Book
- Ho Yay: Pretty much all of the interactions between the four main characters (in the scene right before they save Josie Rinkenhauer, Pete kisses Jonesy on the lips, and plenty more).
- So Bad, It's Good: The novel is both completely insane and takes itself completely seriously, making it an entertaining if bizarre read.
- Squick: Probably one of King's squickiest.
- Tear Jerker: Duddits' death.
Film
- Alternative Character Interpretation: It's obvious that Duddits had no malicious intent behind it, seeing as how he loves his friends dearly, but the opening of the film shows that the four friends struggle with their psychic abilities in their daily lives (Henry insults and freaks out a patient he could have helped who in turn dies of overeating later, Pete understandably creeps the hell out of a woman who came to him asking for help with finding her keys because his psychic powers instead comes off as him being a stalker etc.). Did Duddits' gift to them unintentionally prevent them from having a normal adult life where they could be happy? Especially jarring when you remember that Henry nearly blows his head off after humiliating his patient.
- Complete Monster: "Mr. Gray" is the main agent of the Ripley and a vicious alien invader. Spreading an infection near the town of Derry, Maine, numerous people and animals become hosts to parasites that brutally eat their way out of the body when matured. Possessing the body of Jonesy and locking him inside his own mind, Gray murders Jonesy's friend Pete while Jonesy can do nothing but watch. Killing two other people for their vehicles and cheerfully infecting a dog, Gray intended to use the Ripley born from it to infect the entire planet.
- Hilarious in Hindsight: Lawrence Kasdan who adapted the book for screen had written his first screenplay The Empire Strikes Back and later help write Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens for the Star Wars franchise, while Timothy Olyphant who played Pete would later appear in the aforementioned franchise by being cast in the second season of the spin-off television series The Mandalorian.
- Signature Scene: The Foreboding Fleeing Flock from the opening act. While it's done with lots of editing of separately filmed specimen, it still uses just regular animals, rather than CGI tricks or animatronics, making the scene stand out all that more.
- So Bad, It's Good: There's so much hammy acting and Narm that the movie becomes an unintentional comedy.
- Tear Jerker: Seeing all the Scooby-Doo memorabilia in Duddits's room in addition to other stuffed animals and what appears to be a toy Megazord from Power Rangers, including but not limited to the Scooby-Doo lunchbox and stuffed animal Scooby Duddits takes with him. The juxtaposition of Duddits's childlike innocence with a series known for its childlike innocence is beyond heartbreaking.
- There's also the fact that Duddits's mother talks like she knows when Henry comes to get Duddits to help him stop Mr. Gray that her son won't be coming home again and would die in the confrontation. Heck, even she is crying as he leaves.
- They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Among other things, making Duddits an alien in the film didn't go over too well with the fans.
- Especially considering how great the original ending is.
