Stephen King is undeniably the master of horror. He has the uncanny ability to bring all of our worst fears to life and we love him for it.
After years of struggling to get published, King released his first book, Carrie, in 1974. Since then, the prolific author has produced 61 novels and dozens of his works have been made into movies and TV series. His books have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide. Folks seem to love nothing better than curling up with one of his creepy stories!
Today we're looking at movie conspiracy theories once again but this time we're doing a deep dive into the works of The King. While it is clear that many of his stories share similarities and could even take place in the same universe, today we are focusing on a few of the more obscure theories from around the internet. Enjoy!
15 Stanley Kubrick Used The Shining To Secretly Confess To Helping Fake The Moon Landing
Long before Stanley Kubrick made The Shining, there was a rumor circulating that NASA had faked the historical moon landing and that Kubrick had helped them do so. Now, some fans have taken this theory one step further - claiming that there is evidence that the film itself was Kubrick's confession of his involvement.
14 Dick Hallorann Is The Connection Between It And The Shining
It's a tiny little detail, but one that effectively ties together the events in The Shining and those in It. Dick Hallorann, the caretaker at The Overlook Hotel, who discovers Danny's gift, was also mentioned in It. Mike Hanlon, one of the Losers Club kids, says that his father once served in the army with a man named Dick Hallorann.
13 Ritchie Had A Special Connection To Pennywise
Some fans have theorized that Richie Tozier might have a special connection to Pennywise, because unlike the other members of the Losers Club, It waits for him to enter the sewers before it attacks him for the first time. Reddit users think this might be because Pennywise draws so much power from Richie's fear of clowns.
12 Andy Dufresne From The Shawshank Redemption Is Connected To A Character In Apt Pupil
In the film Apt Pupil, Denker, the lead character, explains that a man named Dufresne once helped him buy stocks under a false name, and later ended up going to prison for killing his wife. Could this just be a coincidence or was he referring to Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption?
11 Jack Torrance From The Shining Went Mad Writing Apt Pupil
In the movie version of The Shining, we never find out exactly what Jack was writing (or at least trying to write!). But in the book, King reveals that Jack is writing about his experiences as a high school teacher and his dealings with a cruel headmaster. This is also the plotline for Apt Pupil.
10 The Overlook Hotel Was A CIA Mind Control Experiment
Could the CIA be the reason that things are so decidedly weird at The Overlook Hotel? Some fans seem to think so and have speculated that Jack and his family may have been unwilling participants in a mind control program. There's not much evidence to back this up, but it's a fun fan theory nevertheless.
9 The Stand's Randall Flagg Was The Evil Force In Children Of The Corn
Was He Who Walks Behind The Rows from Children of The Corn and Randall Flagg from The Stand the same entity? Maybe. Flagg did have a special affinity for corn in The Stand and he's just the type of character who would take pleasure in corrupting young minds. Anything is possible in the King Universe!
8 The Events Of Stranger Things Happen In The Stephen King Universe
The creators of Stranger Things have said that they used Stephen King's works as inspiration, so this might explain why some fans are convinced that the two worlds are connected. But while one of the characters does talk about a clown that sounds very much like Pennywise, there's no real proof for this fan theory.
7 Frozen Was A Re-Telling Of The Shining
In 2014, writer Mary Katharine Ham put forth her theory: that Frozen was Disney's retelling of The Shining. She points to similarities between Jack and Elsa; both are isolated and a danger to their loved ones. Anna and Danny were also the same character according to Ham, both innocent and struggling with supernatural powers.
6 Pennywise The Clown And The Overlook Hotel Are The Same Evil Entity
Could the same evil entity that took over Jack Torrance at The Overlook Hotel also be Pennywise the Clown? Maybe. We know Pennywise is an interdimensional being that takes on the form of its victim's deepest fears and that The Overlook also terrified those isolated inside, so they could be connected.
