"For some, it's the last real taste of innocence, and the first real taste of life."
Stand by Me - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
The story Gordie tells about the pie-eating contest, "The Revenge of Lardass Hogan," contains a line that foreshadows a later event in the film. Gordie describes the sound of the vomiting as being like "a log truck coming at you at a hundred miles per hour.".
This is a subtle piece of foreshadowing, as later in the film, the boys have a tense standoff with a log truck while playing a game of "chicken" on the highway. It's a clever narrative link between Gordie's fictional storytelling and the real-life events of their journey.
The total amount of money the boys pool together for their trip is $2.37.
The number 237 is a recurring motif in Stephen King's work, most famously as the haunted room number in "The Shining." Its inclusion in "Stand by Me" is a deliberate nod to King's broader literary universe and a fun easter egg for fans of his work.
The fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon, is a recurring setting in many of Stephen King's stories.
The use of Castle Rock connects "Stand by Me" to a larger interconnected universe of Stephen King's creation. Other stories that take place in or reference Castle Rock include "Cujo," "The Dead Zone," and "Needful Things." This shared setting enriches the viewing experience for devoted King readers.
The film contains a reference to another Stephen King adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption."
The novella "The Body" was published in the same collection, "Different Seasons," as "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." The film subtly acknowledges this connection when characters mention the Shawshank Prison.
The character of Teddy Duchamp was first mentioned in Stephen King's debut novel, "Carrie."
In "Carrie," it is mentioned that Teddy Duchamp once worked at a gas station that was destroyed by the titular character. This is another example of King's intricate world-building and the interconnectedness of his stories.
In the Japanese version of the video game "Pokémon Red and Blue," the player's mother is watching a movie on TV described as "Four boys are walking on railroad tracks."
This is a direct and widely recognized reference to "Stand by Me," indicating the film's significant cultural impact in Japan. The reference was so popular that it was retained in the English localization of the game.