Cameras have barely started to roll on the set of J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, but the 1970’s location dressing is already the subject of much discussion on the Unfiction ARG Forums where posters have uploaded images from the Weirton, WV shoot, some of which show off some of the film’s nods to some other works of science fiction.
It is unknown how large a role (if any), the following references play in the final film, but they certainly seem to convey a sense of homage that Abrams seems to be after.
Poster ‘Rocket Mountaineer’ snapped a number of Weirton photos, including the one above, inside one of the film’s convenience stores. Easter eggs include references to the novelizations of Star Wars and Steven Spielberg’s own Close Encounters of the Third Kind as well as a host of other science-fiction adventure stories, including Andre Norton’s “Key Out of Time,” Michael Frayn’s “The Tin Men” and Arthur C. Clarke’s “Against the Fall of Night.”
Also in the store front, the classic Mego Star Trek Bridge Playset, a shout-out to both the time period and to Abram’s 2009 film:
Though it could be over-analysis, some posters have speculated that the town’s mascot, the Lions (shown below on banners hung by a Weirton baseball field), could be a reference to the original Cloverfield trailer and the infamously misconstrued line, “I saw it! It’s a lion! It’s huge!” (actually, “I saw it! It’s alive! it’s huge!”):
Again, perhaps too close a reading, but could Super 8 News‘ shot of a set camera store be a nod to Superman’s pal, photographer Jimmy Olsen?
Though not necessarily an Easter Egg, the film’s own Rocket Poppeteers viral mascot also makes a Weirton appearance, in cardboard stand-up form:
Another poster, ‘BK1’ caught the following fictional names on a sign outside the set-dressed school. Could they belong to characters in the film?
‘BK1’ also provided some high-quality looks at various shops set up around the town. Are there clues we’ve missed? Share your thoughts below or join in the hunt at the Unfiction Forum.
