Stephen King is one of the most successful authors ever. In his lengthy career, he has published more than 60 novels, and sold over 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 massive mythology and details that span throughout several of his stories, placing them within the same universe. Many of these details have popped up in various projects, leaving many Easter eggs for fans 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 near a storm drain. Remembering his brother’s death by a drain, Bill screams at the boy to go home. If you look closely, the pattern on the bottom of the boy’s skateboard matches the famous carpet pattern from the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.
9 The Beam – Gerald’s Game (2017)
Gerald’s Game is a psychological thriller centering around 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 Gerald’s spirit, 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 a major part of King’s Dark Tower series. In the series, the Beams are ancient physical forces that hold up the universe and keep existence going, per ScreenRant.
8 The Dark Tower Painting – The Mist (2007)
The Mist 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 mist that brings vicious monsters. Though it’s an ensemble movie, it largely revolves around Dave (Thomas Jane) and his son. Dave is an artist, and his first scene shows him painting a picture of a cowboy in front of a doorway. Also in the picture are a rose and a tower. This is a reference to the Dark Tower series, with the cowboy meant to be Roland, the gunslinger protagonist of the series. The tower 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 being attacked. He finds out his visions are true when he finds an old house and is taken to the Tower’s world. In the house is graffiti reading “All Hail the Crimson King,” which is featured throughout the movie. This is a reference to the real villain in the Dark Tower series. Though the Man in Black is seen as the main villain, he is really a servant of the Crimson King, who is an ancient evil being. The Crimson King has also featured in King’s books Insomnia and Black House, and is the controlling force of Randall Flagg, the villain in The Stand.
6 Picture of the Overlook – The Dark Tower (2017)
Since Jake is haunted by his dreams in the movie, he visits a psychiatrist, who thinks the dreams are a result of his father’s death. While in his psychiatrist’s office one day, the office begins shaking 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 Sign – 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 at the park reads Pennywise, which is 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 movie features other small Easter eggs, such as mentioning the “shine,” and a picture of Rita Hayworth, which is a nod to The Shawshank Redemption.
4 Mentioning Cujo – Pet Sematary (2019)
In Pet Sematary, Louis (Jason Clarke) moves his family into a house that is nearby a cemetery people have used to bury their pets, which ends up having regenerative powers. When talking with his neighbor, Jud (John Lithgow), Jud mentions a big St. Bernard that went 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 movie also features a road sign to Derry, Maine, the home of several King works.
3 Ka – Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor Sleep is a sequel to The Shining, and sees an adult Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) dealing with his past, and taking on a dangerous villain in the present. We also see him speak with the ghost of Dick Hallorann (Carl Lumbly), who became friends with Dan in the original movie. During their conversation, Hallorann says that he is here because “ka is a wheel.” Ka features in the Dark Tower series, and functions as a fateful force in the universe. It’s a force that leads people to their destinies, and is often described as a wheel in the books.
2 Turtles – It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019)
The Turtle is a large force in many King books. It’s a large part of the Dark Tower series, where the Turtle, or Maturin, is an ancient force of goodness fighting against the evil in the world. He’s 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 IT, the Turtle isn’t mentioned, but turtles do appear – there is a real one in the water when the Losers go swimming, and a Lego version that Bill finds in Georgie’s room.
1 Number 19 – Various
The number 19 is an important number in the King universe, per Looper. It has been used in numerous 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 to the world of the Tower. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy’s prison time is 19 years. It has also appeared in TV adaptations like The Stand.
