Petergeist - Cultural References

Cultural References

In the beginning of the episode, when they are in Joe's home theater, Joe appears rolling across the ground in a parody of the 1984-1993 TriStar Pictures logo. The television show that Peter and Lois watch entitled Fast Talking High Trousers, which parodied 1940s films, was conceived by Wellesley Wild. The episode's title and plot references the horror film Poltergeist. The episode references the NBC sitcoms Friends and its sequel Joey, also referencing the cancellation of Joey. To cheer himself up, Stewie at one point imagines himself on the show Jackass. In one scene, Chris is frightened by Ronald McDonald, and is saved from an evil tree by Herbert, who fights the tree in a Lord of the Rings-style battle. When Peter is clawing at his face, he transforms into Hank Hill from King of the Hill. When trapped inside the spirit world and finds out he can communicate through the TVs with a static-y effect, Stewie sings the second verse of the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight," with the same vocal effect as heard in the song. Peter also references Bugs Bunny by sticking his head out of Meg's butt and claiming he took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. The scene of Peter taking the TV back in and putting Meg out referenced the end of the original film Poltergeist, where the family's father removes the television set after the family flees to a motel room. JAG is also shown, commenting how the show has run its course, and the series was retired in real life sometimes after the airing of Petergeist. When the Griffin family approaches Carrot Top's mansion, the same theme from Back to the Future is used when Marty McFly realizes he is in 1955 when he sees his family residence has not even been constructed yet.