Dark Natter

It's the end of our third season, and what better way to close out than with a discussion about a celebrated show that had an infamously terrible ending?? Errr, wait... Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send us a message! If it's nice (or horrible but funny) we'll read it out on the show!

Pal and movie buff Aaron joins the boys again to discuss 2024's smash hit body horror onslaught, The Substance! Tune in to find out whether Demi Moore's comeback vehicle lives up to the hype, or whether it's just a quivering fleshy mess... Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send us a message! If it's nice (or horrible but funny) we'll read it out on t...

It's another dark Christmas for the Dark Natter boys, and what better way to celebrate than with this classic Tim Burton festive fright-fest?? Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send us a message! If it's nice (or horrible but funny) we'll read it out on the show!

The Hall of Pain's creepy custodians tackle The Chinese Room's 2024 horror video game, Still Wakes the Deep: expect grotesque sights, grotesque amounts of swearing, and grotesquely bad Scottish accents! Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send us a message! If it's nice (or horrible but funny) we'll read it out on the show!

Nicolas Cage has transcended acting. He is now more myth than man. But is his performance (and deeply disturbing singing) enough to earn this unpredictable but muddled supernatural thriller a place in the Hall of Pain?? Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send us a message! If it's nice (or horrible but funny) we'll read it out on the show!

In their restless dreams, they see that town... Silent Hill is Jon and Liam's special place, and they've been waiting there for 23 years for Jon's all-time favourite video game to be remade. Did Bloober Team defy the haters to create something that lives up to the horror and emotion of the original?? Or should you (Pyramid) head elsewhere? Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: u...

We watched them so you don't have to. And because we're insane. In celebration of Halloween in prior years, we've slogged through some pretty patchy franchises (Halloween, Friday 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street) but this was the sloggiest of gore-drenched slogs through a cesspit of human cruelty... but are any of the TEN Saw movies actually decent? Tune in to find out!! Trying this ne...

The first movie catapulted Michael Keaton and Tim Burton to Batman levels of fame (see our last episode, coincidentally!) Now, a mind-melting 36 YEARS LATER, the duo team up once again, along with loads of other returning cast members and some brilliantly-cast newbies, for a long long long long overdue sequel... it's showtime!!! Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send...

Given how much of a Bat-fan Jon is, this episode feels long overdue, not to mention both Jon and Liam's love of the Clown Prince of Crime and the rest of the caped crusader's rogues' gallery! Tune in to find out which other criminal masterminds are at the top of the boys' Bat-rankings, which movies they liked best (and least), which actors they reckon best filled out the cape a...

You knew this one was coming... the lads have been busy devouring every last morsel of FromSoftware's new Elden Ring expansion ever since its release, and having filled their bellies with this astonishingly generous banquet, they're now ready to talk about it! But did it live up to the developer's usual astonishingly high standards, or was this a course too many... and will this ann...

The talented and likeable David Dastmalchian has made a career out of being a creepy weirdo, but how does he fare as the leading man in this movie about a late night chat show that goes wildly wrong when it decides to invite along a guest named Lily...? Find out what the boys made of this horror rollercoaster, and also its unexpected influences! Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this l...

Liam and Jon are joined by their pal Aaron to talk about a book and movie series that's dear to their withered, black hearts: Lord Of The Rings! The usual wide-ranging chat encompasses everything from forgotten characters like Tom Bombadil to debating which regional accent best suits an orc... but will one of the greatest works of fiction ever written have what it takes to make it into the Ha...

We're conscious we've got some new listeners in this third season who might be unfamiliar with our show, and also might be interested to find out some of the illustrious dark fiction names, franchises and experiences that have been trapped errrr we mean inducted into the Hall of Pain over the years - so here's a little bonus episode where we go back over some of the highlights, lowl...

This season has definitely gone a bit fantasy-y, and to keep the trend going Jon and Liam are discussing one of the most revered video games of all time (as well as the first instalment of its remake trilogy): Square Enix's seminal Final Fantasy VII! Find out if the lads are still moved to tears by THAT death scene, or if the shine of new materia has worn off over the years... Trying this new...

The Last Of Us video games are already safely ensconced in a delightful, mushroom-coloured suite in the Hall of Pain... but what about HBO's attempt to bring the massively popular (and divisive) games to the telly? Jon and Liam discuss what the show gets right, including THAT episode (still thinking of you, Bill and Frank...) Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send us...

Jon considers himself the world's biggest Silent Hill fan, and Liam has also been a lifelong series aficionado - so when Konami FINALLY released the first new console game in the franchise in an entire decade, the lads couldn't resist recording a special episode to revisit the fog-shrouded town. But was this (weird) new release worth the wait, or has Konami mist the mark? (Sorry.) Trying...

Jon and Liam are massive fans of From Software's rock hard dark fantasy games, and Elden Ring is the biggest and most renowned of them all... but has the formula become too fat and bloated to fit through the doors of the Hall of Pain?? Tune in to find out what the lads made of Miyazaki's latest epic adventure!! Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send us a message!...

The lads are dropping a new episode slightly ahead of schedule because Jon is naffing off for a bit in order to get married! Almost as horrifying as the life that awaits his long-suffering partner is this episode's topic, Chris Carter's staggeringly popular and enduring series, The X-Files... join us to find out whether Mulder & Scully can avoid the attentions of aliens, monsters and...

Another revered horror franchise gets the Dark Natter treatment, and after already escaping somehow unscathed from Halloween, Friday 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street the boys thought it was time to tackle Wes Craven's self aware slasher series, Scream!! Highlights include the usual bickering over ranking the movies, and the revelation that Jon is a passionate Matthew Lillard fan... Trying thi...

Released on 28th June 2024, Scarred is Jon's tenth book and first ever (dark) fantasy novel. If this voice snippet entices you to join Freya and Errick's quest, visit www.jon-richter.com for more information, or get your claws on a copy here... USA: https://shorturl.at/eGS47 UK: https://shorturl.at/bjzHT (Thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the ace background music) Trying this new fangled Fan M...

DOOM, one of the greatest video games of all time, has already cemented its place in the Hall Of Pain... but Liam and Jon had no idea how far the ancient horror classic could still be pushed. MyHouse. WAD was a custom level released by a mysterious mapper in 2023 that at first glance appears to be nothing more than a cute rendering of a house, posted in memory of a dead friend... but like the hous...

The Hall Of Pain and its creepy custodians are BACK!!!!! Implausibly still alive, Jon and Liam return to shoot the sh*te about more favourite dark fiction works, kicking off with Neowhiz's weird Soulsborne Pinocchio homage, Lies Of P... find out if this grim(m?) video game was worthy of a place in the hallowed halls, or whether you can see the strings...    (Addendum/shameless plug! Seek out...

MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT for The Prestige!!! Seriously, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, do not listen to this. In fact, do not listen to this at all. It’s our notorious, infamous, legendary LOST EPISODE, considered too shambolic even for Dark Natter. But as the show’s on hiatus, and it’s Yuletide after all, we decided to finally release it as a bit of a festive treat. Listen at your peril… and mer...

It's the end of another sinister series of Dark Natter! And it's also Halloween... so what better way for us to bow out with a bang than by celebrating the Springwood Slasher himself, Freddy Krueger and his Nightmare On Elm Street movies?? Trying this new fangled Fan Mail feature: use this link to send us a message! If it's nice (or horrible but funny) we'll read it out on the sh...

It's Jon's turn to pitch to Liam, and you know how Jon gets when he's 'into' something... his recent addiction to revolutionary 90s first person shooter Quake has led him to rediscover genre granddaddy Doom, as well as the host of other 'retro FPS' games now available as other 90s gamers get their nostalgic kicks (and shotgun blasts, and rocket-propelled grenade...