How Storm King Is Weathering the Streaming Storm

Rotten Tomatoes has the Tomatometer. Futurama invented the Cool-O-Meter. But only Storm King Comics can boast to being the home of the “Oh F**k! Meter,” created by its married founders, master of horror John Carpenter and producer Sandy King.  

“When my managing editor and I are thinking about selecting a comic, I always give the script to John,” King explains to ADWEEK. “If partway through reading it, he’s going, ‘Oh f**k, oh f**k,’ then I say, ‘OK, get that one.’”

That four-letter measurement scale has served Carpenter and King well as they’ve expanded the comics division Storm King Productions, which encompasses the duo’s many film, television and music projects. Launched in 2012 with a single flagship title, the label now publishes multiple horror titles and has also ventured into science fiction and kids’ comics. All of those wares will be on display when Storm King makes its annual pilgrimage to San Diego Comic-Con from July 25-28.

“We don’t do superheroes, and we don’t do manga,” King says of how Storm King Comics stands out from the rest of the publishers and production companies in San Diego. “What we do well is tell scary stories in a cinematic style. And that’s working pretty successfully.”

Streaming scares

One area where Storm King is still searching for a breakout success is in the streaming realm. Last year, Carpenter and King partnered with Peacock for an anthology series, John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams—their first production for a streamer. The Halloween writer/director even helmed one of the six episodes, each of which re-told a freaky story from the wilds of American suburbia through re-enactments and interviews with some of the real people involved.

Launched in October in the run-up to Halloween, Suburban Screams received mixed reviews from critics and fans. Still, Peacock encouraged Carpenter and King to prep material for a second season, according to the pair. However, the couple says that the second season won’t be happening.

“They wanted all this development work for Season 2 and then went, ‘Eh, no,’” King recalls, adding that it was “unclear” why Peacock ultimately passed on making more episodes. As of now, she and Carpenter have no plans to take Suburban Screams to another streamer.

“It’s more fun to do new stuff,” she says. “You can’t take it personally; you just move on.”

A source with knowledge of the Peacock series called the show a “limited anthology” and confirmed it won’t be back for Season 2.

Asked what lessons they learned from their first experience in the streaming TV realm, King says that carving out a unique space in a crowded field of content is essential. “It took a little while for us to find the hook and keep it from being like all the other true crime series,” she admits. “What we eventually figured out was that Suburban Screams was about the victims and those left behind. For them, there is no such thing as closure, even if you solve the crime.”

Carpenter, at least, isn’t letting the end of Suburban Scares put him off streaming for good.

“Streamers are interesting platforms—much different from the studio system,” he writes via email. In fact, the filmmaker confesses that he consumes all of his entertainment from his living room these days.

“I don’t go to theaters anymore,” he says. “Now [my viewing] is at home: Home equals couch, refrigerator, bathroom and marijuana.”

From page to screen

Not for nothing, but owning a comics division is a great way to find material for streaming shows—just ask Max, Disney+ and Netflix. Both Carpenter and King see series potential in some of their new and ongoing books.

“Death Mask by Amanda Deibert is a killer story with a strong female lead,” raves the filmmaker. “Also Long Haul by Cullen Bunn and Heath Amodio. Those two books are both very ripped from the headlines with incredible characters and are scary as hell.”

King agrees with both of Carpenter’s selections and also notes that kid-oriented comics like Fetch and The Grimms Town Terror Tales would be ideal as streaming animated series with a tinge of horror.

“Horror can introduce kids to the idea that bad things can happen, but you can deal with it,” she says. “It’s all in how you move forward.”

According to King, Storm King Comics is set up as a creator-owned company, which allows writers to retain the rights to their intellectual property and shop it around for adaptations in other media. “I have a clause that says we get the first chance to executive produce it, but outside of that whatever deals they make are fine with me,” the producer says. “I think everybody should get to prosper.”

Storm King Productions also notably retains the rights to several Carpenter-made cinematic classics, including 1987’s Prince of Darkness and 1988’s They Live. But in keeping with the duo’s shared emphasis on making “new stuff,” they have no interest in shopping streaming series reboots of those fan-favorite films.

“We’ve already told those stories,” King says matter-of-factly about Hollywood’s reboot-crazy climate. “I realize everybody likes to tell and retell the same things, but it’s much more fun to have a new story to tell.”

No storms ahead

One of Storm King’s new stories will be a nine-episode series that’s nearing production at a major cable network. “The powers that be are reading the pilot,” King teases. Four other shows and two features are also in various stages of development amidst the larger production slowdown following last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

“It used to be that you chose a project, the head of a studio liked it and then you made it,” King says of how Hollywood has changed in the advent of the streaming era. “Now it is a crapshoot. You just have to make sure that you keep on making things. I’m turning out comics and podcasts, and John’s happy making music. We have fun.”

The producer says she’s biding her time during the slow summer months by indulging in her favorite non-Hollywood pastime: preparing homemade preserves. “That way, I’ve got Christmas presents,” she laughs. “That’s what I do all day: I proofread and I make preserves.”

King will be putting the jam aside to make the trip to SDCC. She’s set to appear on two panels and participate in signings at Storm King’s booth, where fans can get their first looks at new and upcoming titles like The Killing Hole and the vampire-themed Blood of the Taken, both of which scored high on Carpenter’s Oh F**K! Meter.  

“I love it when our readers are visibly excited to get a book,” King says. “You don’t get that kind of feedback on a movie set. All I care about is that we’re known for making quality comics.”