Who Is Scott Wampler? The Life Of Chuck's Loving Tribute, Explained By Mike Flanagan

This article contains minor spoilers for "The Life of Chuck."

As the man behind shows like "The Haunting of Hill House" and underrated cinematic gems like "Hush," Mike Flanagan is one of our modern horror masters. Flanagan has shined especially brightly when adapting the works of Stephen King, with movies like "Doctor Sleep" and "Gerald's Game" to his name. Now, Flanagan has reunited with King for an adaptation of the author's novella "The Life of Chuck," which has been met with widespread critical acclaim – and with good reason.

Those who see the movie and hang around for the credits will undoubtedly notice that Flanagan included a card that reads, "In memory of Scott Wampler." Indeed, Flanagan dedicated his latest movie to Wampler. But who is he, exactly? The late, great Scott Wampler was the co-host of the popular podcast "The Kingcast," all about the works of Stephen King. He co-hosted the show alongside Eric Vespe, with the two having brief cameos in the film as well. Flanagan was a frequent guest on the podcast.

Unfortunately, Wampler passed away almost exactly a year ago, shortly after he and Vespe filmed their cameos for the film. During a recent screening of "The Life of Chuck" which featured a Q&A with Flanagan moderated by Vespe, the filmmaker explained why he decided to dedicate the movie to Wampler.

"I was in Austin for ATX [Television Festival], I think we were already supposed to have dinner, you and Wampler, we were texting about it that morning and then, by the afternoon he was gone," Flanagan said. "It was utterly shocking." Flanagan and Vespe still met up, and it was at that dinner where the idea to dedicate the movie to Wampler came about:

"It just seemed like this was a story about a life that was cut off too soon. About someone who had an enormous impact on this universe that we meet in the very beginning. It just seemed like the most appropriate thing in the world that this movie should be dedicated to Scott. That's why it's there."

"The Life of Chuck" is billed as the extraordinary story of an ordinary man. The genre-bending tale celebrates the life of Charles "Chuck" Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) as he experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.

"I've seen this movie hundreds of times since then in every kind of way you can see a movie when you're finishing and delivering a movie," Flanagan added during the Q&A. "I still have the same feelings when I hear your voices in the beginning, and of course when I see you guys at the fountain with Tom. I just wish very badly that he could have seen it."

Aside from co-hosting "The Kingcast," Wampler became known by many through his work at the now-defunct Birth.Movies.Death, which was owned by the Alamo Drafthouse. The website stood out in the film space, with Wampler's voice offering something wholly unique. It was deeply honest and often hilarious. Wampler also became a notable voice in the "Film Twitter" space, developing a following. He later became a contributor at Fangoria, in addition to his work at sites like /Film. But there was something about Scott Wampler that's difficult to define, a quality that led people to him. To myself and many others, he was a beacon of light and a reminder that life is worth living.

Wampler is a man who touched so many people in the film community, be it us journalists and bloggers who discuss such things on the internet, or filmmakers like Flanagan who came to love him. As /Film's own Jacob Hall wrote last year, "Scott Wampler was a great film critic — and an even better human." I can echo that sentiment as I was very fortunate to get to know Wampler through our work together as contributors at Fangoria. One of my chief regrets in this life is that I didn't get to know him better while he was with us. It seems very fitting to me that this film exists, in some way, as a monument to Wampler's life; a life well lived. 

"The Life of Chuck" is in theaters now.