If you haven't heard yet, don't have Hulu, or aren't a die-hard Stephen King fan, his newest show "Castle Rock" released the first three episodes on July 25, and will have new episodes every Wednesday on Hulu. While I'm not an enormous fan of Stephen King's works, there are some that I do like. Meanwhile, my mother is obsessed and knows anything there is to know about the Stephen King universe. It's quite impressive honestly. With that being said, here are 9 reasons to catch up and watch Stephen King and J.J. Abram's Castle Rock:
1. You don’t have to read/watch King’s other works to understand the show.
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I've only seen a few of King's movies, such as Carrie, IT, Misery, and Pet Sematary, but you don't really need that much of a background knowledge to watch Castle Rock. While there are a lot of easter eggs and nods to King's other works (as my mother points out every time), the show explains itself well to where you aren't particularly lost. It does help to know that the setting of the show, Castle Rock, Maine, is the setting for many other stories.
2. It gives you major American Horror Story and Black Mirror type vibes.
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I've only seen a few of King's movies, such as Carrie, IT, Misery, and Pet Sematary, but you don't really need that much of a background knowledge to watch Castle Rock. While there are a lot of easter eggs and nods to King's other works (as my mother points out every time), the show explains itself well to where you aren't particularly lost. It does help to know that the setting of the show, Castle Rock, Maine, is the setting for many other stories.
3. You’ll have so many theories of what’s happening, your head will spin.
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Everything I thought was going to happen in the show didn't end up happening. Without spoiling anything, your crushed hopes of theories working out will make you love and hate the show at the same time.
4. Not all of the characters are ‘evil’ or have ulterior motives.
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The show does indeed have a creepy and "evil" vibe to it, but it doesn't mean all of the characters are bad. Yeah, Henry Deaver is shady as hell sometimes, but he goes out of his way to fly from Texas to his hometown in Maine just to defend an unnamed prisoner that specifically asked for him. Then the guard, Dennis Zalewski, is more of a good cop that helps Henry Deaver.
5. There are some familiar faces in the show.
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It helps to see some familiar actors in the show, that way you're kept intrigued in their character development. For example, actors André Holland and Frances Conroy both play in seasons of American Horror Story. Then, Terry O'Quinn played John Locke in the series Lost. Their characters are so interesting and how they interact with new faces keeps the interest of viewers.
6. Each episode will leave you wanting to know more.
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The third episode left off in a bit of a cliffhanger (of course) but I'm anxiously awaiting the next episodes and see how the story plays out. It's kind of like Riverdale in the sense where you're so excited to see the story unfold and what happens to each character, especially this early in the show.
7. Part of the show is shot in my home state of West Virginia.
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This may not seem cool or important to non-West Virginians, but the scenes in the Shawshank State Prison were shot in the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville. The place is retired from prison use since 1995, but is still used as a tourist attraction and training for law and corrections enforcement. It is also known as one of the most violent correctional facilities by the US Department of Justice. This place carried the perfect ambiance for King's Shawshank Prison.
8. The show addresses contemporary societal issues in an underlying way.
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It's no secret that the town of Castle Rock is very stereotypical and uninformed. With that being said, Henry Deaver's background of being black and adopted by the town pastor (who is white) gives an insight of his struggles in this community. Even coming back as an adult, people in the town ultimately treat him differently despite his career and persona.
9. Some scenes will have you on the edge of your seat, literally.
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I won't specify again for the sake of spoilers, but my mom and I were literally about to fall off the couch and spill our popcorn over some of the scenes in just the first three episodes. With that kind of content, it's definitely worth the watch
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