The Losers gather around the boob tube and review MGM+'s new Stephen King series The Institute.

The Losers return for another round of recommends in The Stacks, our monthly series about all the good shit we've been reading, watching, and listening to. Randall, Jenn, and the Dans chat about new releases from Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, and Riley Sager, then throw the mic to Caff to unpack his journey through the works of Elmore Leonard. Check out everything we recommended in this episode below.

Books:

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

William Gibson's Alien 3 (novelization and screenplay)

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Everything by Elmore Leonard (but specifically Valdez Is Coming, Swag, and 52 Pickup)

Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of The Simpsons Changed Television – and America – Forever by Alan Siegel

Vermis by Plastiboo

Other recs:

Love Island US (slop)

Petey USA – The Yips (album)

This Is Lorelei – Box For Buddy, Box For Star (album)

Shifty: Living in Britain at the End of the Twentieth Century (docuseries)

Stoker (film)

Taskmaster: Series 19 (show)

Welcome to CrichtonCast, our Michael Crichton spinoff podcast exclusive to The Barrens. Today, we're unlocking last year's episode on Crichton's seventh novel, 1990's Jurassic Park, in light of the new Jurassic taking a bite out of the box office this week.

Host Randall Colburn is joined by Losers Michael Roffman, Dan Caffrey, and Justin Gerber on Isla Nublar as they meditate on all the prehistoric monsters -- from our universal affinity for dinosaurs to objective science research to the film effect and more.

Want to hear our thoughts on this book's sequel The Lost World? Head to The Barrens: patreon.com/thebarrens. We're dropping that episode later this month -- and it's gonna be another exploration filled with fun facts, great bits, and dino DNA.

Ka is a wheel and the Losers are once again walking through Stephen King’s The Stand as part of their event series, The Summer of the Stand. The first of three Twinner book episodes dedicated to the apocalyptic epic finds the gang revisiting Book I: "Captain Trips". Join Losers Jenn Adams, Randall Colburn, Ana Marie Cox, and Dan Pfleegor as they offer new perspectives on an old favorite. Then stay tuned for the next two episodes to drop in July and August, respectively.

In our latest book episode, formerly exclusive to the Barrens, the Losers rent some office space, grab some grub from the food trucks downstairs, and snipe through Stephen King's new novel Billy Summers. Together, they discuss the immortal currency of the written word, the timely themes of financial insecurity, and King's penchant for creating lovable characters out of recognizable archetypes. Note: This episode was recorded in August of 2021.

The Losers busk through Mike Flanagan's latest Stephen King joint: The Life of Chuck. Beware of spoilers.

Head to the Aladdin Theater with the Losers as they record a Ka-mmentary track on Stephen King's favorite adaptation of his: Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Losers include Michael Roffman, McKenzie Gerber, Mel Kassel, and Randall Colburn. It should be noted this Ka-mmentary was recorded half a decade ago in December 2020. We're unlocking it today to celebrate 45 years of the Stanley Kubrick joint. So, keep that context in mind as you listen.

Losers Randall Colburn, Michael Roffman, and Dan Caffrey head to Hollywood King again to discuss the latest developments in King's Dominion, specifically new trailers for Welcome to Derry and The Long Walk, a depressing quote from Stephen King, Mike Flanagan's Carrie, Emilio Estevez's Maximum Overdrive sequel idea, and more.

In anticipation of our exclusive full book episode -- which arrives this week in The Barrens -- Losers Randall and Justin recorded a spoiler-free discussion. They also answer YOUR questions! Take a listen, grab the book this week, and head to patreon.com/thebarrens to hear our full, spoilerific book episode. Or, you can wait until December when we unlock it in the main feed. It's your choice.

George and Kathy Lutz moved into 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, in December 1975, roughly one year after its previous residents were shot and killed in their sleep. They fled less than a month later, leaving behind their belongings and claiming to have been terrorized by demonic forces. This story served as the basis for Jay Anson’s 1977 book, which itself spawned nine follow-ups, more than 60 films, and countless parodies and homages.

A half a century later, what’s it like to revisit the non-fiction (?) book that started it all? The Losers’ Club finds that out in the latest episode of their Danse Macabre series, in which they discuss the books and movies recommended by King in his 1981 horror treatise of the same name. Losers Jenn Adams, Randall Colburn, Ashley Casseday, and Ana Marie Cox unpack the disputations, lawsuits, and defenses that color the book’s history, as well as whether you can ever read a story as it was originally intended after its been fed through the pop cultural gristmill.