Spolers: Needful Things Connections to Other Works

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Treppy

Well-Known Member
Feb 27, 2018
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Gatineau, Quebec
Needful Things


Story is set in Castle Rock, same as; The Dead Zone, Cujo, The Body, Uncle Otto’s Truck, Mrs Todd’s Shortcut, The Dark Half and The Sun Dog, up to this novel.


Mention of Pop Merrill and his weird death (The Sun Dog).


Mention of serial killer Frank Dodd (The Dead Zone)


Mention of a dog killing Joe Cambers (Cujo) and George Bannerman(Cujo and The Dead Zone).


Featuring Alan Pangborn (The Dark Half).


Talk about Ace Merrill terrorizing the kids when he was in school (The Body) and having spent time in Shawshank Prison (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption).


Alan blames himself and his obsession with the happenings of The Dark Half for the loss of his wife and son. Also mentioned that Tad Beaumont has turned to drinking and his wife took the twins and left him.


Nettie Cobb spent some time in Juniper Hill asylum(same as Henry Bowers of It) due to a mental breakdown after spending a lifetime of physical abuse and killing her husband.


This one might be a stretch but Alan Pangborn is talking about the anti gambling pins people are wearing around town and draws a comparison to happy face pins (such as the one Randall Flagg wears in The Stand).


The return of Ace Merrill, the famous bully from The Body.


Polly heads to the Camber residence and we have a Cujo sequence. Dog is heard growling (Is it Cujo’s ghost???) and the events are remembered.


Ace recalls losing against Gordon Lachance and his friends when he was young. (The Body)


Alan Pangborn is able to produce light in the end and we witness the coming of the white. The white is the force of good that is led by Gan. This is definitely a Dark Tower connection.


Looks like Leland Gaunt has moved off to Junction city and moved into Adam Peebles old office (The Library Policeman)
 

csanburn

New Member
Jan 30, 2020
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Good list, I haven't read all the other books yet but I'm working on it.
One thing that I noticed was that the last letter of each name for Randall Flagg is the first letter for Leland Gaunt.