Podcasts
The Intersection of Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’ and Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ [The Losers’ Club Podcast]
Warning: There are spoilers for both series.
Deserts. Sandworms. Spices. The world of Frank Herbert’s Dune is a world both wonderful and strange. For Constant Readers of Stephen King, it’s a realm that’s not too dissimilar from the Master of Horror’s own fantasy epic: The Dark Tower series. Both universes are as complex as they are mercurial — seemingly unattainable and yet deliciously inviting.
That’s about as perfect a lead-in we can design for this very special crossover episode of The Losers’ Club. Today, Losers Justin Gerber and Dan Caffrey welcome co-hosts Henry Zebrowski and Holden McNeely of LPN Deep Dives: Dune for what can best be described as a frenetic and unpredictable chat surrounding the two authors and their two respective worlds.
Together, they discuss Herbert’s vision of Dune as a Utopian novel, its box office potential (or possible lack thereof) when Denis Villenueve’s adaptation hits theaters later this year, how it’s more complex than a lot of other well-known sci-if/fantasy epics, how it dispels the hero narrative, and, naturally, where it intersects and diverts from The Dark Tower series.
Stream the full episode below and be sure to join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Podcasts
Shakespearean Education in the Vincent Price-Starring ‘Theater of Blood’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
Butch knows best…
After concluding May with discussions of the disaster “slasher” The Poseidon Adventure (listen) and Michael Biehn’s demon twink in the messy-but-watchable The Fan (listen), we’re heading back to the ’70s to discuss our very first Vincent Price film in Douglas Hickox‘s horror comedy Theater of Blood (1973).
In Theater of Blood, Vincent Price stars as Edward Lionheart, a disgraced Shakespearean actor who begins targeting the critics who shamed him. The gimmick? He’s taking inspiration from the death scenes in William Shakespeare’s plays! Aiding him is his daughter Edwina (Diana Rigg), who acts as the honeypot for her father’s macabre scheme.
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Episode 388: Theater of Blood (1973)
Brush up on your Shakespeare and protect those poodles because we’re covering our very first Vincent Price film in Douglas Hickox’s horror comedy Theater of Blood (1973), a personal favorite of both Price and Diana Rigg.
Join us as we go all in on this somewhat episodic (but also educational!) proto-slasher, wondering if we’re supposed to know that’s Diana Rigg in hippie drag, and cackling at some of these murder set pieces.
Plus, “Handsy Dickman,” narcissistic gravestones, antisemitic stage makeup, and the ultimate debate: is it theatER or theatRE?
C/W: Attempted suicide, off-screen dog murder.
Cross out Theater of Blood!
Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating the premiere of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat with a look at the much-maligned 2002 adaptation Queen of the Damned!
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