Stephen King is one of the most successful authors ever. In his long career, he has published more than 60 novels and sold more than 400 million books. He is considered a master of the horror genre. With so many books and adaptations of those books, King has created a vast mythology and detail that spans several of his stories, placing them in the same universe. Many of these details have popped up in various projects, giving fans plenty of Easter eggs to find. Here are ten Easter eggs in Stephen King movies.
10 Overlook Carpet on the Skateboard – It: Chapter Two (2019)
In IT: chapter two, the adult losers must return to Derry to defeat the evil Pennywise. While in town, Bill (James McAvoy) comes across a young boy skateboarding at a drain. Bill remembers his brother’s death from a drain and yells at the boy to go home. If you look closely, the pattern on the underside of the boy’s skateboard matches the famous carpet pattern of the Overlook Hotel in The shining.
9 The Ray – Gerald’s Game (2017)
Gerald’s game is a psychological thriller centered on Jessie (Carla Gugino), a woman who is left handcuffed to her bed after her husband, Gerald (Bruce Greenwood), dies. Jessie is haunted by her past and also by the ghost of Gerald, who tells her that death is coming. He then says that “all things serve the beam.” This is a reference to the Beam, which is an important part of King’s Dark Tower series. In the series, the Beams are ancient physical powers that sustain the universe and keep existence runningaccording to ScreenRant.
8 The Dark Tower painting – The Mist (2007)
The fog is based on a King novella and sees a group of people trapped in a grocery store while their town outside is covered in a supernatural fog that brings vicious monsters with it. Although it is an ensemble film, it largely revolves around Dave (Thomas Jane) and his son. Dave is an artist and in his first scene he paints a picture of a cowboy in front of a doorway. Also in the picture is a rose and a rook. This is a reference to the Dark Tower series, featuring the cowboy who is supposed to be Roland, the protagonist of the series. The rook is the dark tower he searches for, while the rose is also significant in the series.
7 The Crimson King – The Dark Tower (2017)
The Dark Tower follows 11-year-old Jake (Tom Taylor), who is haunted by visions of a tower under attack. He discovers his visions are true when he finds an old house and is taken to the world of the Tower. Inside the house is graffiti that reads “All Hail the Crimson King”, which is seen throughout the film. This is a reference to the real villain in the Dark Tower series. Although the Man in Black is seen as the main villain, he is in reality a servant of the Crimson King, an ancient evil being. The Crimson King also appears in King’s books Insomnia And Black Houseand is the controlling force of Randall Flagg, the villain in The score.
6 Image of the Overlook – The Dark Tower (2017)
Since Jake is haunted by his dreams in the film, he visits a psychiatrist, who believes the dreams are a result of his father’s death. While in his psychiatrist’s office one day, the office begins to shake as the Dark Tower is attacked. In the shaking we see a framed photo on the doctor’s table. This photo is an image of the Overlook Hotel, from The shining.
5 The Pennywise Mark – The Dark Tower (2017)
Another reference in The Dark Tower is the amusement park sign. While traveling, Jake finds an abandoned theme park. The sign in the park reads Pennywise, the name of the clown from the IT book and movies. A version of the clown is also partially visible on the ground, holding a bunch of balloons. The film includes other little Easter eggs, such as mentioning the “shine”, and a picture of Rita Hayworth, a nod to The Shawshank Redemption.
4 Mention of Cujo – Pet Sematary (2019)
In Pet Sematary, Louis (Jason Clarke) moves his family to a house near a cemetery where people have buried their pets, which ends up having regenerative powers. In a conversation with his neighbour, Jud (John Lithgow), Jud mentions a large Saint Bernard who became rabid and killed several people a few hours away in the past. This is a reference to Cujo, the killer dog from King’s book and movie of the same name. The film also includes a road sign to Derry, Maine, home to several King factories.
3 Ka – Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor Sleep is a sequel to The shining, and sees an adult Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) deal with his past and face a dangerous villain in the present. We also see him talking to the ghost of Dick Hallorann (Carl Lumbly), who befriended Dan in the original movie. During their conversation, Hallorann says he’s here because “ka is a wheel”. Ka occurs in the Dark Tower series, and functions as a fateful force in the universe. It is a force that guides people to their destination, and is often described in the books as a wheel.
2 Turtles – It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019)
The turtle is a great force in many King books. It’s a big part of the Dark Tower series, where the Turtle, or Maturin, is an ancient force of goodness fighting against the evil in the world. It is also in the book version of IT, where he appears to the child Losers and shows them how to defeat Pennywise. In the movie version of ITthe turtle is not mentioned, but turtles do appear – there’s a real one in the water when the losers go for a swim, and a Lego one that Bill finds in Georgie’s room.
1 Number 19 – Miscellaneous
The number 19 is one important number in the King universe, by Looper. It has been used in countless ways in his books, from addresses to the number of letters in character names. It has also appeared in many movie adaptations. In Doctor Sleep, the “Baseball Boy” that Abra has visions of, wears the number on his uniform. In The Dark Tower, 19 is the coordinates of the Tower’s world. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy’s prison sentence is 19 years. It has also appeared in TV adaptations such as The score.