Director Chris McKay (Renfield, The Lego Batman Movie, The Tomorrow War) joins us for this very nerdy conversation about the trends in horror fiction and the influence that can have on us, especially when reading about their history from the Master of Horror himself. We talk about the different flavors of horror, what King would break down as terror, horror and revulsion, as well as King's, at time, questionable opinions on horror movie.

177: Danse Macabre with Chris McKay

A Stephen King Podcast For Stephen King Obsessives

TV & Film

This week brings two guests, the director and the star of the recent (and shockingly good) The First Omen: Arkasha Stevenson and Nell Tiger Free. Both ladies have their quintessential Stephen King adaptation that they loved growing up and they discuss the impact both the 1990 mini-series of IT and the Brian De Palma classic adaptation of Carrie had on them as genre fans and filmmakers. Why is Tim Curry so terrifying, even without the prosthetics? How did Carrie turn out to be a cornerstone feminist film? How did The First Omen turn out as good as it did? What did the ratings board want removed from this film? And how the hell does Ron Howard's Splash play into all this? You'll get the answer to that and much more in this episode.

233: It and Carrie with Nell Tiger Free and Arkasha Stevenson

Comic book legend and longtime Stephen King super fan Scott Snyder (The Court of Owls Batman arc, American Vampire, Swamp Thing) joins Wampler and Vespe for a lengthy chat about why King is such a gripping writer, with a particular focus on the author's tale of vampire horror, One For The Road. Snyder collaborated with King on the comic book American Vampire and also has tales that encourage us all to actually meet our heroes.

232: One For The Road with Scott Snyder

We're just as surprised as you are, but our guest this week is Renny Harlin, the insane director behind A Nightmare On Elm Street 4, Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea, and the upcoming The Strangers Trilogy, Chapter 1 of which debuts in theaters this coming weekend. Renny joins us to talk about how Stephen King impacted him as a creative and how Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is an all-time favorite. Be forewarned: this is a wildly entertaining conversation that bounces between topics every few minutes, so be prepared for some chaos! And a good time. That, too.

231: The Shining with Renny Harlin

Writer/Director Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn, The Domestics, V/H/S/85) joins Wampler and Vespe to chat a bit about the oddball killer rat/bat movie Graveyard Shift as well as the original Stephen King short story that it is based on. This episode is chock full of talk about outrageous Maine accents, a wasted Brad Dourif, late '80s/early '90s nostalgia, and a whole lot of seemingly random Monster Squad love that is actually on topic thanks to the scene-chewing performance by one Stephen Macht.

230: Graveyard Shift with Mike P. Nelson

Writer/Director John Rosman (New Life) joins Vespe and Wampler to discuss his new film, how it is heavily influenced by Stephen King, and also break down what really works in both the novella and the feature film adaptation of The Running Man. How successful would The Running Man be in today's America? And which version would be more popular, the one portrayed in the book which spans the entirety of the country, or the one shown in the movie, which is more like American Gladiators made with even more cocaine. We may never know, but we have a few good guesses...

177: Danse Macabre with Chris McKay

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