Trivia: The name of the demon, "Valak" can be seen on the playground equipment where we first see sister Irene.
Trivia: The movie is set in 1987. This is the same year the original "Transformers" cartoon series ended.
Trivia: Contemporary or modern-day altered version of the "BTK" (Bind, Torture, Kill) serial killer - Dennis Rader - who murdered at least ten women from 1974-1991 in the Wichita, Kansas area. Rader was arrested in 2005 and received ten life sentences, but the "Clovehitch Killer" was killed by his son and made to look like an accident or suicide.
Trivia: Comics legend Stan Lee, a friend of director Kevin Smith, was originally meant to have a significant role in the film's climactic third act at the "Chronic-Con" convention, but sadly passed away before filming began.
Trivia: The American and international versions of the film have different opening sequences. In the American version, Holmes and Watson meet in school. In the international version, Holmes (accidentally) saves Watson from committing suicide.
Trivia: Part of what made the Coen Brothers agree to make the film for Netflix was that the traditional studio system just isn't funding films like "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" the way they used to. Studios are instead focusing much more on big-budget comic-book movies and reboots, or super low-budget ventures like horror films. The Coens found Netflix to be one of the only companies that seemed to understand the project and be willing to fund it. Although co-director Joel Coen did lament that he wishes the film had a traditional theatrical release, as he feels audiences respond to and respect movies in a different way on the big screen.
Trivia: The way Donna attempts to get the bus stopped is a direct nod to the 1994 movie Speed. The bus driver is even named Sam, the same as the driver in that film.
Trivia: Sonal Chapelle, who portrays Frankie Stone, is the real-life daughter of Dave Chapelle, the actor who portrays her father "Noodles" Stone.
Trivia: Lewis' new friend, Rose Rita, is the main character in other books by John Bellairs, author of the original novel.
Trivia: Sandra Bullock speaks German at the Met Gala - she's actually fluent in German, having lived in Germany and Austria for the first 12 years of her life. She gave an award speech in German once: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BK1GlyGdm4.
Trivia: John Travolta had to ironically wear old-age makeup to play John Gotti, despite the fact that Travolta was already 3 years older at the time of making this film than Gotti ever lived to be.
Trivia: When Max insults Will Arnett by calling him a spinning Lego Man, it is an homage to Will's role as Batman in the Lego movies.
Trivia: Don Johnson plays the man who Jane Fonda has a relationship with. Jane Fonda and her Book Club friends are reading the 50 Shades trilogy... the movies of which star Don Johnson's real life daughter, Dakota Johnson.
Trivia: Following the success of this film, Netflix had to release a statement begging views to not try the "Bird Box Challenge" that was sweeping social media and putting many people in hospital. A news article on the incident can be viewed here https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/03/netflix-bird-box-challenge-meme-sandra-bullock-blindfold.
Trivia: Christian Bale nearly played George W. Bush in the Oliver Stone-directed film W, but left the project because he didn't like the prosthetics he had to wear.
