Stephen King: Good Horror Is Like A Peanut Butter Cup | Late Night With Conan O'Brien

(Original airdate: 02/09/99) Stephen King explains why good horror is like a peanut butter cup, lists his greatest fears, and tells a ghost story.
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ABOUT LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN
Running from 1993-2009, Late Night with Conan O’Brien is one of the most beloved late night shows in television history. Known for its absurdist humor, hilarious celebrity interviews and featuring the best stand-up comedians and musical acts of the 90’s and early 2000s. Hosted by Conan O’Brien alongside sidekick Andy Richter and house band Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7, Late Night with Conan O’Brien featured unforgettable segments like “If They Mated,” “In the Year 2000,” “Desk Driving” and made a breakout star of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
ABOUT TEAM COCO
Team Coco is the KZbin home for all things Conan O’Brien and the Team Coco Podcast Network. Team Coco features over 25 years of comedy sketches, celebrity interviews and stand-up comedy sets from CONAN on TBS and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, as well as exclusive videos from podcasts like Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Literally! with Rob Lowe, Why Won’t You Date Me? with Nicole Byer, The Three Questions with Andy Richter, May I Elaborate? with JB Smoove and Scam Goddess with Laci Mosley.
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[@stormcrowlu]

When you realize "Snakes on a plane" stole their plot from a Conan interview... Amazing.

[@maosama3695]

I watched an anime like this one but it was wasps instead of rats and snakes.

[@Ganiscol]

To be realistic, thats not a plot he laid out. Its a generic idea. Some danger on a plane... we had that before. And I dont think King would write anything like Snakes on a Plane - its a pretty dull story that only serves the purpose of putting Samuel L. Jackson on a plane with snakes: Them being the main attraction.

[@donaldward355]

My first thought! 😂😂😂

[@EmpyreanLightASMR]

And Andy still came up with a better idea. Rat Pilot lmao

[@phoenixfox2697]

I’m pretty sure that Stephen King would’ve loved to have wrote Snakes on A Plane. The sheer campy, schlocky, goofy horror would’ve had him thrilled to pieces and Samuel L. Jackson starring would’ve thrown him over the moon. This is a man who appreciates the level of frivolity with the lameass “serious” undertones of Snakes on a Plane.

[@cozyallyson]

I'm only 3 minutes in and this is one of the best Stephen King interviews I've ever seen. He's so obviously intelligent and also undeniably hilarious

[@TheWelchProductions]

Humor and intelligence go together, so there’s no need to contrast the two.

[@katkatkat5]

Agreed I was thinking the same thing

[@JPMJPM]

I’ll bet he was kicking himself when Snakes on a Plane came out.

[@Ganiscol]

I wonder if 'Rats on a Plane' could have featured Samuel L. Jackson 🤔

[@briezzy365]

He should sue.

[@captainscentsible1811]

Honestly he was lucky, that movie didn't do well, but someone ripped it off for sure

[@sargentordb507]

Can’t use rats well we’ll go with snakes lol

[@judydoyle1124]

Snakes on a Plane was 2006

[@JediPhoenix1976]

"What's that out there on the wing?" Sounds like a few people in the audience understood that reference.

[@SyddViciouss666]

“What’s that out there on the wing” 😂 LOVE HIM

[@aurwood68]

😭😭😭😭😭

[@heidinova6883]

"They're growing to the size of land turtles". ahahahha I laughed so much at this whole interview. I love Stephen King, avid reader of his books, and I love Conan!

[@antisoda]

So THAT'S where Snakes on a Plane came from! Somebody may owe someone royalties… :)

[@ComicalRealm]

Fun fact : Stephen King wrote *The Shining* after he had a nightmare in a hotel about his kid being chased by a fire hose.

[@julianholland4009]

He also mentioned that he was heavily inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Veldt”.

[@julianholland4009]

I think he was inspired by a great many things, he also named the book after the John Lennon song “Instant Karma”

[@erikadavila6574]

True story. I went to the Stanley hotel and that’s the exact story I heard from the “ghost tour” lead.

[@doctorthirteen5499]

And Cujo and The Tommyknockers were inspired by alcohol and cocaine.

[@haroldlamb8474]

Fact's

[@jakereynolds4259]

I can’t believe no one laughed at “we have to finish against ER” that was a banger

[@gungunsaxena8340]

shut up

[@jakereynolds4259]

@@gungunsaxena8340 lmao ok gumgum

[@gungunsaxena8340]

@@jakereynolds4259 lol 🤣🤣👍ok jake the milk shake

[@liammitchell8568]

@@gungunsaxena8340 what is your problem dude

[@binguscat2514]

Wait what is ER

[@Myinspiration2009]

What a great conversationist he is. OMG! It so much fun to listen to him...

[@jasonmurdoc9533]

“We don’t need to get into it, but because it’s my job we could get into it” that’s a man that loves what he does.

[@xMrBungleXx976]

I could totally see Stephen King doing a psychological horror story about someone slowly being driven to complete sloth from their La-Z-Boy, and the internal torment that overtakes them as they watch their entire life slowly fall to pieces as they spend more and more time in it and struggle harder and harder to get out of it every time.

[@mollyj6286]

It's definitely relatable...

[@jeremyphillips3087]

sounds like my life

[@INXS1985]

Sounds sorta like a short story he wrote called…Grey Matter? I think? About a deadbeat dad who starts to drink this weird imported beer that slowly turns him into this blobby monster. Told from the POV of his son. Very cool story.

[@m.jckaloe..jonstoe1576]

So Gerald's Game basically...

[@m.jckaloe..jonstoe1576]

@@INXS1985 Grey Matter is an awesome short story. Here's the link to part 1 of someone reading it if anyone is interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npTXnoZrntqtms0

[@milo.ibrado]

Andy Richter was the cherry on top in this interview. Hilarious! 😂

[@sunilbisht]

Such a witty interview. 2 intellectuals talking. That banter..amazing!

[@AdamS242]

Three.

[@titusmccarthy]

@@AdamS242 1

[@wakita50]

@@titusmccarthy 2, conan is hella smart

[@destroyerofnations1828]

Turns out more people are afraid of snakes than rats, and so we have Snakes on a Plane

[@TheRealUcanUwill]

Or its a movie made by snakes who are afraid of Samuel L. Jackson.

[@patreekotime4578]

Which is interesting because FAR more people have died because of rats due to the various plagues they have spread. Hereditary fears are funny that way. Although I gotta say, the scene in 1984 with rats still gets to me.

[@-C.S.R]

He’s one of the greatest storytellers of all time! Shawshank redemption and the green mile are masterpieces!

[@JohnSmith-fm3pn]

2:40 nice reference to nightmare at 20,000 ft

[@hemmojito]

Stephen: proposes a valid idea Conan and Andy: tear it appart 😄

[@maddiiydaddiiy]

Nice twilight zone reference

[@kevboard]

for real, this channel needs to have #DidNotDie or something in the title of old videos, because they post old clips whenever a celeb dies... but also randomly just posi old clips, it's very alarming each time 🤣

[@ASJC27]

Yeah I just had to check if SK is still alive as soon as I saw the title.

[@JPMJPM]

Yes!

[@jeremyphillips3087]

well we're all gonna die sometime so these are just like early obtituaries if you wanna think of it like that

[@ImGazu]

"You get in it and slowly realize you can't get out because little by little it is sucking you in.. to another.. dimension. WHERE THE RATS ARE LOOSE!" I lost it

[@natalieryan2055]

and puking!

[@lindasosa1570]

Storm of the Century was amazing! Of course, so are most all of the stories Stephen King has written.

[@AmericasComic]

Stephen King's "The Rats Are Loose on Flight 62" (10,387 pages)

[@TheMikester307]

"The Rats are Loose..." Was this before "Snakes On a Plane?" :D

[@RazyelKayneReviews]

I saw this interview the day it aired, and I swear I've been thinking about that David Duchovny comment ever since, funniest comparison ever.

[@rasaecnai]

Stephen King: Yeah but you dont want to hear that story. Everyone: (leans forward) Tell me more.

[@missmaddylou8133]

I would honestly read “The rats are lose on flight 62” Stephen King can make anything scary!

[@necrophiliacin_lace628]

triskaidekaphobia not to be confused with trikidikaphobia... which is a fear of Richard Nixon

[@rev.9683]

4:39 he literally make horror story out of anything 👌😂

[@grimlund]

This must be the funniest interview on KZbin. I love the thing with David Duchovny and the flying saucer😅.

[@StaticBlaster]

King is not only a master of horror. He is the KING of horror and writing in general.

[@arbknight12]

“The killer got his chocolate in my peanut butter!”

[@charlesmillard7574]

Was that killer? Or the Killers' 😂🤣😉🤗😎

[@harveypie]

did snakes on a plane steal this?

[@Metamere]

Well, he did say he had a copyright on the rats on a plane, so they had to get creative.

[@joshuaha7661]

Absolutely. Guaranteed.

[@callmeshaggy5166]

"steal" good lord

[@isaacthedolphin978]

wow pit Stephen King against Tarantino in a conversation and I imagine the "okay?" concentration would be off the charts

[@shivamshuklaaa]

This is the best Stephen King interview i have ever seen. And i have seen them all. Huge fan.

[@BrentWigginsWords]

Stephen King, likes Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, hates Halloween. That's a scary paradox.

[@2confrontational]

A truly legendary storyteller. Thank you for your art Mr. King!

[@MEMENTO.MORI.4318]

Andy was there all along 😂😂😂😂

[@leftyzappa]

“I’m not buying it.” 😂😂😂

[@harrisonfast3278]

this is great. i feel like this should have more views.

[@sarsattacks]

Game recognizes game. Two writing geniuses in one room.

[@Shay_TheUnpopularOpinion_]

Two brilliant minds together ♥️ I love it lol

[@rev.9683]

Love kings outfit here it's very sharp also classy. ♥

[@JohnSmith-fm3pn]

Storm of the century is free on KZbin . it's 4 hours long but totally worth it .

[@sahilbhagwat3254]

This either means king died or will be on the podcast or it's just a fun clip . And the uncertainty Scares me.

[@bobkerr2755]

Maybe it's all 3

[@nii_amart]

I was thinking the same thing. 😅

[@GaryTurbo]

I hope the first one is false

[@NameRedacted0]

It's spooky because it's Halloween Month! 👻

[@callmeshaggy5166]

Stephen King dying would be top news all over. Even Norm got a long mention on the 5 o'clock news.

[@DrCory48]

Excellent video

[@LackedBetterName]

5 minutes ago I had never heard of the Westminster Dog Show. Then I watched Conan interview Brit McKenzie and they talked about it. Then I watched this and Stephen mentioned it. Weird how the world works sometimes.

[@Huhgundai399]

Two unskippable 15 second ads? Brutal

[@Mark-jf1mp]

Come on team coco its been two days...... Classic Interview

[@LycanLink]

I can totally relate to Stephen in regard to fearing a number. I love the number 3, and by association multiples of 3, but I don't like 6, so I avoid multiples of 3 that are even (because they're multiples of 6), and I avoid numbers whose digits add up to 6. I don't fear 6, but I avoid it whenever it's not reckless to do so.

[@anaraven]

I used to avoid numbers 6 or 4 but I somehow got over it. Now i mainly avoid the color green.

[@joseapsantos3633]

Boa tarde, um escritor de sucesso, espetacular. Adorei o vídeo.

[@kimberelydavis379]

Stephen King telling us a ghost story. I love it! ❤️

[@thepopculturebuff5080]

I’d pay all of my money to see “RAT PILOT”

[@acehole4788]

King is top notch creative. My favorite author for sure

[@jahzd4028]

4 months after this interview, on June 19, 1999, at about 4:30 p.m., Stephen King was walking on the shoulder of Maine State Route 5, in Lovell, Maine. Driver Bryan Edwin Smith, distracted by an unrestrained dog moving in the back of his minivan, struck King, who landed in a ditch in the ground about 14 feet from the pavement of Route 5. King was conscious enough to give the deputy phone numbers to contact his family but was in considerable pain. He was transported to Northern Cumberland Hospital in Bridgton and then flown by air ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He suffered many injuries-including a collapsed right lung, multiple fractures of his right leg, scalp laceration and a broken hip. In an odd coincidence, Bryan Edwin Smith died on Stephen King's birthday on September 21, 2000 and both he and King shared the same middle name.

[@darkhorse7460]

I like how the drees code is navy and black.

[@aurwood68]

Omg iconic 💅💅😭

[@xavierrose8208]

Steve looks so good here

[@ajnakana460]

Junji Ito actually has a genuinely creepy story about the Japanese equivalent of a Lazee Boy. And the best part is it is based on a true incident.

[@JungleJoeVN]

Actually the first killer clown in literature was in Hop Frog written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1949, which incidentally was the King's jester and had a gang of murderous orangutans.

[@theneurologist1]

Poe was a literary genius

[@Fantasmister]

The Pixar guys definitely saw this interview.

[@warchild4974]

Man I love Stephen King's mind, his books and the film adaptions are brilliant. Family Guy got it right, Family Guy Stephen King's writer: "Scary stuff, scary stuff, scary stuff *typewriter ding, scary stuff, scary stuff, scary stuff *typewriter ding, scary stuff, scary stuff, scary stuff...lunch!" all with wide eyes. Stephen King and Wes Craven write/make a lot of my favorite horrors, top ones are A Nightmare On Elm Street & Stephen King's IT, but that's also the film with Tim Curry as Pennywise

[@goregrindisthebestgenre]

Wish I could see the interview where they talked about The Langoliers.

[@LOLR0FLMAO]

"I've got a GREAT idea for a story! It's called Snakes on a Plane"!! Steven King : "That's cute".....

[@justacomment97]

He’s talking about storm of the century in the beginning great movie

[@josteinv.jordet257]

I believe it's acually called Triskaidekaphobia..

[@stevencochran5301]

I know this one is in tiers, so I lev you!

[@travissexsmith5362]

Conans is awesome here

[@blackterarsblood]

Love it

[@Maqz22]

It was only bout 4 months after this interview that he was hit by a vehicle on a walk and almost killed! He was so intelligent and witty during this interview. I'm so glad we didn't lose this King

[@ironworkerwelder]

Saved by Jake Chambers at the last minute

[@strtstpwt83]

There's a connection between my indifference to horror movies and distaste for sugar

[@sorelbaez1281]

Conan is so sharp , inteligent

[@chrisspathelf2310]

He was probably writing or written the short story 1408 for the book Blood and Smoke when this was filmed.

[@micahj894]

Snakes on a Plane had to have at the very least been inspired peripherally by Stephen King's "Rats Are Loose on Flight 62" idea! They had to've!

[@carterevanroust]

Edogawa Ranpo wrote a short story called The Human Chair.

[@gamingat3099]

This was only a few months before 1408 was released lol

[@E32DJ-ELB24]

Steven King is a great story teller.

[@user-js3cr6wu7g]

When he told the 3 line story of the rats on the plane, I started to feel all crawly, just 3 lines!! lol

[@timhulsizer]

1:42 Wow they inadvertently came up with a good idea for a Ratatouille sequel, before the first one even existed

[@lokuzt]

love the way Sai king's mind can make up gross out and good horror prompts on the fly

[@Natschington]

Sai?

[@ironworkerwelder]

Tell the Gods Thankee-Sai

[@fastride1934]

Such a cool guy!

[@AngelXSantana]

I wonder if he did that movie 😂

[@florete2310]

RE: Title Me: Especially if you are allergic to those...

[@vibratewithme4486]

yo did stephen just straight up fart @4:57

[@theneurologist1]

Hahaha yup! Good catch!

[@dizzyhole666]

Rats on a plane became snakes on a plane 😂

[@kpopseoulkorea7]

👍👍👍💜💜💜 From Seoul Korea 😍💜

[@j2323j]

The King Help me get thru prison i was never locked up do to this man amazing writing

[@richiecuna5781]

that baldheaded ghost has been his muse all along

[@DirkDwipple]

There's Andy. Thinking outside the box.

[@GriefBurrito]

YES I DO

[@moonman5543]

2 things that dont normally mix, cocaine bear lol

[@Salem564]

Well, that's snakes on the plane right there!

[@elian958]

Its true, if you think about it and describe their plots, his stories sound dumb, but when he gets a hold of them, top notch horror american literature comes out. Imagine describing sleepwalkers or dreamcatchers to someone, they are actually funny when you hear someone tell you about them

[@miker.9138]

I'm just about finishing up the last few short stories I haven't read before, after which I can say that I've read everything fiction story he's ever published. (I don't think I'll ever read his non-fiction book about baseball.)

[@Tealc-yg2dj]

The moment I read "Good Horror is like a Peanut Butter Cup" I was like, ".... in that it's not for everyone?" Nowhere close, apparently! 😂😂😂😂 Great writer! ❤

[@party4keeps28]

So, is this where the idea for Snakes on a Plane came from? A writer watching this thought, "I'm not afraid of rats, but snakes! Those scare me!

[@phuongnguyentran3245]

my birthday is January 13th. Yeah sometimes I got scared of myself too

[@drnagajima]

@7:18 no iPhone 13 for King :)

[@jimphilidor9031]

Few months later he almost died when a car drove over him. Good thing he survived. He's made many great books after that.

[@trumphatesyou]

Duma Key was pretty boring!

[@Griffin12536]

Every time Conan uploads an old segment I have to check if the interviewee died.

[@user-fv6vf5cn3k]

I Am big Fan of mr. conan He is Legendary Star of United State America