5 Easter eggs in the new Castle Rock Super Bowl trailer

The second teaser trailer for the upcoming Hulu series Castle Rock will hit during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

However, it has already hit online, and there are a ton of great Easter eggs in the trailer for fans of the Stephen King universe. Of course, Castle Rock is the name of the fictional town, which along with Derry was the home to some of the most horrific events from the King novels.

That is what makes Castle Rock so intriguing. The show is not based on any of King’s novels, but the JJ Abrams-produced series already looks like it will remain full of fun call-backs, and even some characters that are returning to this story.

With the Castle Rock Super Bowl trailer hitting television on Sunday, check out the video below and come back as we delve into some Easter eggs that the trailer contains.

Shawshank Redemption

The one big Easter egg from the Stephen King world that jumped out at his fans immediately was the fact that the prison in the film is Shawshank Penitentiary. Of course, this is from the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption from Different Seasons. It also was adapted as the fantastic movie Shawshank Redemption, which remains possibly the most celebrated adaptation from King’s works.

The trailer shows a newspaper headline about a suicide of the warden at Shawshank. There is also the main plot of season one, where an attorney named Henry Deaver is called back to Castle Rock for a case from a mysterious prisoner in Shawshank. A lot of the first two trailers show that Shawshank plays a significant role in the Hulu series.

Alan Pangborn

Fans of Stephen King’s work from the ’80s know precisely who Alan Pangborn is. He is the second sheriff of Castle Rock, following George Bannerman, who was in Dead Zone and Cujo. Of course, Cujo killed Bannerman, so the next Castle Rock story needed a new sheriff. In stepped Pangborn.

There have been two actors who played Alan Pangborn before this. In the 1993 movie Dark Half, Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) played the sheriff as he had to help face down George Stark. In Needful Things, the adaptation of the book that destroyed Castle Rock, Ed Harris played the character.

Alan Pangborn lived in the Stephen King universe, although he got the heck out of Castle Rock and moved to New Hampshire. While the timeframe of this movie is up for debate, it is the incomparable Scott Glenn (Daredevil) who plays Pangborn.

The Sewers

This is not so much a Castle Rock Easter egg as it is a Stephen King Easter egg. There is a clear shot in the movie of a ladder down into the sewers, and that brings to mind one thing – It. With the movie adaptation of It coming out in 2017, it is fresh in the minds of fans, and this has to stand out for many of them.

Plus, don’t discount the missing child paper pulled out of a box. Could this belong to someone from Derry who lost a child to Pennywise?

Of course, it also isn’t that big of a difference when talking about Castle Rock and Derry. In King’s fictional world, Derry, Castle Rock, Chamberlain (Carrie), Haven and Jerusalem’s Lot are all in close proximity to each other.

The Dog

Much like the sewers, the dog is another massive sign to fans of Stephen King, although there is also a big difference. As mentioned earlier, former sheriff George Bannerman died at the jaws of Cujo. Of course, Cujo was a Saint Bernard while the dog in the trailer was a Rottweiler.

Cujo was the second novel taking place in Castle Rock after The Dead Zone. The other two books taking place in the town were The Dark Half and Needful Things. Short stories taking place in Castle Rock include The Body, Uncle Otto’s Truck, Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut, The Sun Dog, It Grows on You, and Premium Harmony. There was also a novel released in 2017 co-written by Richard Chizmar called Gwendy’s Button Box that took place in Castle Rock.

The Cast

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The cast of Castle Rock also plays a huge part in luring in Stephen King movie fans. Of course, the most prominent name in the cast for King fans is Sissy Spacek, who played Carrie White in Carrie, the first movie ever based on King’s work.

There is also a shot in the show of Melanie Lynskey driving a car. Lynskey starred in the Stephen King TV miniseries Rose Red back in 2002.

Of course, the most recent addition is Bill Skarsgard, who is the prisoner who called for help. Some fans might not recognize him without the makeup, but Skarsgard portrayed Pennywise in the new movie version of It.

There are also some nice Easter eggs in the cast for other reasons. Jane Levy starred in the remake of Evil Dead, based on a movie that Stephen King called a personal favorite when it was released way back in 1981. Terro O’Quinn, who is seen in one quick shot in the Castle Rock Super Bowl trailer, starred in Lost, which was another JJ Abrams creation.

Next: Ranking Every Stephen King TV Adaptation From Worst to First

Castle Rock comes out this summer on Hulu.

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