“It had been almost two years since he had last killed, and the people of Castle Rock (Strimmer’s Brook formed the southern borderline between the towns of Castle Rock and Otisfield) had begun to relax, thinking the nightmare was finally over.” — “The Dead Zone”

“Seven days later and thirty miles from Seven Oaks Farm in Castle Rock, two men met in a downtown Portland restaurant called the Yellow Submarine.”— “Cujo”

“I’m never gonna get out of this town am I, Gordie?” — Chris Chambers in “The Body”

In Stephen King’s novel “Needful Things,” Castle Rock is clearly placed 18 miles southwest of South Paris. Get a map, take some measurements and stick a pin in the exact spot. End of story, right?

Not so fast, Frank Dodd. King takes liberties on where he locates his fictional town, depending on the story at hand. In “Creepshow,” a sign appears that places Castle Rock 37 miles away from Portland. In “Cujo,” on the other hand, it’s 30 miles.

Another measurement? Another pin?

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According to online sources, the Castle Rock of “Creepshow” puts the fictional town somewhere in the vicinity of Durham, Lisbon, Danville, Auburn, Lewiston or possibly Sabattus. In “The Dead Zone,” meanwhile, Castle Rock is located next to Otisfield, in Oxford Country.

It’s all very confusing and there may never be an answer. That might be frustrating to some, but on the other hand, why would you want to go to Castle Rock to begin with? Hang out there for long and there’s a solid chance you’ll be eaten by a St. Bernard, thrust into an alternate dimension or killed by a train and poked by kids with sticks.

It happened to some guys we know.

“It’s like God gave you something, man — all those stories you can come up with.” — Chris Chambers in “The Body”

Stephen King works featuring Castle Rock

— “Graveyard Shift” (1978
short story)
— “Nona” (1978 short story)
— “The Dead Zone” (1979
novel)
— “Cujo” (1981 novel)
— “The Body” (1982 novella;
adapted into the 1986 film “Stand
By Me,” which takes place in Oregon) — “Creepshow” (1982 film)
— “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (1982 novella)
— “Pet Sematary” (1983 novel)
— “Uncle Otto’s Truck” (1983
short story)
— “Gramma” (1984 short story)
— “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut” (1984
short story)
— “It” (1986 novel)

— “The Dark Half” (1989 novel)
— “The Sun Dog” (1990 novella)
— “Needful Things” (1991
novel)
— “Gerald’s Game” (1992 novel)
— “Sleepwalkers” (1992 film)
— “It Grows on You” (1993
short story)
— “The Stand” (1994 TV miniseries based on 1978 novel)
— “The Man in the Black Suit”
(1995 short story)
— “Bag of Bones” (1998 novel)
— “The Girl Who Loved Tom
Gordon” (1999 novel)
— “Riding the Bullet” (2000
novella)
— “Dreamcatcher” (2001 novel)
— “Kingdom Hospital” (2004
TV series)
— “Lisey’s Story” (2006 novel)
— “The Mist” (2006 film)
— “N.” (2008 short story)
— “Premium Harmony” (2009
short story)
— “Under the Dome” (2009
novel)
— “11/22/63” (2011 novel)
Source: fandom.wiki.com

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