This Stephen King Book Could Be the Key to STRANGER THINGS 5

It’s no secret that Stranger Things is indebted to the works of Stephen King. The horror author’s presence looms large over the Netflix series and has from day one. The show’s title and trademark font borrow stylistically from King’s 1991 novel Needful Things, while references to film adaptations pop up frequently. The fourth season was no exception; the bullying Eleven endures—and her subsequent meltdown at the roller rink—is straight out of Carrie, while Vecna’s blood-filled balloon popping in Max’s subconscious is an allusion to It.But it’s the fourth season finale where the Stephen King references get even more literal. In one of the final scenes, we see Lucas reading a book to a catatonic Max. It’s The Talisman, a 1984 fantasy novel co-written by King and Peter Straub. The excerpt we hear mentions the name Speedy, references a roller coaster, and speaks of a place called the Territories. It’s a perfect bit of texture for the season and might also foretell what we’ll see in the fif...