'Castle Rock' Trailer Drops Ahead of Super Bowl, Uniting a Couple of Stephen King Tropes

Something terrible is happening. Days before the Super Bowl, Hulu just dropped its trailer for “Castle Rock,” a series set in the Stephen King universe, produced by the author himself and “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” genius J.J. Abrams. Though the trailer lasts for only 40 seconds, there’s a lot of King tropes to see. From Sissy Spacek’s return—though not as Carrie, it’s a little bit closer to that—to Cujo, the blood-thirsty killer Dog, “Castle Rock” is a melting pot of King’s beloved stories.
In King’s novels, “Castle Rock” is a fictional part of Maine, where most of his stories are set. The town was first mentioned in King’s 1979 novel, “The Dead Zone.” Th trailer opens with André Holland as attorney Henry Deaver, who gets a call about a suicide in the infamous Shawshank Prison—which is, you guessed it, the setting for “The Shawshank Redemption.” We also get a glimpse of “IT’s” Bill Skarsgård as a prisoner in Shawshank, a couple of killers a la “The Purge,” and an overbearing feel of dread.
One couldn’t ignore, however, “Castle Rock’s” abundance of Stephen King tropes—from Sissy Spacek’s wide-eyed acting to children dressed up ready to kill (Children of the Corn, perhaps?), these elements alone, make the Hulu original a must watch.
Brace yourselves.
Something terrible is already happening in “Castle Rock.”
“From Stephen King and Executive Producer J.J. Abrams, Castle Rock is an original suspense/thriller — a first-of-its-kind reimagining that explores the themes and worlds uniting the entire King canon, while brushing up against some of his most iconic and beloved stories. Starring André Holland, Sissy Spacek, Bill Skarsgård, Melanie Lynskey and Scott Glenn, the Castle Rock series premieres this Summer.”