‘Carrie’: 10 Hidden References to Stephen King’s Universe, ‘Evil Dead’ & More
Stephen King has never been shy about connecting his stories, and Mike Flanagan‘s new adaptation of Carrie takes full advantage of the author’s sprawling literary universe, slipping in references that go well beyond the original 1974 novel.
The eight-episode Prime Video series follows Carrie White (Summer H. Howell), a bullied teenager whose growing telekinetic powers put her on a collision course with her classmates and her smothering mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). While the story builds toward the infamous prom-night disaster, there are plenty of smaller details hidden throughout the series that longtime King readers, horror aficionados, and Flanagan fans will appreciate.
Some are direct callbacks to Brian De Palma‘s iconic 1976 film, while others hint at connections to The Dark Tower, The Shining, and the larger supernatural world King has spent decades creating. There are even a few unexpected nods to pop culture classics outside King’s universe, along with subtle references to the original novel.
Here are some of the Easter eggs, hidden connections, and literary references you may have missed in Carrie. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Carrie Episodes 1 – 8.
Carrie, Now Streaming, Prime Video
Margaret works at S-Mart from the Evil Dead universe
Margaret White works at S-Mart, the same fictional retail chain where Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) works in Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead universe. The store is prominently featured in the 1992 film Army of Darkness, which ends with Ash battling a supernatural creature in the aisles. Fans of the franchise will recognize its famous slogan, “Shop smart. Shop S-Mart.”
The movie theater marquee pays tribute to the original Carrie director
As Carrie makes her way through the devastated town in the finale, a movie theater marquee advertises a Brian De Palma retrospective. It’s a fitting tribute to the filmmaker who directed the original 1976 Carrie, starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie White and Piper Laurie as her fanatically religious mother, Margaret.
LaMerk Industries ties to The Dark Tower
In the very first episode, Carrie’s father (Tahmoh Penikett) works at a construction site. A background sign reveals the project belongs to LaMerk Industries, a metalworks company allied with the Crimson King in The Dark Tower series.
An unofficial Battlestar Galactica reunion
Mike Flanagan’s Carrie features an unofficial reunion of six actors from Battlestar Galactica. Flanagan is a self-described massive Battlestar Galactica fan and has steadily cast alumni from the series across his previous projects, such as Oculus and The Fall of the House of Usher. The reunion peaks in Episode 7 during a tense town hall meeting at Ewen High School about whether to cancel the senior prom.
Billy has a Dark Tower tattoo
In Stephen King’s The Dark Tower universe, the Eye of the Crimson King is a sinister red-eye symbol associated with the Crimson King, a powerful supernatural villain who seeks to destroy the Dark Tower and unravel reality itself. In Episode 6, “Home Economics,” Billy (Arthur Conti) sports a tattoo of the ominous symbol.
The Sombra Hog pig farm
In Stephen King’s lore, The Dark Tower’s Sombra Corporation serves the Crimson King and actively hunts down powerful psychics to use as “Breakers” to help destroy the Dark Tower. The name may also be a sly reference on Stephen King’s part to H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow over Innsmouth.
Margaret's powers are a bit of a callback to the original novel
One of the finale’s biggest twists reveals that Margaret White also possesses telekinetic abilities, which she uses to survive the collapse of her house. While the 1976 film portrayed Carrie as an anomaly, King’s novel establishes a family history of supernatural abilities, including Carrie’s grandmother. Also, the use of the word “flexed” echoes the novel’s description of Carrie’s powers.
A reference to The Shining and Doctor Sleep
In the finale, the mysterious interviewer tells Margaret that some people have “a little bit of shines and they don’t even know it.” It’s a reference to Stephen King’s The Shining and Doctor Sleep, in which Danny Torrance possesses psychic abilities known as the shining. The line suggests Carrie’s telekinesis may be connected to the same supernatural phenomenon found throughout King’s stories.
The number 19
In the series, Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) and Tommy Ross (Joel Oulette) are linked to the number 19, a recurring mystical number with great significance throughout Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. Both characters sport the number 19 on their athletic jerseys and gear.
Margaret's death recreates a scene from the book
In the finale, the mysterious interviewer (Kate Siegel) kills Margaret using the same method Carrie uses to kill her mother in King’s original novel: stopping her heart through telekinesis. The scene even echoes the book’s dialogue, bringing Margaret’s original literary fate full circle while giving it a disturbing new twist.
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