In the Crypt Keeper's introduction, the baseball diamond diagram lists "Gaines" on the pitcher's mound and "Feldstein" on the home plate. This is a reference to William M. Gaines and Al Feldstein, who were, respectively, the publisher and prominent writer/artist for the original Tales from the Crypt comic book.
Kate Vernon's father, John Vernon, appeared in an episode in the previous season called "Seance."
The dream sequence involving the gun battle at Ruthless Ruth's is very close to the opening sequence of The Killer (1989) by John Woo. For example, John Stamos enters by knocking on the door, shooting someone in the stomach, forcing his way in by using two guns (one in each hand) simultaneously and then shooting the bartender (who is armed with a shotgun). There is also a Mexican standoff between the Kate Vernon and Eileen Brennan, which is very common in a John Woo movie.
The storyline closely resembles the short story "The occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
The sportscast heard throughout makes many references to a pitcher named Scott Nimerfro, who was in fact a frequent associate producer and contributing writer for the series.