Watch this Stephen King ‘Castle Rock’ mini doc featuring Bangor, Durham and Thomaston

This image released by Hulu shows Bill Skarsgard in a scene from “Castle Rock,” premiering July 25 on Hulu. (Patrick Harbron/Hulu via AP)

Stephen King fans and residents of three Maine towns and cities are in for a treat: Hulu released a mini-documentary about King’s Maine, ahead of the July 25 premiere of the new King TV series “Castle Rock.”

The 24-minute documentary highlights three places in Maine that served as inspiration for many of King’s books and for his fictional towns like Derry and Castle Rock. The first is Durham, the Androscoggin County town where King grew up.

The second, of course, is Bangor, King’s inspiration for not just the town of Derry, but also many other people and places in his novels. Filmmakers talked to Bangor King experts Stu Tinker, of Stephen King Tours of Maine, and Gerald Winters, owner of King-centric bookstore Gerald Winters & Son, and explored locations like Mt. Hope Cemetery (one of the inspirations for “Pet Sematary”), the Kenduskeag Stream (the Barrens in “It”), and restaurant supply store R.M. Flagg (the name of which inspired perennial King villain Randall Flagg/The Man in Black).

The final town featured is Thomaston — the site of the old Maine State Prison, which was torn down in 2002, and was the site of a litany of horrors in the 19th and early 20th century, from prisoners being held in holes in the ground, to fires that killed multiples inmates. It directly inspired Shawshank Prison in Castle Rock, featured in a number of King books and prominently in the new TV series, which the Bangor Daily News will be reviewing and recapping starting on its premiere date of July 25.

Take a look for yourself. There’s lots of local spots to recognize!

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.