Stephen King has single-handedly fueled the nightmares of millions of people across the globe. If this man recommends a terrifying film, horror buffs come out in droves to give it a watch.
So what might Pennywise transform into, if the haunting clown appeared before Stephen King? What terrifies the ultimate king of horror? Two words: Alzheimer’s disease.
On the podcast Chasing Life, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, asked King what scares him the most these days, and the author made it clear why Alzheimer’s disease is his answer. “I’m afraid every time that I have to search for a word,” he confessed. “My mind is my tool… It’s also what makes me enjoy life. Everything from my imagination, to reading books, to going to movies, to watch something that’s streaming on TV… The idea of losing that, or losing my family terrifies me.”
It seems these fears are what fuel his forthcoming collection of short stories, titled You Like It Darker. He explained that a lot of the stories are focused on elderly people, or as he refers to them, “people with brittle bones.” One story about a man who breaks his hip — likely written as King was planning for hip surgery himself — was particularly on his mind.
“I have a tendency to write about what worries me,” he told Dr. Gupta. “And right now, what worries me, is the drawing away of all your faculties and your physical being little by little.” It makes sense that this is what currently captivates King, as he’s beginning to slow down himself at age 76. “I used to be able to do about two thousand words at a time, and now I would say it’s more like fifteen-hundred or twelve-hundred. I’ve slowed down a little bit.”
Hopefully, Stephen King will be able to keep giving us the heebie-jeebies for years to come. His next book, You Like It Darker, is set to release in 2024.