Last Podcast On The Left
King Sorrow: An Interview with Joe Hill
Episode Date: October 21, 2025
Host: The Last Podcast Network
Guest: Joe Hill
Episode Overview
This episode centers on a lively and in-depth conversation with acclaimed horror and fantasy author Joe Hill, exploring his creative process, career trajectory, inspirations, and his upcoming doorstop novel King Sorrow. The hosts dig into horror as both an emotional and comedic art, adaptations of Hill's works, the “arms race” of genre, family legacy, insider stories from his career, and tangible writing insights. The show embodies Last Podcast’s trademark blend of irreverent humor, fandom, and genuine curiosity about the craft of horror.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Joe Hill Persona and Horror’s Body Count
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Introduction to Joe Hill (02:30)
Marcus introduces Joe Hill as a “legendary author” with works like Heart-Shaped Box, Horns, NOS4A2, The Fireman, and upcoming King Sorrow, and as a lauded comic writer (e.g., Locke & Key, Basket Full of Heads). -
On "Body Count" in Fiction
Joe jokes about being asked his “body count,” clarifies it’s about fictional victims, and discusses The Fireman:"I killed probably two thirds of the world’s population in that one." (03:21, Joe Hill)
He humbly notes, “Still...not a touch on my dad," referencing Stephen King with comedic humility.
Creative Process: Hooks, Writing, and Comedy
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The Spark of Ideas (05:00)
Joe emphasizes starting every story with a "hook," often something that makes him laugh or seems weird:"It’s always the hook...You always start with something that makes you laugh or you think, oh, that’s weird." (05:21, Joe Hill)
He recounts Pop Art, a story about a boy whose friend is literally inflatable, and muses about peaking early. -
Horror and Comedy: Close Cousins (07:00)
Hill draws vivid parallels between horror and comedy:"Both comedy and horror are trying to get past the part of the brain that thinks and into the reptile brain, you know, where you just react." (07:00, Joe Hill)
Comparing The Three Stooges to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, he observes, “It’s fundamentally the same scene...Your response is a nonverbal vocalization; that shout of laughter or that shout of horror.” -
Surprising Audiences: “Drop the Bear”
Joe describes the need, particularly in comics, to continually find ways to surprise an audience saturated with genre:"You have to drop the bear. That’s what people are paying for...some crazy shit they've never seen before." (10:43, Joe Hill)
Explains the origin of his phrase during a comic run when a superpowered antihero killed enemies by dropping a bear on them.
Career, Comics, & Early Failures
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Path to Publication (11:32)
Joe reveals he was a “failed novelist and working comic book writer before I ever sold a novel," sharing rejections from publishers in New York, London, and hilariously, Canada.
Break came via writing a Marvel Spider-Man comic, leading to Locke & Key.
Notably, Locke & Key was pitched as a 6-issue series:"I was only off by about 30 issues and seven years." (13:51, Joe Hill)
Discussion of multiple failed TV pilots before Locke & Key landed at Netflix:
"They filmed three different pilots across five years before we finally sold our show to Netflix." (14:55, Joe Hill)
King Sorrow and Recycling Old Work
- The Big New Novel (16:19)
King Sorrow is Hill’s upcoming epic (~900 pages, “a thick-ass book”), containing elements recycled from early unpublished novels:"No work is wasted...Part one of the book is called The Briars, and The Briars was the third unpublished novel." (18:09, Joe Hill)
The novel features, among other things, a “dragon fighting F16s” and “a drunken brawl on roller skates.”
Writing Process and Genre Play
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On Abandoned Novels and "Smoke and Turds" (20:33)
Discusses failed romantic suspense projects and the importance of recognizing when a book doesn't "feel like me." -
Thinking About Genre (22:29)
Joe notes he tends to alternate: odd-numbered books are “meat and potatoes” horror; even-numbered tend to be genre blends (sci-fi, satire, romance).
His process:“I do love to write straight horror, but I also like to play…I like to goof off a little bit.” (24:00, Joe Hill)
Upcoming is a supernatural ghost story set in 1776 during the siege of Boston, described as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre in a tricorn hat.” (25:52)
On Adaptations, Collaborations, and Video Games
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About Adaptations and Involvement (32:02)
Hill expresses satisfaction with adaptations of his work:“Every single one...had the virtues of not sucking. It was all really good.” (32:19, Joe Hill)
Black Phone is highlighted as “the best of them," with Joe giving input for the sequel. -
The Video Game Question (27:43)
Hill candidly shares why he hasn’t written for games:"I'm very conscious...how short my day is, how little I can do in a week, and how much less runway I have...If you want to know why I've never worked on a video game: fear...awareness of my own mortality." (27:58, Joe Hill)
Family, Maine, and Writerly Survival
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On Maine as a Setting (38:06)
The hosts ask what's so scary about Maine; Hill responds:"It’s what we know...If you believe me about the place and the people, you might also believe me about the dragon." (38:21, Joe Hill)
Discusses using specifics to ground wild ideas. -
Parenthood and Personal Life (40:29)
Joe jokes about having five sons and being “not the most athletic folk you’ve ever met,” sharing a New Yorker anecdote about him and his father (“one was terrible at tennis, the other was worse”).
The King Legacy, Mambo No. 5, and Childhood Anecdotes
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Stephen King’s Mambo No. 5 Obsession (42:08)
When the notorious family anecdote about King’s love for “Mambo No. 5” is brought up:"He played it a thousand times. I have scars all over my body because I left through a window naked...I couldn’t take another minute of this." (42:47, Joe Hill)
Tied to the writer's ritual of putting a specific song on repeat while drafting. -
Cosby, Comedy, and The Ramones (44:50 onward)
The conversation briefly touches on the conflicted legacy of Bill Cosby in relation to parenting and the personal impact on Stephen King as a young father.
Joe recounts an anecdote about AC/DC visiting for Maximum Overdrive soundtrack arrangements and a traumatizing compliment to his mother from Brian Johnson:"Brian Johnson’s eyes followed her...he went ‘A ginger!’...I got into therapy in 2011...you don’t really come back from something like that." (47:40, Joe Hill)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the essence of horror and comedy:
"If you're watching the Three Stooges and Mo picks up a mallet and bashes Larry over the head, you laugh. If you're watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre...you scream." (07:00, Joe Hill)
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On the creative hook:
"It’s always the hook...something that makes you laugh or you think, oh, that's weird." (05:21, Joe Hill)
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On not wasting work:
"No work is wasted, you know...Other stuff from other failed novels found its way into King Sorrow." (18:08, Joe Hill)
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On being overtaken by adaptations:
"Every single one of the [adaptations]...had the virtues of not sucking." (32:19, Joe Hill)
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On legacy and learning from the wrong heroes:
"I trusted that man [Bill Cosby] to teach me all the skills I never got when I was growing up...I don't know if I'll ever sort out my feelings about it." (44:50, Joe Hill, quoting Stephen King)
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On his father’s Mambo No. 5 playback:
"I have scars all over my body because I left through a window naked...I couldn't take another minute of this." (42:50, Joe Hill)
Important Timestamps
- 02:30: Introduction of Joe Hill and list of major works
- 05:21: Discussion of the hook as the heart of storytelling
- 07:00: Joe on horror and comedy’s neurological ties
- 10:43: “Drop the bear” story and surprising the audience
- 11:32: Joe’s path: failed novels, Spider-Man comic, Locke & Key
- 13:51: Locke & Key evolution, TV show journey
- 16:19: Introduction to King Sorrow, its origins, length, and content
- 18:09: Recycling old work into new projects
- 22:29: Thoughts on genre, alternation of styles per novel
- 25:52: Preview of next historical ghost novel, set during the American Revolution
- 27:43: On being approached for video games and turning it down
- 32:02: Joe on adaptations of his work and Black Phone sequel
- 38:06: Why Maine is his literary setting of choice
- 42:08: Mambo No. 5 story and writing rituals
- 47:40: AC/DC visiting his childhood home
- 48:02: Show winds down, heartfelt thanks from hosts
Takeaways for Writers and Fans
- Start with the hook; let curiosity or absurdity drive the idea.
- Horror and comedy tap the same instincts—aim for visceral reactions.
- Old, even failed work is never wasted; repurpose your ideas and settings.
- Lean into what you know (e.g., setting, culture) to ground the wildest stories.
- Adaptation is a mark of luck and collaboration; cherish when it works.
- The writing life is rarely linear; rejection, repurposing, and evolution are constant.
Episode Highlights in Original Tone
The banter is equal parts fanboy reverence ("You're so good at taking the audience on an individual path"), dark humor (“How many have you killed—fictionally?”), and inside-baseball about horror, publishing, and adaptation. Hill’s self-deprecating, generous style meshes with Last Podcast’s irreverent curiosity, delivering genuine craft insight and memorable anecdotes—whether about dropping bears, hiding body counts, or fleeing Mambo No. 5.
For fans of horror, comics, and wild behind-the-scenes stories, this candid episode offers a rare, funny, and insightful view into one of the genre’s modern masters and his creative worldview.