reference to past genre movies, the Mayor and his store is  named R.J. MacReady, the same name as Kurt Russell (I) (qv)s  character in John Carpenter (I) (qv)s _Thing, The (1982)_ (qv)  and the local high school featured is named after Earl Bassett, the  lead character in the movie _Tremors (1990)_ (qv) played by  Fred Ward (I) (qv).