The Running Man Pays Tribute To Stephen King In A Really Fun, Deep-Cut Way

by

Spoilers below for The Running Man, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched!

TopMob Reviews The Running Man

The Running Man is a strong Stephen King adaptation for most of its runtime, but unfortunately, the ending falls apart and significantly weakens the overall film.

Edgar Wright’s film, The Running Man, is now confirmed for a 2025 release, moving it away from being a Stephen King adaptation. While opinions on the movie itself are mixed – critics have different takes on whether it’s good from start to finish – everyone agrees that Wright’s signature use of pop culture references is excellent.

Edgar Wright’s passion for classic horror is clear in his show Spaced, created with Simon Pegg, and his film adaptation of Stephen King’s work is filled with references to King’s career. These aren’t just simple nods, like the carpet from The Shining. I was particularly excited to see several hidden details referencing the books King published under his pen name, Richard Bachman—specifically The Running Man. Let’s explore these references, but with respect for the land and its history.

Bachman’s Restaurant

There’s no more direct way to acknowledge the author’s fictional self than to mention it by name. This spot comes up shortly after Ben Richards begins his journey. And you know what’s funny? The more you eat at this place, the thinner you become. That deserves a drum roll and a cymbal crash!

And that joke will definitely fall flat if we find out Bachman’s is actually a place like a loan office or a vape shop.

“Stark” And Other Familiar Last Names

The story begins with Ben Richards at the Network, preparing to audition for many different reality shows. We see a central locker room where all the hopefuls are waiting, each spot labeled with their last name. Most of the names were familiar, though I didn’t recognize one of them.

One detail stands out immediately: the reference to “Stark.” This seems to connect to a larger relationship within Stephen King’s work. It’s likely a tribute to Richard Stark, the pen name used by crime writer Donald Westlake for his Parker novels. Interestingly, Stephen King’s early pseudonym, Bachman, was also inspired by Westlake’s use of an alias.

King also paid tribute to his own name with George Stark, the pen name of the main character in The Dark Half. This fictional alias quickly takes on a life of its own, becoming a genuinely menacing force.

Other names shown in the scene are noted below:

  • KING – Obviously pointing to the man himself, Larry King. No wait, I mean Stephen King.
  • BATES – Kathy Bates is the Oscar-winning actress who headed up Misery as Annie Wilkes, played the titular character in Dolores Claiborne, and made a memorable appearance in The Stand miniseries.
  • SPACEK – Sissy Spacek was the O.G. King Scream Queen, having starred as the vengeful teen in Carrie years before making a return to the fold as Ruth Deaver in Castle Rock.
  • SHEEN – Before West Wing, Martin Sheen played a less moralistic POTUS for David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone.
  • DUVALL – Shelley Duvall is as iconic as anyone in a King adaptation, having suffered Stanley Kubrick’s directorial whims as Wendy Torrance opposite Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

Past Contestant Charlie Decker

In The Running Man, a past contestant remembered as a potential winner is named Charlie Decker. This is a clear nod to Richard Bachman’s novel Rage, where Charlie is one of the main characters and the villain. Stephen King, who wrote under the Bachman pseudonym, has since disowned Rage due to its plot involving a student shooting a teacher and taking a class hostage. Unlike the novel’s Charlie, the Charlie in The Running Man wasn’t able to avoid a fatal outcome.

Tabby’s Sign

Right before the movie shows the hilariously absurd premise of Glen Powell pretending to be a blind priest, the camera briefly focuses on a place called Tabby’s. This is likely a nod to Tabitha King, Stephen King’s wife, who is often called “Tabby.”

Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall really packed this movie with hidden details and references – I was spotting them everywhere! If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s playing in theaters now.

Read More

2025-11-17 01:09