Needful Things with Jay Cheel
Episode 185, Jun 28, 2023, 08:00 AM
When documentarian and podcaster Jay Cheel (Cursed Films, How To Build A Time Machine, Film Junk Podcast) agreed to talk about Needful Things we had no idea the discussion would end up turning to Dick Tracy toys and failed death curses on Hollywood blockbusters, but sometimes that's just what happens. This lengthy episode dives into what constitutes a "Needful Thing," how much culpability the townsfolk of Castle Rock have in their actions, a surprising revelation that one of the hosts has actually sat through the bizarre 3 hour cut of the film, and the theory that Leland Gaunt could just be a really good American Picker. All that and more awaits you in this week's extremely entertaining episode.
A devilish figure arrives in the small town of Castle Rock and he offers items to the townsfolk in exchange for an escalating series of pranks that could very well rip the town apart. Stephen King's Needful Things is an epic book that is darkly funny and also unflinching in its examination of the rot that festers at the heart of small town America.