This article is about cultural references in Alan Wake. For the references in the stand alone Alan Wake title, see Cultural References in Alan Wake's American Nightmare.

You think you're God? You think you can just make up stuff?! This article or a section of this article will contain spoilers of the game or any other piece of media.





“ Stephen King once wrote that nightmares exist outside of logic and there’s little fun to be had in explanations; they’re antithetical to the poetry of fear. ” –Alan Wake, Episode 1: Nightmare

There are many cultural references of other media in Alan Wake. Beneath are all known references sorted by subject.

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Television

The Twilight Zone (TV Show)

The in-game television show, Night Springs, is in the same style as The Twilight Zone (eg. black and white, bizarre events taking place and the same type of narration).

Twin Peaks (TV Show)

LOST (TV Show)

Movies

Sheriff Sarah Breaker makes a reference to the ending of the film just after they survive a the Taken attack.

King Kong (movies)

Alan makes a joke about how New York tends to be the plot setting for a lot of media, including King Kong.

The Birds

Barry mentions that some birds flew through the chimney like the sparrows in this movie.

Deliverance

When Alan is about to leave for Lovers' Peak, Barry warns him saying "Just be careful with the natives, Al. These yokels are dangerous. Everybody hates a tourist. Or it'll be Deliverrance all over again".

The Shining

Alan Wake compared his situation (getting chased by a psychotic man knocking on a door with an axe) with the movie The Shining where Jack Torrance smashes a door with an axe in pursuit to murder his wife.

where Jack Torrance smashes a door with an axe in pursuit to murder his wife. The maze in chapter 4 was very similar to the one in The Shining.

Rambo

Alan makes a reference to Rambo when Barry says "I'm on the case!".

Lord of the Rings (Movie/Book)

Barry refers to his head lamp as his personal "Flaming Eye of Mordor", also known as Barad-dûr in the Lord of the Rings universe.

Poltergeist

One of the achievements of the game , "They're heeeeeere!", where you have to destroy 20 possessed objects, is titled after a line from the movie.

, "They're heeeeeere!", where you have to destroy 20 possessed objects, is titled after a line from the movie. Cynthia Weaver states that she sometimes speaks to Thomas Zane through the TV, much like Carol Freeling did in the film.

The Evil Dead Trilogy

The tree ring display in one area of Elderwood National Park is almost identical to the one used in the scene where Madeleine and Scotty discuss their lives compared to the life of the tree.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

During Alan's short stay at the Cauldron Lake Lodge, Doctor Hartman says "Jack has taken the other patients out on a fishing trip". In the movie, Jack Nicholson's character famously releases all of the mental patients and embarks on a crazed fishing trip.

Music

Poets Of The Fall (Band)

Nursery Rhymes

Judas Priest

When Nightingale shoots at Alan in the radio station, Pat Maine screams 'Judas Priest', a rock band whose name is commonly used as a more 'family friendly' exclamation than 'Jesus Christ!'. With Pat being a radio personality, he would be used to censoring himself, and might shout this neutered exclamation out of habit.

Literary Works

The achievement description when earned for "What Light Through Yonder Window" is: "It is the east and the flare gun is the sun to 50 Taken". This is a reference to one of Romeo's lines from the famous balcony scene: "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun."

The achievement Let There Be Light is a reference to the book of Genesis. Light was the first thing God created and it drove back the darkness.

Stephen King (Writer)

Alan quotes Stephen King in the introductory narration to the game. The quote "But nightmares exist outside of logic, and there’s little fun to be had in explanations; they’re antithetical to the poetry of fear" comes from 2008 article "Why Hollywood can't do horror".

The creators of Alan Wake said that they also used Stephen King as a reference during the process of making the game.

said that they also used Stephen King as a reference during the process of making the game. Alan also thinks of King after encountering poltergeists for the first time, commenting that objects often come to life and act malevolently towards humans in King's works, such as Christine, a novel about an evil car.

Various Writers

As a running gag, Agent Nightingale refers to Alan by the names of known authors, including the following. Dan Brown "Hemingway", a reference to Ernest Hemingway James Joyce Stephen King "Spillane", a reference to Mickey Spillane "Lovecraft", a reference to H.P. Lovecraft, who also has his own section below. Bret Easton Ellis Raymond Chandler



H.P. Lovecraft

Some of Alan's novels have been described by critics as "Lovecraftian horror". Meaning they are similar to H.P. Lovecraft's narrative style and theme.

The remains of a tree called The Great Old One can be found in Elderwood National Park. In H.P. Lovecraft's Mythos, "the Great Old Ones" are ancient extraterrestrial beings of immense power, and most are also colossal in size. The most well-known of these from Lovecraft's fiction is Cthulhu. It should also be noted that the year The Great Old One was felled by lightning, 1937, is the same year that H.P. Lovecraft himself passed away. In this way one could view him as "The Great Old One of horror who fell in 1937."

can be found in Elderwood National Park. In H.P. Lovecraft's Mythos, "the Great Old Ones" are ancient extraterrestrial beings of immense power, and most are also colossal in size. The most well-known of these from Lovecraft's fiction is Cthulhu. The third episode of Night Springs , "A Family Occasion", is filled with a rich quantity of references towards Lovecraft. The introduction of the episode is not only a nod to Lovecraft's literary philosophy, cosmicism, but also written in a similar fashion as the introduction of Lovecraft's short story, "The Call of Cthulhu". Furthermore, "the stars are right" is a quote from "The Call of Cthulhu" which refers to a cosmological event when the sunken city R'lyeh will arise from the ocean and release its otherwordly creatures on the earth.

, "A Family Occasion", is filled with a rich quantity of references towards Lovecraft. The introduction of the episode is not only a nod to Lovecraft's literary philosophy, cosmicism, but also written in a similar fashion as the introduction of Lovecraft's short story, "The Call of Cthulhu". Furthermore, "the stars are right" is a quote from "The Call of Cthulhu" which refers to a cosmological event when the sunken city R'lyeh will arise from the ocean and release its otherwordly creatures on the earth. Nik'sih-Per'kah, the fictional god mentioned in Night Springs , "A Family Occasion", is a reference to Shub-Niggurath, a Lovecraftian deity. This reference becomes clear when the paranormal investigator feels something writhing inside his stomach and the woman says that his "body shall host his thousand young". The line "thousand young" is part of Shub-Niggurath's epithet "The Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young". The name of the god is actually a parody: it's pronounced like "Niksi-Pirkka", a column in a Finnish monthly magazine Pirkka that lists various handy household tips.

, "A Family Occasion", is a reference to Shub-Niggurath, a Lovecraftian deity. This reference becomes clear when the paranormal investigator feels something writhing inside his stomach and the woman says that his "body shall host his thousand young". The line "thousand young" is part of Shub-Niggurath's epithet "The Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young". The name of the god is actually a parody: it's pronounced like "Niksi-Pirkka", a column in a Finnish monthly magazine Pirkka that lists various handy household tips. The idea of people mentally connected in dreams is a similar concept explored in "The Call of Cthulhu". In the novel The Alan Wake Files , there are several hints at the possibility that Alan Wake, Clay Steward and Agent Nightingale share the same ominous nightmare, or vision. The dreams of these men (with the possible exception of Agent Nightingale) are influenced by the Dark Presence and feature a marine setting, as can be seen with the lighthouse in the first chapter of the Alan Wake video game. This focus on a marine setting is similar to "The Call of Cthulhu", in which a handful of artists from all over the world share the same nightmarish visions (the sunken city of R'lyeh) as Cthulhu whispers in their sleep.

, there are several hints at the possibility that Alan Wake, Clay Steward and Agent Nightingale share the same ominous nightmare, or vision. The dreams of these men (with the possible exception of Agent Nightingale) are influenced by the Dark Presence and feature a marine setting, as can be seen with the lighthouse in the first chapter of the video game. This focus on a marine setting is similar to "The Call of Cthulhu", in which a handful of artists from all over the world share the same nightmarish visions (the sunken city of R'lyeh) as Cthulhu whispers in their sleep. Similar to the Dark Presence resting at the bottom of the Cauldron Lake, one of the deepest lakes in the world, monsters in Lovecraft's stories often find home in deep water.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (Writer)

In The Signal, the imaginary Barry quotes one of the lines from the play "Richelieu (the Conspiracy)", "The pen is mightier than the sword". The quote is often interpreted as "intelligence is better than brute strength."

Video Games

Death Rally

There is a poster in Emerson's room of Death Rally , another game developed by Remedy Entertainment.

, another game developed by Remedy Entertainment. In The Signal, when Alan is in a vehicle going up against a monster truck, Imaginary Barry will say it's like a demolition derby, or as he calls it "a death rally".

Max Payne

In Episode 4 when Walter is dying he says "Like a real bad follow up to a real good movie, where the best friend is suddenly the bad guy", a reference to Vlad's betrayal of Max in Max Payne 2

Deadly Premonition

Deadly Premonition was also greatly inspired by Twin Peaks and thus coincidentally shares many similarities to the show with Alan Wake , including the premise of FBI agents coming to a small, friendly Washington town plagued by dark secrets and supernatural occurrences, and of course, the famous Log Lady/Lamp Lady/Pot Lady.

, including the premise of FBI agents coming to a small, friendly Washington town plagued by dark secrets and supernatural occurrences, and of course, the famous Log Lady/Lamp Lady/Pot Lady. Both games' main enemies are townsfolk possessed by a dark force who turn into wisps of smoke when killed.

Both games start with the quirky main character getting into a car crash and having to fight his way through the forest.

Both games have episodic formats with eerily similar recaps at the beginning of each episode.

Real-Life Products

Verizon Communications Inc.

Alan's cell phone uses Verizon.

In The Signal, Alan must follow a GPS signal on his phone, using the Verizon GPS application called VZ Navigator.

Verizon signs can be found all over the game on billboards.

In Episode 4: The Truth, when you are about to leave the clinic you can turn on a TV and it plays a Verizon commercial. This counts towards the "Boob Tube" achievement.

Energizer Holdings, Inc.

Through the normal campaign, the batteries used by Alan Wake are Energizer brand.

In Episode 1: Nightmare, Alan picks up an Energizer brand flashlight and a revolver after he hides from Stucky inside the trailer.

In Episode 6: Departure, there are Energizer billboards.

The Heavy-Duty Lantern is also Energizer brand.

Ford Motor Company

In Episode 4: The Truth, when you are about to leave the clinic you can turn on a TV and it plays a Ford commercial, in which a 2010 Mustang appears. This counts towards the "Boob Tube" achievement.

In Episode 3: Ransom, when you are walking with Paul Randolph one of the cars parked by one of the trailers is a 2011 Ford Fiesta sedan.

In Episode 6: Departure, when you are on the bridge with the poltergeists a 2009 Ford Flex is near the entrance.

In Episode 2: Taken, the vehicle you use to get back to Barry is a Park Ranger 2008 Ford F-450.

In the lot of the Sheriff's station there is 2010 Ford Fusion.

In Bright Falls, Jake drives a 2008 Ford Focus.

The 2006-2008 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor appears in Bright Falls as Deputy Mulligan's police cruiser. Night Springs episode 2 the 2003-2005 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor makes an appearance.

Lincoln Motor Company

Alan and Alice's car is a 2010 Lincoln MKT.

In Episode 3: Ransom, the car parked outside of the trailer park is a 2009 Lincoln MKS.

In Episode 6 : Departure a 2011 Lincoln MKX can be driven.

Mercury

A 2008 Mercury Mariner is parked outside the Majestic Motell.

Microsoft Corp.