It (King, Stephen) Easter Egg - References to All Previous King Books

When King wrote the book It, he very intentionally made references to every other book he'd written up to that point. Here are a few:
1) Dick Halloran of The Shining has a small role in a flashback
2) The town of Castle Rock is mentioned, along with references to the serial killer that lived there (in The Dead Zone)
3) "It" manifests at one point as a leprous beggar missing most of his nose (Thinner)
4) At one point Beverly is trapped in a junked car while bad things go on outside -- and she has to pee really badly! (Cujo)
5) The car from Christine makes an appearance, and the driver says "See anything green?"
6) A theory expressed in King's nonfiction Danse Macabre is stated again here, that children are better at handling horror than adults
7) King even makes a reference to fellow horror writer Peter Straub, using the name of one of Straub's characters from Ghost Story: Stringer Deadham

A dedicated reader can find other references, everything from place names to repetition of interesting lines. King didn't leave out a single book he'd written up to this point.

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Contributed By: Aleytys on 10-04-1999
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Comments

debbie writes:
In Stephan King's novella, "Different Seasons," the short story that the movie Stand By Me is based on takes place in Castle Rock, too.
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monkey writes:
Castle Rock is just one of the many geographical places that Stephen King uses in his books. Much of Castle Rock is explained in the trilogy of "The Dark Half," the novella "The Sun Dog" in "Four Past Midnight," and "Needful Things." Dark Score Lake is another, featured in "The Dark Half," "Gerald's Game," and "Bag of Bones."
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Mina writes:
In Bag of Bones, Mike Noonan meets Ralph from the book Insomnia (so time lines must have crossed for these books) in a coffee shop, or somewhere like that in Derry. Which is where "It" was set if I remember correctly.
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monkey writes:
Right! Near the end of "Bag of Bones," Mike Noonan is also visited by Alan Pangborn, sheriff of Castle Rock. Mike even asks how Polly is doing.
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I'm a big fan of Stephen King and I have all his books, and I think it's already common knowledge that he makes references to his other books.
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stevefah writes:
Peter Straub is a separate person. A real person, not just a King alias.
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Brand Eks writes:
Slim - you're probably thinking of "Richard Bachman", not Peter Straub. Right?
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Yeah, Bachman was the name Steve used to do some other works (e.g. the bachman books , although the bachman books wasn't made until after he revealed himself!). Straub is a very famous Horror writer and find it impossiable that some one could mistake him for Stephen King!
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Nive writes:
Stephen King's story "The Body" is actually what inspired the movie Stand By Me... it says so in the credits of the movie.
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Mary writes:
When Mike Halton is thinking of calling his childhood friends, he mentions the "voice of the Turtle", which you can find in the Dark Tower saga.
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Wildcatt writes:
"The Turtle" is also a large part of "IT" as well as, if I remember correctly, somewhere in either "Desperation" or "The Regulators" somewhere. Bill Denbrough and Mike Hanlon are both named in "Insomnia". King writes all his novels into each other somehow. Even his wife makes a reference to "The Dead Zone" in her book, "Survivor"
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Dan writes:
Different Seasons, his non horror short story book had another movie spawned from the short story Shashank Redemption
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j37 writes:
He did not make reference to anything in Night Shift, Firestarter, Salem's Lot, or the Skeleton Crew.
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Terragen writes:
Another story from Different Seasons, Apt Pupil, was also made into a movie.
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Jade writes:
I can't believe no one mentioned Derry, Maine. This is the town where IT is set in, and King uses it in many of his books.
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the greenman writes:
IS THE TURTLE IN "it" same as in "dark tower" anyone remember what other animals there were besides bear an turtle
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Griffworks writes:
The events of "It" are also mentioned at the conclusion of "TommyKnockers". Most specifically, the storm that washes away a sizable portion of downtown Derry.... Jeffrey
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bigchimp writes:
Out of all the books and movies i have watched I believe that It is the best movie and i just started reading the book i am on chapter two
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MethRattle writes:
"It" is also referenced again in "Tommyknockers", when a supporting character is driving through the town of Derry in a feverish haze caused by the alien- metamorphosis process, and sees a silver-eyed clown grinning at him from a sewer drain - he writes it off as a hallucination caused by his fever.
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Steve Dubay (one of the gang of 3 who kills the gay guy at the start) is sent to Shawshank in It. In Rita haywroth and the Shawshank Redemption (the novella made into a film in Different Seasons), Dubay is mentioned (which is kinda stoopid since Shawshank was set WAY before It). Natch.
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Hitokiri writes:
Several more animals which are eagle, snake, and a few others. It is in the poem which Roland during his journey reads in each place (in wasteland its a bear but an electronic bear, he read the warning before he encountered it.)
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donnaD writes:
If you read the Dark Tower books I think you will see why King has so many references to the other books. He seems to feel that all things are intertwined which really comes out in the Dark Tower series but is evident in his other writings as well as people and places cross paths in different dimensions. A bad guy in one book maybe a little different in another when briefly seen in that dimension. It's ka
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Dark Heart writes:
king makes references to his other works in nearly EVERYTHING he does. In pet cemetery i think he says something about rabid raccoons, then talks about a dog that went rabid and killed a couple people (Cujo). In Apt Pupil there is a huge reference to Andy Dufresne from Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption. As for the towns of Derry, Castle Rock, Jerusalem's Lot, and others, they are small Maine towns mentioned in nearly every king story. "Nona" ends in Castle Rock. The question "Do you love?" is used in a number of his short stories (i.e. "The Reach", "Nona", and others. Every experienced King reader spots these, but sometimes you have to point them out for the newer readers.
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opium_enema writes:
hows about "the dark man" in the stand is also the guy that roland is chasing in the first dark tower book?? also how the world that roland livees in is closly parrelaed to pur world...trasveling west over mountains to a beach and sea.... l 8 r
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spud writes:
In Tommy-knockers a government organization called "The Shop" (possibly another name for the CIA) are called in to investigate the spacecraft and strange going ons with the towns people. This is the same organization which were chasing the father and daughter in Firestarter. If memory serves me correct "The Shop" are also mentioned in other King novels.
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wesISgod writes:
All of King's books have references to at least one other book. Like in Desperation the woman (i forget her name) talks about how she will never be able to read a Paul Shelton (Misery) book again. Castlerock has its own little "series" with it, dubbed the castlerock books, they all relate to the "primitive evil" that inhibits the town. For example, in the dead zone it was the police chief, in Cujo it was the dog (inhibited by the soul of the police chief), in Needful Things its the shop owner who in my opinion symbolizes the devil. In all the castlerock books there will be common characters like Alan Pangburn, Poly Chambers, and the Reverend Steamboat Willy. Even in King's Novellas there are references, look at the shawshank redemption, its filled with them
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Katie_Elaine writes:
I think you might be right, opium. I think that in the Dark Tower series they are traveling in the same "world" as The Stand took place in, it's pretty obvious connections.
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dave writes:
re: The Dark Tower series, is this related in any way to the dark tower that is the central to the Riverworld books by Philip Jose Farmer?
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david writes:
i think the dark tower series will be really pivotal in the s.k. "universe".he has a story filled with people who can and have travelled between some of the different worlds he has created.for even more tie-ins,check out his newest, dreamcatcher, which is about a bunch of boys who grew up in derry where it took place.
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VladsTyger writes:
There is also a connection between Stephen King and The X Files. In the movie "It" William B. Davis (aka Smoking Man) is the principal who yells at Henry Bowers in the cafeteria. Stephen King once wrote an episode of the XFiles.
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spider-1 writes:
Peter Straub is NOT Stephen King's alias, he is a separate person, King has no reason for an alias after Bachman.
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Kingshows writes:
The book by Mr. King "Different Seasons" was four short stories all set in a different season. All but one of the stories was made into a movie. That story set in winter called "The Breathing Method" was the only one not made into a movie. The Movies that were made were called (spring)"Apt pupil", (fall)"The Shawshank Redemption" and (summer)"Stand by Me".
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pennylane writes:
Hi, Night Shift is also mentioned in it. You have to drive through Gatlin, home of the Children of the Corn, to get to Ben's house. It's in his chapter in the "Six Phone calls" section.
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smileygurrl writes:
Hate to tell you, but "The Stand" didn't take place on a "world" It took place on Earth, and the lack of people was the result of the outbreak of a deadly plague. In the Dark Tower series the world has moved on, perhaps as the result of a similar such catastrophe, but the two things are mutually exclusive.
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Patches0811 writes:
j37: perhaps King did not refer to any other novels in "salems lot" because it was his FIRST published?
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Eddie also mentions that he has aunts in Haven, where Tommyknockers takes place.
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Funny you should mention "The Shop," spud. In the movie The Lawnmower Man, there is a government agency called "The Shop." And if you know your King works, then you'll remember he wrote a story entitled "The Lawnmower Man" which can be found in the book Night Shift. However, the story is nothing like the movie... A somewhat interesting connection.
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Trotsky writes:
'IT' is also referanced to in 'Dreamcatcher'; near the middle of the book, when Mr. Gray is trying to find Derry's water supply, he sees graffitti proclaiming 'Pennywise Lives!'; also, a bit further on, Jonsey tells Mr. Gray about the storm that washed out Derry and how many years ago around a half-dozen children were killed by a psycho masquerading as a clown.
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Wildcatt writes:
Ok we all agree that MOST books make reference to other King novels and novellas and short stories and movies. I DO want to point out to whomever claimed "Salems Lot" was his first published, you are wrong. Carrie was first, Salems Lot was second. =)
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roxie writes:
Also, in Thinner (i think it was) he makes reference to himself saying something like 'It's not like we're in a bloody Stephen King novel!' or something similar. Not that it's hard to find, I just like that line
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Jodi writes:
Okay, this is really creepy, but when I was in sixth grade, there was a boy named Michael Hanlon in my class, and me and my friend totally disliked this boy. We disliked him to the point to whenever we saw him, we would tease him and call him "it." Well, I have started to read the book "IT" and there is a character in it name Michael Hanlon, coincidence? I hope so.
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porcupine writes:
You should all go read "The Stephen King Universe" by Stanley Wiater, Christopher Golden, and Hank Wagner. It traces the interconnected worlds of all his novels, including the Bachman books. It was published in 2001, so it's pretty up-to-date.
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SaveInsanity writes:
Stand By Me/ The Body was based on Kings childhood. I wonder which one was supposed to be him?
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