Stranger Things is fueled by its bountiful nostalgia and love for the 80s.
At times it even feels like a creative mash-up of the works of Spielberg, John Carpenter,
and Stephen King.
And the series did come out of a mash-up process: to help sell the show, creators the Duffer
Brothers edited a mock trailer from over 25 films like Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street,
and E.T. Through its seemingly endless list of fun allusions, Stranger Things revives
the era and brings the 80s to a youth who never lived it.
But it also examines and updates 80s pop culture in a deeper way, revisiting key themes and
motifs, like: --The emergence of a punk emo culture, in
which “freaks and geeks” reject the tyranny of the popular crowd and the bully, and embrace
“Stranger Things” over what’s normal. -- The Spielbergian combination of supernatural
terror with the safe world of children.
Childlike awe and wonder mix with fear and paranoia about the beyond, as well as a dark
government agenciy and a general distrust of authority.
--Stephen King’s sense of threat coming both from without and within -- both external
monsters, and the darkness within ourselves.
--And most tangibly, a simpler childhood when kids rode their bikes all over town working
out their own problems, and adults had no idea what was going on (even if the reality
never really existed quite like that.)
[If anyone asks where I am, I've left the country.]
[What?1?]
Matt Duffer has said that the three strands of generations in the show -- the adults,
teens and kids -- each exist in a “different 80s universe.
The adults are in a Spielberg film. The teens are in an 80s horror film like Halloween or
Nightmare on Elm Street. And the kids are in a Stephen King novel, like Standy By Me
or It.”
So now let’s look closer at all these strands of homages and easter eggs to get everything
we can out of Season 1 of Stranger Things.
Iconic Spielberg movies get a ton of shout-outs in Stranger Things.
According to EP Shawn Levy, Indiana and especially the town of Hawkins evoke a feeling of
“Spielbergian Americana.”
This Spielberg layer situates Stranger Things in a down-to-earth world full of well-meaning
but oblivious adults, who only slowly come to recognize that they’re witnessing something
strange and unusual.
Stranger Things is referencing E.T. right from the very first shot -- Both open with
the starry sky.
In both, we’re introduced to the characters while they are playing a game of Dungeons
and Dragons and eating pizza, specifically sausage and pepperoni.
And Stranger Things’ overall premise is eerily similar to E.T.’s: a group of kids
finds an outsider and must hide from a secret government agency.
Eleven corresponds strikingly to E.T.
In two memorable scenes, both Eleven and E.T. are dressed up with a wig and a dress.
The two even display loves for a very particular food: Reese’s Pieces for E.T. and Eggos
for Eleven.
[My mom, she's a pretty awesome cook. She can make you whatever you like.]
[Eggos.]
Both Eleven and E.T. are curious as they explore the house and watch TV for the first time
when they are alone.
Mike and Elliot both pretend to be sick and stay home with Eleven and E.T., respectively.
The kids also ride their bikes to try and outrun a shady government organization in
a fight sequence showing heavily armed adults chasing down a few regular kids.
While E.T. helps them escape by levitating their bikes, Eleven flips a van to clear the
way.
Of course, one key difference emerges in Mike’s obvious romantic attraction to Eleven, which
wasn’t a factor for Elliot & ET.
Will’s family has the same structure as the one in E.T.: the single mom, and two brothers
about the same age.
The first episode of Stranger Things copies ET’s flashlight in the bushes shot:
Will also spells out “Right Here” with the Christmas lights,
a reference to ET’s line:
[I'll be right here.]
The little sister Holly is dressed up in the same clothes and pigtails as Drew Barrymore’s
character in ET.
There’s a small homage to Close Encounters of the Third Kind when Holly goes into Will’s
room, and she’s pulled away from danger by Joyce.
In Close Encounters, they also communicate with aliens using lights and synths,
just like Joyce communicates with Will using the lights.
And Joyce becomes like Richard Dreyfuss’ character, as both become isolated due to
their obsession with a supernatural force.
A poster for Spielberg’s Jaws can be seen in the background of the Byers’ home.
Like the Jaws shark, the Demogorgon is attracted to blood.
Nancy even cites this fact when she’s developing her theory about the monster.
[Sharks can detect blood in one part per million. That's one drop of blood in a million.
And they can smell it from a quarter mile away.]
The character of Jim Hopper also reminds us of Jaws’ Chief Brody.
Both are formerly city cops working in small towns where nothing bad ever really happens.
Both are driven by a sense of fatherly protection. Brody snaps into action after the shark
goes after his son. And Hopper feels like saving Will can make up for the death of his
own daughter.
Both also have to fight higher authorities to save their communities.
Even the scene when they fill out the missing persons report is shot in the same way.