Cultural references
McCarthyism: The episode's title is based on the "$64 question" posed during Congressional hearings held in the 1950s by the House Un-American Activities Committee and by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations associated with Joseph McCarthy: "Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?"[8] The era, and paranoia surrounding it, is the setting for much of this episode.
Psycho: Angel's opening line, "sixty eight rooms, sixty eight vacancies", is an allusion to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 suspense / horror classic, Psycho, where Norman Bates tells Marion Crane, "twelve rooms, twelve vacancies", to illustrate how the Bates Motel is no longer a popular stopping point. Also, Judy's back-story is very similar to Marion's: both are running from the law with stolen money and boyfriend troubles, and both are attempting to hide in a hotel / motel. As well, in the middle of the episode, Cordelia cites a newspaper clipping about Judy with the headline, "Fugitive Woman Believed Dead". Cordelia says that Judy was being tracked by federal authorities for stealing money, checked into the hotel, and then was never heard from again. All this is another allusion to Marion, whom that narrative would have fit perfectly as well, and who of course was knifed to death by "mother" Bates in an infamous shower scene.
Vertigo: Judy is also the name that Kim Novak's character takes after changing her identity in this Alfred Hitchcock film. She also tells Jimmy Stewart that she grew up in Salina, Kansas the same place where the Judy from this episode grew up.
The Shining: Angel stays in Room 217 at the Hyperion Hotel. Room 217 is the haunted hotel room at the Overlook in Stephen King's The Shining.
Chinatown: The detective that arrives at the Hyperion Hotel is named C. Mulvihill, a nod to Roman Polanski's cameo appearance as a character named Claude Mulvihill in his own film noir classic, Chinatown. The bandage on his nose is an extension of the same allusion.
Rebel Without A Cause: The scene in which Judy mentions a show depicting the end of the universe was shot on location at the Griffith Observatory.[2] Several scenes in the James Dean film Rebel Without A Cause were filmed at that same observatory, including a scene in which the characters attend a planetarium show about the world ending.[9] The character of Judy physically resembles the character of the same name (played by Natalie Wood) in that film. Additionally, Angel is dressed exactly like James Dean's character during this scene.
The Yellow Wallpaper: Angel's comment, "Maybe it was the wallpaper that drove him crazy," is reminiscent of "The Yellow Wallpaper," another story dealing with insanity. This short story tells of a woman who develops psychosis while on a vacation prescribed by her doctor. She believes it is the house which is causing her to go mad, specifically the yellow wallpaper in her room
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are_You_Now_or_Have_You_Ever_Been
