Stephen King
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Stephen King is a hugely popular and critically acclaimed American author whose name is synonymous with horror and dark fantasy. He has written over 60 novels and 200 short stories, many of which have been adapted into movies and TV series. The influence of his works permeates Supernatural - from inspiration for monsters to visual references and quotes from Dean.
Contents
Carrie
1.02 Wendigo
In Sam's nightmare, the visual of the hand coming up out of Jessica's grave and snatching his wrist calls to mind the end of the 1976 movie [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_(1976_film) Carrie, based on the novel by Stephen King.
The Shining
1.09 Home
Dean: All right, just slow down, would ya? I mean, first you tell me that you’ve got the Shining? And then you tell me that I’ve gotta go back home? Especially when...
Character's in the novel The Shining, refer to their psychic "gift" as The Shining, hence the title.
The cymbal-banging toy monkey seen in the nursery could be an homage to the toy evil monkey in the Stephen King short story The Monkey.
Dean hacking away at the front door with an axe and then peering inside the hole is reminiscent of the famous Jack Nicholson's scene from the 1980 Stanley Kubrick movie The Shining, albeit without famous catchphrase.
3.16 No Rest for the Wicked
Dean: What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes poof?
A reference to the character Carrie from the Stephen King novel of the same name.
2.07 The Usual Suspects
Dean: Well, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
When he and Sam were looking at a printout page of danashulps written over and over, a reference to the famous phrase Jack Nicholson's character typed for hundreds of pages in The Shining.
Dean: Tony Giles saw it. I'll bet you cash money Karen did too. But see, the interesting thing is the word it leaves behind. For some reason it's trying to tell us something. But communicating across the vale, it ain't easy. You know, sometimes the spirits, they, they get things jumbled. You remember "REDRUM." Same concept. You know, it's, uh, maybe word fragments... other times, it's anagrams. See, at first we thought this was a name, Dana Shulps. But now we think it's a street. Ashland. Whatever's going on, I'll bet you it started there.
Dean ponders whether danashulps is an anagram, as Redrum was for murder in The Shining.
3.01 The Magnificent Seven
Pride: Here’s Johnny!
Famous Jack Nicholson quote from The Shining, which is a mocking interpretation of the introduction of late night show host Johnny Carson.
6.11 Appointment in Samarra
'Bobby: Don't say, 'Here's Johnny.
Bobby is referring to the iconic moment in the Kubrick movie The Shining, when Jack Nicholson's character chops into a door with an axe, looks through the hole he's made, and calls out "Here's Johnny!" a play on late night show host Johnny Carson's catchphrase.
IT
2.02 Everybody Loves a Clown
The Rakshasa is similar to the creature in Stephen King's novel It, a monster that also hibernates for a stretch of time and appears as a clown.
7.14 Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie
The name "Pennywhistle" may be a parody of Pennywise, the evil fanged clown in Stephen King's novel (and subsequent movie) It.
Pet Semetary
2.04 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things
Dean: What you brought back isn't even your daughter anymore. These things are vicious, they're violent, they're so nasty they rot the ground around them. I mean, come on, haven't you seen "Pet Sematary"?
A reference to the Stephen King novel Pet Sematary in which a grieving father buries his young son's body in an ancient Indian burial ground and it comes back as a zombie.
Cujo
2.17 Heart
Dean: I'd say Kurt's looking more and more like our Cujo.
Cujo is a Stephen King book about a rabid St. Bernard named Cujo that kills people.
5.06 I Believe the Children Are Our Future
The babysitter Amber is watching the 1983 horror film Cujo.
7.04 Defending Your Life
Dean: So what, he causes so much misery that some dog goes Cujo on him from beyond the grave?
12.15 Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Dean: All right, Crowley and I are gonna hit the woods, see if we can't track down Cujo. You stick with Sam. He'll keep you safe.
2.17 Heart
Dean: I’d say Kurt’s looking more and more like our Cujo.
7.04 Defending Your Life
Dean: So what, he causes so much misery that some dog goes Cujo on him from beyond the grave?
Bob Singer, who directed this episode, was a producer on the movie Cujo.
The Dead Zone
3.02 The Kids Are Alright
Ruby: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right. Ding-dong, the demon's dead. Good job with that. It doesn't change the fact that you're special ... in that Anthony Michael Hall E.S.P. visions kind of way.
Anthony Michael Hall played Johnny Smith in The Dead Zone, a man who became psychic after being in a coma for six years and uses his new abilities to solve crimes. The show is based on a novel by the same name by Stephen King.
Misery
4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book
Chuck: Is this some kind of Misery thing? Ah, it is, isn't it? It's a "Misery" thing!
In the Stephen King novel Misery, writer Paul Sheldon is held captive, tortured and forced to write for his 'number one fan' Annie Wilkes.
7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!
The scene where Becky has Sam held captive and tied to the bed is a reference to the novel Misery by Stephen King about a woman who kidnaps and tortures a novelist of whom she says she's "his number one fan"
Christine
5.05 Fallen Idols
Sam: Is this like Christine?
Christine is a novel about a possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury.
6.14 Mannequin 3: The Reckoning
Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the episode, the scene where the Impala is possessed and attacks Dean, parallels the plot of the Stephen King novel and movie Christine, about a supernaturally possessed car which attacks people. The car in that story was a 1958 Plymouth Fury.
7.04 Defending Your Life
Sam: It could be Christine-like.
The Shawshank Redemption
6.10 Caged Heat
Dean: Alright, alright. Shawshank’s a great flick, but let’s skip the shower scene, huh?
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American prison drama film adapted from the Stephen King novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption."
Creepshow
2.18 Hollywood Babylon
Dean: Hey, you know this is where they filmed "Creepshow"?
Creepshow is a 1982 comedy horror anthology film written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero.
Maximum Overdrive
8.17 Goodbye Stranger
Dean: So, chupacabra. What do we got? Power tools gone rogue? Wait -- are we talking a-a Maximum Overdrive situation here?
Maximum Overdrive is a 1986 horror movie written and directed by Stephen King in which machines become animate and try to kill people.
Other
According to writer Robbie Thompson, Charlie's aliases are made up of the name of a Stephen King character for her first name and the surname of a famous science fiction writer.
- Charlene "Charlie" Bradbury = Charlene McGee is the pyrokinetic girl in Firestarter. The surname Bradbury is a reference to acclaimed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury.
- Carrie Heinlein = Carrie is the eponymous protagonist of Carrie and Heinlein refers to writer Robert A. Heinlein.
In 8.20 Pac-Man Fever we see passports with other aliases including Christine Le Guin (from the car in the novel Christine, and writer Ursula Le Guin - U.S. passport), Annie Tolkien (Annie Wilkes from Misery and JRR Tolkien from The Hobbit / Lord of the Rings - British passport), and Susan Asimov (Susan from Salem's Lot, and author Issac Asimov).
Trivia
- The film adaptation of Cujo was produced by Supernatural executive producer / showrunner Robert Singer.
