"Stranger Things" is growing up in season 4, with a terrifying new villain and plenty
of nods to a classic slasher series.
But that's not the only '80s classic getting the nod from the show this year.
From anime to X-Men, here are all the references in Stranger Things season 4 part 1.
Warning: spoilers ahead.
In the opening scene of the "Stranger Things" Season 4 premiere, there is an extended sequence
of a paperboy throwing a bunch of rolled-up newspapers haphazardly at suburban houses.
It hits random parts of the yards, including a chair and the back of a car.
This could be a reference to the Midway arcade game, the self-explanatory "Paperboy."
It came out in 1985, a year before the fourth season of "Stranger Things" takes place.
In fact, "Paperboy" came out for home consoles, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System
(or NES), a year later in 1986, which fits with the season (even if the scene itself
takes place before the actual season proper).
In the game, you would play as the titular "Paperboy" and attempt to throw your newspaper
rolls to the designated houses — the closer to the house, the higher your score (though
you would still get points if it didn't land exactly at their doorstep, including if you
broke their windows).
Meanwhile, the player would also have to dodge obstacles, such as cars, other people, and,
in the sequel at least, even creatures grabbing at you from the sewers.
This could all be a coincidence – real paperboys do exist, or at least used to.
But the outfit and bike of the show's paperboy does seem pretty similar to the video game
character's design.
There are a ton of references to Marvel's "X-Men" throughout the fourth season of "Stranger
Things."
This makes a lot of sense, as Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven is often compared to a superhero,
and her experimentation is reminiscent of some "X-Men" arcs (such as Chris Claremont's
"God Loves, Man Kills").
Furthermore, the "X-Men" comics were increasing in popularity in the '80s, with many of their
most popular arcs, like the aforementioned "Man Kills" and "The Dark Phoenix Saga" released
during that time.
As for the references themselves, there's the fact that the "Dungeons & Dragons" club,
led by new character Eddie, that Mike and Dustin have joined in-between seasons, is
called "The Hellfire Club," a probable reference to a villainous group of mutants in the X-Men
universe.
Other than that, Dustin also makes a direct reference to Cerebro — a telepath amplifier
in the "X-Men" comics, usually employed by Professor Xavier to find other mutants.
It's the name Dustin gives to an improvised computer set-up he made to track down and
help his friend Eddie, who has gone on the run for a murder he didn't commit.
"Welcome to Cerebro."
Finally, there's the NINA project, which is a top-secret machine Eleven is put inside,
so she can regain — as well as amplify — her powers, reminiscent in look and function to
Cerebro.
"Star Wars" is perhaps the most popular geek property in the world.
While it seems ubiquitous now — particularly with all the Disney+ shows — it was similarly
inescapable in the first half of the '80s, particularly right after the release of the
original trilogy.
There is a lot of ancillary material that existed during this time between the release
of the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy.
This includes kid-targeted cartoons based on C-3PO and R2-D2 (called "Droids"), as well
as TV movies and an animated series about the Ewoks.
In fact, sharp-eyed viewers can spot Will and Jonathan Byers watching a snippet of the
aforementioned "Ewoks" cartoon in the third episode of the fourth season.
Also, two episodes earlier, Dustin tries to put on his best Han Solo impression when telling
his friends "Never tell me the odds," a quote from "The Empire Strikes Back."
One of the most overt references in Season 4 is "Carrie" — both the 1974 horror novel
by Stephen King (an overall major influence on the show in general), as well as the 1976
Brian De Palma film starring Sissy Spacek.
This is because, at the beginning of the season, Will and Eleven are now living in California,
with Eleven struggling to fit in.
This is the first time she's ever been educated in a public setting, rather than being home-schooled
by Hopper or in a secret experimental lab.
Matters get worse, however, when she runs afoul of valley girl queen bee Angela.
Angela and her posse relentlessly bully Eleven (now going by her birth name "Jane"), which
— given Eleven's latent telekinetic powers, makes the parallels between Eleven and Carrie
all the more clear.
When she gets bullied at a roller rink, one of the bullies even pours a milkshake all
over her, in a scene directly calling back to the image of Carrie doused in pig's blood.
However, the climax of this plotline — where she doesn't go on a telekinetic rampage — seems
to be a purposeful inversion by the Duffers.
Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" from 1984 is a classic horror film for a reason.
It starred Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, the iconic knife-fingered, hat and sweater-wearing
child killer, who was killed in an act of vigilante justice and came back as a dream
demon murdering the children of the people who killed him.
While ostensibly a slasher film, it is elevated by Englund's committed performance, Craven's
dream-like direction, and the cool, gory kills.
"Please God."
"This is God."
Season 4 of "Stranger Things" revels in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" references.
The villain uses the fears and anxieties of teens to kill them.
Even the bloody deaths of his victims floating in the air is reminiscent of the first death
in the original "Nightmare" film, as well as the plot about a perceived troublemaker
being framed for the murder.
However, the main Easter egg is The Duffer Brothers casting Englund in the series.
He plays Victor Creel, a prisoner who as a younger man in the 1950s was framed for killing
his children.
He puts in a great performance, even if it's a more sympathetic one rather than the villainous
work you might expect.
The popular tabletop role-playing game "Dungeons and Dragons" (or "D&D") has always been a
big part of "Stranger Things."
In fact, the pilot episode opens with the main quartet — Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and
Will — playing the RPG.
It even plays a pivotal role in the characters defeating the villains of the "Upside Down"
throughout the series.
This includes helping them understand the fourth season's new villain, which they've
dubbed Vecna, based on a wizard who harnesses the powers of a dark realm.
However, being set in the '80s, it means that the show is finally tackling the "Satanic
Panic" of the era.
During this time, certain activities — like playing "Dungeons and Dragons" – were considered
legitimately evil in a supernatural sense.
This was spurred on by a growing Evangelical movement during the conservative Reagan administration.
The artist Jack Chick, of the infamous "Chick tracts" comics, was an acolyte of both extreme
Evangelicalism and conservatism, and immediately jumped on the anti-"D&D" bandwagon.
He wrote and drew the strip "Dark Dungeons," where a girl uses spells she learned from
"D&D" to control people.
In Episode 2 of Season 4, basketball star Jason — whose girlfriend Eddie was framed
for killing — retells nearly the same hypothetical about why Eddie, a known "D&D" player, is
dangerous.
"Eddie Munsen – he's a part of that freak devil cult Hellfire."
At the end of Season 3 of "Stranger Things," viewers saw Hopper get blown up during the
last episode, sacrificing himself in an attempt to stop the encroaching Upside Down.
However, we also got a tantalizing after credits scene that hinted that he might be alive in
a Russian prison.
This means that Season 4 deals with Joyce and Murray attempting to find and rescue Hopper
from the Soviet Union.
This is set in motion when they find what looks like a ransom note and a phone number
to call.
When they dial the number, they get in touch with a Russian who claims he can get Hopper
to safety — for a price.
However, when Joyce initially calls the number, the dialed numbers play out the notes to the
original "Mission: Impossible" theme.
For those unaware, the "Mission: Impossible" series starring Tom Cruise is an adaptation
of the Cold War-era TV series from the '60s starring Peter Graves.
There was even an ill-fated reboot in the '80s, the decade "Stranger Things" is set.
This also alludes to the ensuing plot, as Joyce and Murray have to deal with spies,
double-crosses, and even the use of disguises in classic "Mission Impossible" fashion.
It's also worth noting that one of the Tom Cruise-starring films started with Ethan Hunt
escaping a Russian prison, so it's clearly not a coincidence.
Aside from "Star Wars," "The Lord of the Rings" might be the biggest nerd property on the
planet.
Written by English professor and linguist J.R.R.
Tolkien, the "Lord of the Rings" is about a group of dwarves, elves, hobbits, humans
and wizards sent on a quest to destroy a magical ring so an evil warlord named Sauron can't
use it to control the world.
The backbone of all modern fantasy stories, even "Stranger Things" owes a lot to Tolkien.
So, during the penultimate episode of Season 4, it's no surprise when Eddie compares the
mission to stop Vecna with stepping into Mordor to stop Sauron.
While they spout off quotes and character names, it comes into clear focus later how
similar the Upside Down actually looks to Mordor.
Eddie also mentions "the Burning of the Shire," better known as the Scouring of the Shire.
Outside of a small flash-forward, this isn't in the movies – it happens after Sauron
is defeated.
It's a reference to the wholesome town of Hawkins succumbing to hate and fear, as well
as the supernatural threat of the Upside Down.
The Grandfather clock motif throughout the fourth season of "Stranger Things" seems out
of place at first glance.
Eventually, it is made clear that such references are to the original Creel house, where One
first realized his latent — and devastating — psychic powers.
However, more than that, this is a reference to the classic graphic novel "Watchmen" by
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
Clocks play a big part in the comic in a couple ways: for one, there's the Doomsday Clock,
ticking ever closer to midnight.
There's also the "Watchmen" character Jon Osterman, who is put into a particle accelerator
and ripped apart into atoms ... but eventually reconstructs himself into an all-powerful
superhero.
In the comics, Jon Osterman's father was a watchmaker, and it is heavily implied that
his father's tutelage gave Jonathan the knowledge of how things are put together, and is what
helped him reconstruct himself after being split apart.
This becomes more clear as One describes his backstory to Eleven and Nancy in a montage
scored by Philip Glass' "Pruit Igoe and Prophecies" — the same song Zack Snyder used in his
2009 "Watchmen" feature film adaptation.
Though the seminal dystopian sci-fi anime feature "Akira" didn't come out until 1988
— two years after the fourth season of "Stranger Things" is set — the manga that the anime
was adapted from initially came out in 1982.
Much like the tale of Eleven, the "Akira" story focuses on a group of children with
latent psychic abilities being controlled, monitored, and experimented on by a corrupt
government agent.
That is, until one of the children — Tetsuo — escapes and wreaks havoc on New Tokyo.
Tetsuo eventually is overcome by his own abilities, becoming horribly disfigured.
This is very similar to the fate of One, who tricked Eleven into freeing him.
This includes the disfigurement, with the tentacles being similar to the veiny, tentacled
hand of Tetsuo during the climax of "Akira."
"This place, and the people here, are not what you think."
As well, One has a very "anime" look, with his hair (though blonde) styled in a way similar
to Tetsuo, as well as his face being lit in a way that makes his facial features reminiscent
of the character.
Even the final disintegration (in the show, initiated by Eleven) has visual similarities
to shots from the classic anime and manga.
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