Stephen King is widely revered as a true master of the horror genre, fondly called the “King of Horror”. While his bestselling literary works are known by almost everyone who is even remotely interested in the horror genre, King has also written extensively about popular culture and its relation to horror fiction.
Previously, the acclaimed writer wrote columns on horror films and television shows in prestigious publications. In recent years, he has taken to social media platforms such as Twitter to share his opinions about modern horror films and TV shows such as Black Mirror and The Haunting of Hill House, among many others.
In 1981, King penned a non-fiction book called Danse Macabre, in which he launched an unprecedented investigation of horror fiction and popular culture by examining the omnipresent social anxieties that plague us. The book contains a lot of great insights and traces the genre’s lineage back to Victorian literature.
Danse Macabre is memorable for many reasons, but it also mentions some of King’s favourite horror films and shows that influenced his work. While writing about one such show at length, he referred to it as “damn near immortal” and called it a milestone in the evolution of popular horror
King wrote: “That The Twilight Zone is damn near immortal is something I will not argue with; in big city markets like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, it seems to run eternally, hallelujah, world without end, sandwiched into its own twilight zone just after the late evening news and just before the PTL Club.”
He is referring to the iconic 1959 sci-fi horror anthology The Twilight Zone, which has influenced the films of many great filmmakers, ranging from David Lynch to Jordan Peele. The show explored the surreal potential of horror fiction, and its impact on the genre can be found in multiple famous modern horror projects.
“Perhaps only such ancient sitcoms as I Love Lucy and My Little Margie can compete with The Twilight Zone for that sort of fuzzy, black-and-white, vampiristic life which syndication allows,” King reflected. The writer also loves the 2019 iteration of The Twilight Zone because, according to him, it captures the spirit of the original.
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