The Institute
A scoop of Firestarter, a dash of IT, and just a soupçon of Carrie and The Shining — Stephen King’s novel The Institute is like a bowl brimming with the author’s greatest hits. But does it go down smooth? That’s what the Losers’ Club asks in their episode about the 2019 tome, which takes readers inside the eponymous Institute where a mysterious gaggle of doctors, scientists, and thugs subject psychically-touched children to terrible tests, many of which border on pure torture. Join the gang as they dissect what the story has to say about friendship, U.S. foreign policy, and the youth of today. Questions abound! Can King write modern kids as well as he can those of the ‘50s and ‘60s? How does the paranoia of early books like Firestarter and The Stand factor in here? Does adding “-ster” to someone’s name make for a good nickname? They also comb through the book’s reviews and King’s pre-release interviews to puzzle over the relentless comparisons to the crisis at the Southern border. Weird stuff. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
21 Mar 2h 51min
Hollywood King: On Netflix's Cujo, Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck, and Spike Jonze's Best Films
Losers Randall Colburn, Michael Roffman, and Justin Gerber head to Hollywood King again to discuss the latest developments in King's Dominion, specifically Netflix's Cujo (yes, that's a real thing), Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck, Edgar Wright's The Running Man, the 2025 Oscars, the work of Spike Jonze, and god knows what else came to mind. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
14 Mar 2h 15min
Ranking Stephen King's Baddest Boys
This month's book episode is The Institute. In anticipation, we're unlocking this spirited ranking episode from 2023 in which the Losers talk about their favorite Bad Boys in King's Dominion. Instead of listing and ranking, however, we’re gonna let the Boys do what they do best and duke it out with each other until only one remains. As per tradition, the Losers use a March-Madness style Bracket to narrow down the competitors to a grand champion. For more of these kind of bracket episodes, join The Barrens: patreon.com/thebarrens. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
7 Mar 2h 49min
Elevation
The Losers return to Castle Rock, Maine to dine at a hot new enchilada spot, only to learn about the craziest diet of all time. You see, there's this guy in town who keeps losing weight. And no, his name isn't Billy Halleck. Join the gang as they flip through 2018's quite slim novella Elevation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
28 Feb 2h 4min
The Monkey Movie Review
The Losers' Club review Osgood Perkins' highly anticipated Stephen King adaptation The Monkey. For even further discussion on the film, become a member of The Barrens at patreon.com/thebarrens. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
20 Feb 1h 47min
The Timekeepers of Eternity (fka The Langoliers)
Well, here's a strange detour. Remember Tom Holland's 1995 miniseries adaptation of The Langoliers? We do, too. And we covered it in 2019. In 2021, however, Greek filmmaker Aristotelis Maragkos retooled said miniseries into a 62-minute paper film that Bloody Disgusting's Meagan Navarro calls "a condensed, experimental, and ingenious reworking of the source material." Now, the Losers chime in four years later. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
14 Feb 1h 12min
Our All-Time Favorite Stephen King Crushes
The Losers get smutty in the latest list episode after they gush about their favorite Stephen King crushes from within the pages. Things take some wild turns in this episode, so get ready! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
6 Feb 1h 44min
HBO's The Outsider TV Review
Five years later, the Losers re-review HBO's The Outsider. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
31 Jan 2h 27min
