Vlad's real surname, Masters, may be derived from the protagonist of the Canadian short story The Man with a Thousand Names (written by A. E. van Vogt), a 23-year old spoiled man named Steven Masters whose father is the richest man in the world.
Danny's ghost sense is a reference to "Spider-Sense," a reflexive power of the Marvel superhero Spider-Man that allows him to sense approaching danger.[citation needed]
Several stores in the Amity Park Mall are allusions to real-world stores and restaurants: