Director Aneesh Chaganty's psychological thriller, Run, includes a subtle Stephen King Easter egg during one of its tensest scenes. After Chloe Sherman (Kiera Allen) dials 411, the operator asks for her location and recommends Derry, Maine from IT. This is one of three fictional towns that Stephen King has created in his literary universe, but why is it included in Run?
Starring Sarah Paulson of American Horror Story and Ratched fame, the movie tells the story of an unsettling mother-daughter relationship. Diane Sherman (Paulson) appears to care deeply for her daughter, who was born premature and supposedly suffers from five ailments as a result. As it progresses, it is revealed that Chloe isn't actually sick, but her mother was manipulating and gaslighting her into believing she was ill in order to keep her confined to their home. After Chloe discovers a bottle of green and white pills prescribed to her mother and then made to take them that night, she questions the authenticity of Diane's caregiving. She is later cut off from using the internet and having a smartphone. This prompts her to dial the operator in hopes of finding an answer to what the pills actually are, which is when she is asked if she is located in Derry, Maine.
In Stephen King's IT, a group of kids known as the "Losers Club" go up against Pennywise the Dancing Clown, a multidimensional being who feeds on children. The Losers Club is comprised of Eddie Kaspbrak, Bill Denbrough, Beverly Marsh, Mike Hanlon, Ben Hanscom, Richie Tozier, and Stanley Uris. Each member of the group has a unique backstory. In particular, Eddie Kaspbrak's relationship with his mother and his illnesses resembles Chloe's in Run. This is likely the reason Derry, Maine is mentioned in the movie other than being a mere nod to the prolific horror author and one of his most well-known stories.
Eddie Kaspbrak uses an inhaler and takes several medications. There is never any mention as to why he is so sick or what he is sick with. His mother insists that he is fragile and has to stay home with her so the world doesn't harm him. This leads Eddie to become a germaphobe and fearful of everything. After he visits the pharmacy in Derry, he is informed by the pharmacists daughter that his medication as well as his inhaler are placebos and he doesn't actually need them. As IT: Chapter Two reveals, Eddie is still reliant on them because of prolonged use.
In Run, Chloe suffers from five ailments that may or may not have existed prior to her mother's abuse and manipulation. Just like Eddie, she uses an inhaler and takes whatever medication her mother hands her. When the operator asks if she is located in Derry, Maine, it draws a connection between the two characters who both have caregivers that manipulate them into believing they are seriously ill. It is also utilized in order to mirror the scenes where Eddie and Chloe enter the pharmacy and discover that they aren't actually sick.
The town of Derry is one of the most villainous locations in the entire Stephen King universe and Eddie's mom is arguably one of the more sinister parents that lives there. Both Chloe and Eddie's moms want them to stay nearby and manipulate them in whatever way they can to ensure that they do. Ultimately, the Stephen King reference to Derry, Maine in Run is meant to draw connections between the two children, who suffer at the hands of their overbearing, controlling mothers.