In The Puppet Show, Xander holds up Sid the Dummy and says, “Redrum, Redrum”. Redrum is from Stephen King’s novel The Shining, and for those not in the know, it’s ‘murder’ spelt backwards. The Shining was made into a movie starring Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance.
In Gone, Buffy says, “All work and no play makes Doris a dull girl”. This is a reference to The Shining in which the main character, Jack Torrance, writes the words “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” when he starts to go crazy from cabin fever.
In Normal Again, Jonathan says, “I’m going all Jack Torrance here, you know?” referring to the main character in The Shining.
In Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?, Angel is staying in room 217 in the hotel. This is the same room number in The Shining in which young Danny Torrance finds a dead woman in the bathtub.
In Billy, the scenes of Wesley chasing Fred through the hotel with an axe are reminiscent of the move version of The Shining, in which Jack Torrence does the same thing.
June 22nd, 2005 at 4:26 am
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is MUCH older than “The Shining.” Stephen King is quoting a very old proverb — he certainly shouldn’t be given credit for writing it himself.
August 21st, 2005 at 5:32 am
I prefer “All work and no play makes Homer go crazy”
August 24th, 2005 at 9:53 pm
The proverb is very old, but covering pages and pages in it (as Buffy does) is a very deliberate reference to The Shining.
November 1st, 2005 at 5:07 pm
In Gone, she writes ‘All work and no play makes Doris a dull girl’
November 1st, 2005 at 6:28 pm
Just wanted to mention that it is “No T.V. and no beer make Homer go crazy.” Anyway, it’s very funny.
November 1st, 2005 at 6:59 pm
It’s actually, “No TV and no beer make Homer something something”
November 2nd, 2005 at 1:25 am
That is my favorite Halloween Simpsons special ever.