Stephen King doesn’t really have a Halloween story. The holiday has certainly haunted his works — the Torrances arrive at the Overlook on October 31st, 11.22.63 returns to Derry for trick and treats (and meats), and Johnny Smith has a cheap Jekyll-and-Hyde mask in The Dead Zone — but there’s no true-blue Halloween tale within his never-ending oeuvre.
Instead, you have to find it.
That’s precisely what The Losers’ Club has done. To celebrate the festival of Samhain, they hit the stacks and came back with 10 Stephen King titles everyone ought to read during spooky season. They even consulted with their Constant Listeners to hear what tales they read when the summer sun retreats, a chill lines the air, and the moon arrives early.
Joining the Losers for this essential Halloween special is actress, writer, filmmaker, and Horror Movie Survival Guide host Julia Marchese, whose forthcoming Dollar Baby short, I Know What You Need, is on the way. In addition to the list, they also dream up ideas for a Halloween-set story by King, mull over a Pennywise vs. Freddy Krueger duel, and get a little emotional.
(Note: This conversation was originally recorded in October 2020 for the Losers’ Club Patreon, The Barrens. It has since been unlocked from the Derry Private Library by Mike Hanlon.)
Stream the episode below and return next week when the Losers head to Green Town, Illinois, where they’ll revisit Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. For further adventures, join the Losers’ Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of exclusive content in The Barrens (Patreon).