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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » Old News & Rumors
[Trailhead?] Dark Score Stories / Bag of Bones
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notgordian
Unfictologist


Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 1383
Location: Philly

[Trailhead?] Dark Score Stories / Bag of Bones

So I've been poking around Campfire's newest project, DarkScoreStories.com [for the upcoming "Bag of Bones" tv event], and it seems like there's something going on here behind the scenes. The text on the site has secret encoded messages, and at least two of them lead to an exclusive video and a GetGlue check-in.

Not necessarily an ARG, but definitely something that needs solving. So here's what I got so far:

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
First tab gives away the technique for hiding messages: second one gives a url. Not sure what to do with the rest yet.

*GO DOWN LEFT SIDE
*DARK SCORE COM BOB (darkscore.com/bob leads to check-in #1)
*bitlyJggvarf (using all lowercase, that resolves to darkscore.com/crimson)
*Nineteen after b (painful counting spells out darkscore.com/ode)
*A primed pump (counting by prime numbers gives darkscore.com/ensnarers)
*dot dash dash (morse gives bit.ly/abominations)
*Dead Spaces (missing letters gives bit.ly/rareburger)
*Et tu square (different colored letters spell out darkscore.com/fury via Caesar Square)


So...two down, at least five to go. All seven have been solved!

There are also more nods to Stephen King books than a fella can shake a stick at, though, so more might be hidden if you zoom in to the pics / listen to the audio. Plus, messages seem to be hidden in the secret videos themselves. Keep digging!

Source for most of those solves: http://www.treeofprovidence.org/2011/11/09/dark-score-stories-secrets/ because rowan was on this in a big way. Amandel provided the logic for the troublesome secret #7.

PostPosted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:39 pm
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notgordian
Unfictologist


Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 1383
Location: Philly

Double-posting to start an extremely long breakdown of what clues I've spotted, by section. I've found 122 references so far, discounting the bonus clues from the book, which I'll count as upping the total to 123.

Introduction
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
1. Error page is 1408 (Four Past Midnight)
2. Zenith House as publisher (The Plant)


Bonus -- from the Book Version
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
At the end of the book, the following list of alternative publications from Zenith House is listed, along with Roger Wade as the Editor-in-chief. The listed books (the first one in particular) are featured in The Plant.

-True Tales of Demon Infestations
-Gash Me, My Darling
-Rats from Hell
-Scorpions from Hell
-Wasps from Hell
-Flies from Hell
-Ants from Hell


Claustrophobia
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
BOOKS

Unknown / Unimmportant Authors
3. Charlie the Choo-Choo (Dark Tower: Wastelands)
4. All Work and No Play (Shining reference)
5. Raising Demons (Sometimes They Come Back)
6. Ancient Rites, Modern Mysteries (I Know What I Need)

Bobbie Anderson (Tommyknockers)
7. Hangtown
8. The Buffalo Soliders

John Marinville (Desperation)
9. Delight

Peter Stevens (aka Andy Dufresne, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption)
10. Favorite Escapes: A Travel Guide in Mexico

Morton Rainey (Secret Window, Secret Garden)
11. The Organ Grinder's Boy

Susan Snell (Carrie)
12. My Name is Susan Snell

Reg Thorpe (The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet)
13. Underworld Figures

Richard Kinnell (The Road Virus Heads North)
14. The Departing

Paul Sheldon (Misery)
15. Misery
16. Misery's Quest
17. Misery's Love
18. Misery's Child
19. Misery's Triumph

Samuel D Landry (Umney's Last Case)
20. Scarlet Town
21. How Like a Fallen Angel

Scott Landon
22. Relics

Bill Denbrough (It)
23. The Glowing [from the movie]
24. The Black Rapids

George Stark / Thad Beaumont
25. Riding to Babylon
26. The Golden Dog
27. Sharkmeat Pie (w/ bonus Darwin Press imprint a la Dark Half)
28. Steel Machine
29. The Sudden Dancers
30. Machine's Way

Mike Noonan (Bag of Bones)
31. Darcy's Admirer
32. When the Bough Breaks
33. All the Way from the Top

Edward Gray Seville (The Breathing Method)
34. Breakers

NON BOOKS
35. Ted Brautigan missing poster (Hearts in Atlantis)
36. Mile 81 Marker (Mile 81)
37. Sunlight Gardener's School (The Talisman)
38. Beaumont University (Rose Red)
39. They Call Me Dr Love shirt (Tommyknockers, with bonus JC Hutchins cameo)


Haunted
Spoiler (Rollover to View):

40. Duma Key poster (Duma Key)
41. "LUD" in the alphabet magnets (Dark Tower's name for NYC)
42. "FLAGG" in the alphabet magnets (quite a few, most notably The Stand)
43. cell phone (a stretch, but possibly a Cell reference)


Reverberations
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
44. Rock & Roll Heaven bumper sticker (Nightmares & Dreamscapes)
45. The Black Spot nightclub (It)
46. Dead Zone on musical notations (Dead Zone)
47. The Regulators record (The Regulators Bachman novel)
48. Zombie Bakers record / poster (Full Dark, No Stars)
49. Clock's time at 12:04 (Four Past Midnight)
50. Book reading at Lilja's Library (Stephen King fansite)
51. Crimson King poster (The Stand / Dark Tower)
52. Rock Bottom Remainders (band of bestselling authors King performed with)
53. The Dollar Babies (name given to rights deals King strikes with film students)
54. Larry Underwood's Baby Can You Dig Your Man (The Stand)
55. Emporium Galorium (The Sun Dog...although the motto is very Needful Things)
56. Gray Gull Restaurant (The Colorado Kid / Haven)
57. Damaged lighter (possibly the one that saved Jack Mort's life in Dark Tower?)
58. Norman Daniels' credit card (Rose Madder)
59. The Gage Creed Band (The Shining)
60. The Slow Mutants (Dark Tower, short story of the same name)
61. Quitters, Inc. e-cigarette (Night Shift)
62. Adworx (Cujo)
63. Blue Ribbon Laundry (Night Shift)
64. Go Placerville pennant (Rage)


Holy Ground
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
65. Jake Chambers (Dark Tower)
66. Daniel Wheatherby (I Was a Teenage Grave Robber - King's first published story)
67. Hubert Barclay Marsden (Salem's Lot)
68. Carla Dean (Bag of Bones...does that count?)
69. Randall Garfield (Hearts in Atlantis)
70. Tad Trenton (Cujo...and with a stuffed dog? That's cold)
71. George Stark - Not A Very Nice Guy Gravestone (The Dark Half)


Another Man's Treasure
Spoiler (Rollover to View):

72. Toy Car (Christine)
73. Earl "Error" Candleton (Kingdom Hospital)
74. 217 (Shining room reference)
75. Andre Linoge's Wolf's Head Cane (Storm of the Century)
76. Tom Gordon (The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon)
77. UFO (Dreamcatchers, Tommyknockers, or Under the Dome)
78. Bible with rock hammer cut out (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption)
79. "E" Block (The Green Mile)
80. Tarot Cards (Dark Tower)
81. Pennywise (It)
82. Another 12:04 Clock (Four Past Midnight)
83. Another toy car (From a Buick 8, or maybe Mile 81)
84. Moto Kops 2200 (The Regulators)
85. North Central Positronics Ltd (Dark Tower)
86. Captain Trips record (The Stand)
87. Blaine the Monorail Game (Dark Tower)
88. Picture of creepy twin girls (The Shining)
89. New England Home for Little Wanderers check (Dolores Clairborne)
90. Photo of "Norris" (Ridgewick) spanking a woman (Needful Things)
91. GS & WM Railroad (Dark Tower)
92. American Pride aircraft (The Langoliers)
93. Chattery Teeth (Nightmares and Dreamscapes)
94. Noose (take your pick...Dark Tower, Black House...King likes hangings)

Other things I think I see but don't feel confident enough to number:
-pool balls spell out "19" (number common to most King books)
-what looks to be Callahan's cross appears quite a few times
-the painting of the little girl holding what looks to be a heart looks painfully familiar...The Shining, maybe?
-Wolf Man statue might be another Wolves of the Calla reference (can't remember King doing werewolves anywhere else...)
-Orinco oil tanker (cause of many a death in Pet Semetary)


Fresh Meat
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
95. George Stark's High Toned Son of a Bitch sticker (The Dark Half)
96. Rose (Dark Tower)
97. Dud-a-chum did-a-chick lobsters (Dark Tower)
98. Wolf Beer (possible reference to Wolves of the Calla?)
99. Elvis Presley (Nightmares and Dreamscapes)
100. Placerville High photo (Rage)
101. Las Vegas (possible reference to The Stand)
102. Happy Birthday Buckeroo card (Hearts in Atlantis)
103. Crispy Critters Stop Here graffiti (Just After Sunset)
104. Eclipse poster: "Sometimes being a Bitch is all a woman has to hold onto" on it (Dolores Clairborne / Gerald's Game)
105. The Dixie Pig cup (Dark Tower)
106. Ewen High School banner (Carrie)
107. Bat tattoo (Salem's Lot reference?)
108. Gypsy Pie (Thinners)
109. Inside View Stillson tabloid (Dead Zone, and yes King wrote about the tabloid)
110. Zoltan's Bakery (Just After Sunset)
111. Berol Black Beauty Pencil (The Dark Half, for one)
112. You Sew and Sew (The Dark Half)[/spoilers]

Dark Farewell
[spoiler]113. Wolf Beer again
114. Pennywise ketchup, branded It's (It)
115. Nozz-a-la soda (Dark Tower)
116. Cramer's Dairy Drink (Skeleton Crew)
117. Red Razberry Zinger cereal (Cujo)
118. Tricycle (The Shining)
119. Toy Boat (It)
120. M-O-O-N cake (The Stand)
121. Ain't No Fortunate Son sticker (Hearts in Atlantis)
122. The Games Network (Running Man)


PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:57 pm
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spontaneousbob
Boot


Joined: 11 Jul 2011
Posts: 17
Location: Norman, Oklahoma

I just started looking at Dark Score this afternoon, so I'm a bit behind the times (as usual).

But I noticed a few things that I didn't see mentioned.

In the second "Reverberation" image the guitar is a "Cujo" model. (written on the head)

The one that's driving me crazy though is a very fast shot in the bit.ly/rareburger video. There's a shot of a computer screen, and the letters down the left side get highlighted. I've tried to read it over and over but it goes by REALLY fast. I think it says "OwlsabovestudIO".

I've tried darkscore.com/owlsabovestudio and darkscorestories.com/owlsabovestudio and various bitly attempts, and can't get anything out of it.

Any ideas/successes with this phrase?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 6:54 pm
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arteemus37
Kilroy

Joined: 30 Nov 2011
Posts: 1

-Wolf Man statue might be another Wolves of the Calla reference (can't remember King doing werewolves anywhere else...)

98. Wolf Beer (possible reference to Wolves of the Calla?)

[spoiler]113. Wolf Beer again




The wolf man / wolf beer may also be a reference to Cycle of the Werewolf (aka Silver Bullet movie). Plus, I believe there is a wolf man statue in 'Salem's Lot.

PostPosted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:07 pm
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booba
Unfictologist


Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 1433

spontaneousbob-

From "Bag of Bones"

Quote:
Reading down, as you'd read a vertical crossword-puzzle answer, the
first letter of each line spelled the message which had been there almost since I began the book:
owls undEr stud O
Then, allowing for the indent next-to-last line from the bottom:
owls undEr studIO


PostPosted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 2:47 pm
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notgordian
Unfictologist


Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 1383
Location: Philly

booba -- spontaneousbob was actually right. I took a look at the individual frames in the video (pathetic, I know) and while the book version says "owls under studio," it looks like the adaptation is moving them above the studio.

One clue that's driving me nuts is the painting of a girl holding what looks to be a human heart in "Another Man's Treasure" -- I know that looks familiar, but can't think of why. Was it hanging in "The Shining," maybe?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:27 pm
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Tharol
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee

Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4805
Location: Muncie, Indiana

Check the bag of bones the show good personal.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 10:41 pm
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