These 19 Mind-Blowing Easter Eggs In The Stephen King Multiverse Made Me Question Everything
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Legendary author Stephen King has spawned multiple terrific stories over the years, and many of them have been linked back to each other.
Many adaptations of King's work have displayed this in recent years, as they have been layered with subtle or not-so-subtle Easter eggs that hint at a greater multiverse that rivals Marvel and DC. And so, with that in mind, let's take a look at the top 19 Easter eggs in Stephen King adaptations.
WARNING: 🚨SPOILERS🚨 AHEAD!!!
19.Christine - Various
Christine is one of King's most iconic creations, and it has made multiple appearances in many different forms over the years. We see Sadie's husband driving a Plymouth Fury in the first episode of 11.22.63. There is a model car resembling Christine in the film, The Dark Tower. At one point in It (2017), we even see Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer) wearing a shirt with a monstrous car on it. Even after all these years, this evil automobile continues to haunt the Stephen King multiverse with its presence.
18.The Cornfield - Various
Children of the Corn is arguably one of King's most famous stories, and its impact can be felt in his other stories. In both adaptations of The Stand, we see some of its characters having dreams about entering a cornfield and meeting Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg. In Doctor Sleep, the baseball boy (Jacob Tremblay) walks next to a cornfield before he is kidnapped by the True Knot. We also see Jake Chambers being dragged out into a cornfield by a monster in The Dark Tower. Whenever you see a cornfield in one of King's works, you can be sure that something scary is about to happen.
17.Derry - Pet Sematary (2019)
While this film takes place in Ludlow, Maine, two of its main characters, Rachel and Gage, spend some time away at the former's parents' house. On their way back to Ludlow, we see them stuck on the highway with a sign for Derry on the side of the road. For those of you who don't know, Derry is the town from It, where the eponymous entity dwells and feeds on its inhabitants.
16.Randall Flagg -11.22.63
In this Hulu Original, schoolteacher Jake (James Franco) goes back in time to prevent the assassination of JFK. But as he and his love interest Sadie (Sarah Gadon) run to stop it, they bump into a man on a bicycle in a denim jacket and matching jeans. This man is none other than Randall Flagg as he appeared in the 1994 adaptation of The Stand. Flagg is known to have appeared during tragic and violent events in human history. Perhaps he wanted to witness what was about to go down.
15.The Old Lady - It: Chapter Two
One of the most terrifying scenes in It: Chapter Two was Beverly's (Jessica Chastain) encounter with Mrs. Kersh (Joan Gregson), a creepy old lady who lives in Beverly's childhood home. However, this all turns out to be an illusion created by It, who then turns into a giant naked lady and chases her out of the building. This is clearly a reference to the rotting old lady from The Shining, but this isn't the only reference to this film that can be found in Derry.
14."Here's Johnny!"- It: Chapter Two
During the climactic battle against Pennywise, Beverly is thrust into an illusory prison resembling her school's bathroom stall. We then see multiple people in her life banging on the door, taunting her, as the stall floods with blood. In this tense scene, we see Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton) drop Jack Nicholson's iconic line from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. No matter how much King hated the film, he still can't deny the impact it had on popular culture, especially thanks to this memorable quote.
13.Ka Is A Wheel - Doctor Sleep
In Mike Flanagan's sequel to The Shining, we see an adult Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) speak with the ghost of his friend/mentor Dick Hallorann (Carl Lumbly). When Dan asks Hallorann why he visited, the latter says, "I'm here because it all comes round. Ka is a wheel, doc." Ka is basically Stephen King's version of The Force, as it is the will of God (or Gan) guiding people towards their destiny, which is sometimes described as a wheel. If we get another Dark Tower adaptation soon, Mike Flanagan should run it, because the man can pull it off.
12.The Turtle - It: Chapter One and Two
This one is pretty far out there. Maturin the Turtle is one of the twelve Guardians of the Beams linked to the Dark Tower, and he actually vomited up the universe that It takes place in due to a stomach ache. This cosmic entity acts as It's mortal enemy, and he aided the Losers in their battle against the demonic clown in Stephen King's novel. Understandably, we didn't see the Turtle in the films, but there are multiple turtles present in both films that reference his existence. Perhaps they are all manifestations of him as he's supporting the heroes throughout their journey.
11."All things serve The Beam" - Gerald's Game
In this Netflix adaptation of King's novel, protagonist Jessie repeatedly has visions of her dead husband, Gerald, when she is handcuffed to a bed. At one moment, Gerald tells Jessie about the death that is coming for her, uttering this line while claiming that everyone eventually dies. This is another reference to The Dark Tower, and one that seems pretty unusual given how grounded Jessie's predicament is. Maybe while on the brink of death, her mind was opened to the mysteries of the multiverse.
10."The wheel turns" - The Stand (2020)
Another reference to ka comes at the end of Josh Boone's adaptation of The Stand. In the new finale written by King himself, we see Frannie Goldsmith commune with a vision of Mother Abigail (Whoopi Goldberg) after falling down a well. This line from Mother Abigail sums up how evil will always rise up and how good will always combat it in an infinite loop. This is even more true when we see Mother Abigail appear as a younger version of herself in the end, along with Randall Flagg being reborn as "Russell Faraday."
9.The Dark Tower Painting - The Mist (2007)
In this adaptation by Frank Darabont, we first see protagonist David Drayton (Thomas Jane) painting a picture of a cowboy standing in front of a doorway next to a rose and a giant tower. This is clearly a reference to The Dark Tower, with the cowboy in question being its protagonist, Roland Deschain, standing next to the titular tower. Perhaps Drayton had a vision of the gunslinger before he entered the mist.
8.Harold's Typewriting - The Stand (2020)
In Josh Boone's miniseries, we see Harold Lauder (Owen Teague) write his thoughts down using a typewriter he found in an antique shop. His writing helps depict his descent into madness in a manner similar to Jack Torrance in The Shining (they both use the same kind of typewriter, with the number "217" referencing the haunted room from the novel). In fact, the way Frannie Goldsmith (Odessa Young) enters Harold's basement and discovers his evil plans along with his writing reflects how Wendy discovered Jack's writing in Stanley Kubrick's classic film. "All work and no play," am I right?
7.Charlie the Choo-Choo - Lisey's Story
In a scene from Apple TV's Lisey's Story, we see Scott Landon superfan Jim Dooley reading a children's book in a library that he says had inspired Landon as a kid. Fans will recognize this book titled "Charlie the Choo-Choo," as it is found by Jake Chambers in The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands. While this was originally a book within a book, King actually had it published back in 2016.
6.Abra's Stand - Doctor Sleep
At the end of this film, after Dan Torrance sacrificed himself to destroy the Overlook Hotel, we see his spirit talking with Abra in her bedroom. In his final monologue, Dan states the world is a hungry place but claims that Abra is a person "who'll stand" against it. It's a clever reference to Stephen King's magnum opus, which makes you wonder what it would be like if Abra Stone appeared in it.
5.The Overlook Hotel - The Dark Tower
Returning to The Dark Tower, there is a scene where Jake is talking to his therapist when an earthquake hits. We then see a photo of the Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining. This also acts as a bit of foreshadowing, as Jake is revealed to be gifted with the "shine."
4.Pennywise - The Dark Tower
While the Dark Tower film was panned by fans and critics alike, it was still filled with Easter eggs that link all of King's previous adaptations together. One of which is a ruined "Pennywise" sign that Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) encounters during his journey. Perhaps the Dancing Clown had a gig in Mid-World before he ended up in Derry.
3.The Tet Corporation - Doctor Sleep
In the first act of this film, after arriving in New Hampshire, Dan Torrance is seen stepping off the bus that says "Tet Transit" on the side of it. Dark Tower fans will recognize this as a reference to the Tet Corporation, an organization created to protect the titular tower from destruction and derail the evil Sombra Corporation. Seriously, was Mike Flanagan secretly setting up a Dark Tower adaptation?
2.The Crimson King - The Stand (2020)
The most recent adaptation of The Stand may have been flawed, but it had the benefit of referencing decades of King's material. The most significant one is the presence of the Crimson King, Randall Flagg's (Alexander Skarsgård) master, and the big bad of the Stephen King multiverse. Inside Flagg's Inferno Hotel, we can see a red banner depicting the Eye of the Crimson King, the sigil used to show allegiance to this ancient devil. It's a shock that we still haven't seen this big bad in live-action yet, as he would make a terrifying villain akin to Thanos or Sauron.
1.The Number 19 - Various
The number 19 bears a great significance in the Stephen King multiverse, and it appears in many of his adaptations. For instance, in The Dark Tower, we see children writing the number down on the ground, and it turns out to be the interdimensional coordinates to Mid-World. In Doctor Sleep, we see the ill-fated baseball boy wearing a uniform with the number 19 on it. We also see a walkie-talkie set to "19" in the final episode of Josh Boone's The Stand. It's truly amazing to see how much this seemingly regular number has been present throughout Stephen King's stories, making it the greatest Easter egg in his multiverse.
