This Week’s ‘NOS4A2’ Was Full of Horror Easter Eggs

There was a lot going on this week on AMC’s NOS4A2, as the battle between Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) and Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) heated up. So instead, let’s talk about one scene that was chock full of some amazing horror easter eggs.

Spoilers for NOS4A2 “Parnassus” past this point.

In the scene, Manx travels to a bar called Parnassus for some advice. Though it initially seems like this bar is real, it becomes clear that this is actually most likely the Inscape — short for inner landscape, a dimension created in the mind — of Abe (Reg Rogers), a steampunk-esque dude who runs the bar. Parnassus is a gathering place for some of the darker elements of the world, creatures/people who use their Inscapes for bad, instead of good (like Vic).

…and though it’s pretty clear that Manx is the baddest of the bad, as his mere presence makes everyone else clear out immediately, the venue is packed full of horror icons. Most of which I, uh, could not identify. To be honest. I tried! I’m sorry! That said, here’s who I did notice:

Pennywise: This is the most obvious one, a clown with a red balloon prominently featured at the bar. That’s Pennywise, from Stephen King’s “IT” and the recent hit movies. And in fact, this isn’t the first time the show has referenced one of NOS4A2 writer Joe Hill’s father’s most famous creations. Back in the first episode, Pennywise’s Circus was referenced on Charlie Manx’s map of Inscapes, roughly around where Derry is in King’s book. And if the idea of Pennywise and Manx exchanging tips doesn’t send a shiver up your spine, I don’t know what would. That isn’t the only King character in the bar, though…

Lloyd: Who else would be tending bar other than the Overlook Hotel’s creepy bartender, Lloyd? Played by Joe Turkel in Stanley Kubrick’s classic movie The Shining, the Lloyd here is sporting the same suit as his cinematic counterpart — though he does look a little younger. And it makes sense to incorporate Overlook into the Inscape universe, as most of that seems to be happening at least partially in Jack Torrance’s mind, as well.

Freddy Krueger: Hey, if you’re going to have a bar full of child-murderers who can enter dreamscapes, why wouldn’t you invite the star of the Nightmare on Elm Street series? This is a decidedly pre-burning Krueger, but he is sporting the iconic sweater, and holding a teddy bear; though he doesn’t have his claw gloves on, so grain of salt there. Krueger is neither from Hill or King’s work, but it’s a natural fit nonetheless.

The final few, I had a little trouble identifying. There’s a character identified as “Steampunk” in the credits, played by New York actress Sarah Boatright. That seems to be the green-haired woman spotted as Manx is entering, wearing a leather outfit and sporting big hoop rings in her ears. She’s opposite a man in a black suit who looks to only have one arm, who I initially thought might be The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) from the Phantasm movies, which also deal with nightmare type scenarios, but the man here is too young, and The Tall Man has both his arms.

Also going by quickly, a shadowy woman drinking with Krueger wearing a cable-knit sweater and blonde hair, who could be Carrie’s Mom Margaret (Piper Laurie), though that doesn’t exactly track with the whole Inscape thing? There’s also a man who seems to have a gun or something else sticking out of his back, and a woman with a gold mask who gets up before Pennywise. It’s clear that they’re either literary or filmic references, and most likely have access to dreamscapes like the other characters. But I’m drawing a blank, sorry folks.

Regardless, it’s a neat sequence, and one that again opens up a world of possibilities for the show. Where the book was very focused on a few Strong Creatives, the series is adding details that could keep the show going far beyond the initial conflict between Vic and Charlie. At the very least, we need to see much more of Parnassus (though drink there at your own peril).

NOS4A2 airs Sundays at 10/9c on AMC

Where to stream NOS4A2