John Dies at the End

John and Dave took the ‘Soy Sauce’ and now they can see things. Disturbing things. Like the invisible spiders that climb into your throat and take control of your body.

David Wong’s comic horror series is set in a strange Midwestern town where ominous paranormal forces are at work. John and Dave are the only ones that can see the monsters, but can they defeat them? These unlikely heroes, along with Dave’s girlfriend Amy, take on shape-shifting insects that steal small children, killer spiders and violent humanoids. Will John and Dave stop the terrifying spider outbreak and does John really die at the end? 

Written in the first person, Nick Podehl delivers a brilliantly believable portrayal of Dave in This Book Is Full of Spiders. As the characters uncover some of the town’s most horrifying supernatural beings, Podehl depicts Dave’s dark humour flawlessly from the first line to the last. For the final performance of the series, Stephen R. Thorne assumes the role of Dave, offering listeners an entertaining recital of a child-snatching story.

At the heart of John Dies at the End, amongst the gore and guts, is a fight for survival. While there’s no evidence that the invisible spiders and shape-shifting insects of David Wong’s stories are inspired by real life, one of the main characters is. David was based on the writer himself, who used the pseudonym David Wong in an attempt to put some distance between his life and the real titbits of material that inspired his comic horror. 

Released in online instalments in 2001, John Dies at the End reportedly racked up over 70,000 views before it was made into a paperback and removed from the Internet. In 2012, a film version starring Rob Mayes and Chase Williamson was released and is widely considered a cult classic watch in the dark comedy genre.