Podcasts
‘Full Dark, No Stars’: Stephen King’s ‘Big Driver’ Hits the Gas With a Complex Revenge Story [The Losers’ Club Podcast]
“How many unsuspected selves could a person have, hidden deep inside? She was beginning to think the number might be infinite.”
As the temperatures continue to drop and the autumn leaves begin to fall, there’s nothing more pleasant than a long, leisurely drive down a picturesque country road. Unless, the driver is Stephen King. Any road trip navigated by the Master of Horror is bound to twist and turn through the darkest recesses of the human heart. After traveling back to the year 1922, The Losers’ Club continues their coverage of King’s disturbing collection Full Dark, No Stars by shining a light on the rape-revenge tale Big Driver.
Tess Thorne loves to drive. After delivering a lunchtime lecture in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the cozy mystery writer avoids the turnpike in favor of a rural detour and uncovers a hellish trap worse than anything within the pages of her Knitting Society novels. Armed with a GPS she affectionately calls Tom, Tess embarks on a harrowing journey of revenge that will cause her to embrace the dark versions of herself she never knew existed.
Like King’s novella, this episode is not for the faint of heart. Join Jenn Adams, Randall Colburn, and Justin Gerber as they dive into the world of rape-revenge storytelling, including the subject’s controversial nature and classic examples of the subgenre both old and new. Together, they discuss King’s treatment of female characters, the healing power of community, and the story’s beautifully upsetting prose that helps normalize an all-too-familiar experience. Sometimes, the worst monsters are the ones we encounter on the sunniest of days.
Stream the episode below and return next week as the Losers dive head-first into October. Continue cruising through the club’s extensive catalogs via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon) — including their latest book episode on Holly.
The Halloweenies cool off from the hot hot heat and splish splash with giant alligators as they revisit Alexandre Aja‘s 2019 creature feature Crawl.
Together, they discuss their love (or hate) for the timeless terror, their investment in Barry Pepper, and, uh, Demolition Man. Don’t ask. It should be noted this episode was recorded in September 2024 and is being unlocked for the summer. Oh, it’s also produced by Sam Raimi.
Stream the episode below. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and the Universal Monsters. This year? Hellraiser!
You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Re-Animator, Darkman), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Manhunter, ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.