Stephen King is well known for the horror stories and novels he has written since his first was published in 1967. His career started to take off in 1973 with the success of Carrie and today he is well known throughout the world as one of the best horror writers of our time, and it all started right here in Maine.

Back in 1980, Stephen King appeared on a panel of horror writers on The Dick Cavett Show. Dick Cavett is a talk show host whose show was seen on several networks from 1968 to 2007. He is an excellent interviewer and knows just the right questions to ask that viewers are also thinking of.

On the show that aired on PBS in 1980, Stephen King sat down with other horror writers including the late George Romero who wrote and directed Night of the Living Dead, the late Ira Levin who wrote Rosemary's Baby, and the late Peter Straub who wrote Ghost Story and The Talisman that he co-wrote with King.

This show was a product of its time. Half the panel is smoking, including King. When this aired, King was just 33 years old. At that time he had written Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, the Stand, The Dead Zone and would release Firestarter that year.

When Cavett asked the panel "musn't you be weird in some way" to write these types of stories. King replied that he was "warped as a child," thanks to all the horror comic books that he read as a kid that lead him to write these stories. King even paid tribute to those comic books with his film Creepshow in 1982.

If you're a Stephen King fan, this is definitely a must-watch piece of history to see Maine's hugely successful horror writer talk about his trade over 40 years ago. It's on the Dick Cavett Show YouTube Channel.

[carbongallery id="633d7b585409695d9eaff7dd "]

18 Celebrities Who Have Owned Homes In Maine

From Kittery to Islesboro, some of Hollywood's biggest names have owned homes in Maine. We explore the who and where. 

More From WBZN Old Town Maine