon and Liam!) Haydn Kilyan is back to explore another subject close to his black, shrivelled heart: the disturbing, sinister fiction of Disney Studios!  Join us for a whistle-stop tour of the darkest depths of Disney's output over the years, including Pleasure Island, the pink elephant parade and the brutal murder of a harmless firefly.

In this episode Jon is joined for the first time ever by an EXISTING resident of the Hall Of Pain, namely fantastic dark fiction writer Mark Tilbury!  Tune in for a wide-ranging chat encompassing writing, the ills of capitalism, the paranormal, and the brilliant occult fiction of S.E. England.

Originally scripted as a western (!?), that's about the only genre that isn't encompassed in John Carpenter's bonkers action adventure/martial arts/horror/comedy masterpiece - so when the lightning's crashing and the thunder's rolling and the rain's comin' down in sheets thick as lead, you just listen to the old Porkchop Express and do what Jack Burton always says: listen to Dark Natter, particularly this episode where Jon and Liam chat about Jon's favourite movie of all time!

Jon is honoured to be joined by ace horror writer Brian O'Gorman, whose works include the fantastically creepy (in every sense) Dawn Of The Spiders, to talk about George A. Romero and his Living Dead movies.  Zombies are such a staple of modern culture that it's incredible to remember a time before they existed in their current shambling, flesh-munching form, so the impact and influence of these films is impossible to overstate... tune in to find out if they're shuffling and groaning their way into the Hall Of Pain!

It's a video gaming double-header as we probe the darkness lurking inside Playdead's brilliant pair of eerie puzzle platformers, Limbo and Inside... but listeners beware, Liam is in a FOUL mood.

In this episode Jon welcomes bestselling cyberpunk writer (and jolly nice chap) Matthew A Goodwin to the show, where they'll be delving into the disturbing mind of none other than Doctor Hannibal Lecter (or is it Lecktor?)...  Tune in to see if the psychotic psychiatrist can help them catch Buffalo Bill (if they even remember to mention him) and, more importantly, whether he earns a place in the Hall Of Pain... 

Following the recent episodes covering Berserk and Preacher, Liam and Jon thought they'd go for a hat-trick of depraved, disgusting works by trawling through the blood, guts and poo-infested subterranean depths of The Binding Of Isaac!  This is a video game that features a sobbing child fighting the demons in his own mind by firing his tears at them; the fact that Jon has sunk over 200 hours into playing it probably says a lot about him...

In today's episode, Jon welcomes book influencer, terrifying superfan and all-round ace human, Donna Morfett!  In true Annie Wilkes style, Donna is pitching the books of the brilliant Mark Tilbury for a place in the hallowed halls of the Hall Of Pain, although she assures us this isn't purely because she wants to lock Mark in an inescapable dungeon forever...

In this week's episode, Liam and Jon plumb previously un-sunk-to depths of depravity as they accompany Preacher on his quest to confront God himself!!  Avoid if you're easily offended, as Jesse Custer's misadventures are soaked in the darkest of dark humour...

In this episode, Jon discusses the wealth of brilliant children's dark fiction that's lurking out there (both nostalgic favourites and some more contemporary stuff) with special guest and extremely talented author of Peter Green and the Unliving Academy, Angelina Allsop!