Stranger Things References, Part 1: Spielberg and Oblivious Adults

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 Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, and Stephen King.

In anticipation of Season 2 of Stranger Things, we kick off a muti-part series about the myriad references, homages, and Easter Eggs scattered throughout the first Emmy-nominated season.

Transcript provided by Youtube:

00:03
Stranger Things is fueled by its bountiful nostalgia and love for the 80s.
00:07
At times it even feels like a creative mash-up of the works of Spielberg, John Carpenter,
00:12
and Stephen King.
00:13
And the series did come out of a mash-up process: to help sell the show, creators the Duffer
00:18
Brothers edited a mock trailer from over 25 films like Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street,
00:24
and E.T. Through its seemingly endless list of fun allusions, Stranger Things revives
00:29
the era and brings the 80s to a youth who never lived it.
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But it also examines and updates 80s pop culture in a deeper way, revisiting key themes and
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motifs, like: –The emergence of a punk emo culture, in
00:40
which “freaks and geeks” reject the tyranny of the popular crowd and the bully, and embrace
00:45
“Stranger Things” over what’s normal. — The Spielbergian combination of supernatural
00:49
terror with the safe world of children.
00:52
Childlike awe and wonder mix with fear and paranoia about the beyond, as well as a dark
00:56
government agenciy and a general distrust of authority.
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–Stephen King’s sense of threat coming both from without and within — both external
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monsters, and the darkness within ourselves.
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–And most tangibly, a simpler childhood when kids rode their bikes all over town working
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out their own problems, and adults had no idea what was going on (even if the reality
01:16
never really existed quite like that.)
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[If anyone asks where I am, I’ve left the country.]
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[What?1?]
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Matt Duffer has said that the three strands of generations in the show — the adults,
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teens and kids — each exist in a “different 80s universe.
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The adults are in a Spielberg film. The teens are in an 80s horror film like Halloween or
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Nightmare on Elm Street. And the kids are in a Stephen King novel, like Standy By Me
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or It.”
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So now let’s look closer at all these strands of homages and easter eggs to get everything
01:44
we can out of Season 1 of Stranger Things.
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Iconic Spielberg movies get a ton of shout-outs in Stranger Things.
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According to EP Shawn Levy, Indiana and especially the town of Hawkins evoke a feeling of
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“Spielbergian Americana.”
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This Spielberg layer situates Stranger Things in a down-to-earth world full of well-meaning
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but oblivious adults, who only slowly come to recognize that they’re witnessing something
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strange and unusual.
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Stranger Things is referencing E.T. right from the very first shot — Both open with
02:11
the starry sky.
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In both, we’re introduced to the characters while they are playing a game of Dungeons
02:16
and Dragons and eating pizza, specifically sausage and pepperoni.
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And Stranger Things’ overall premise is eerily similar to E.T.’s: a group of kids
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finds an outsider and must hide from a secret government agency.
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Eleven corresponds strikingly to E.T.
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In two memorable scenes, both Eleven and E.T. are dressed up with a wig and a dress.
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The two even display loves for a very particular food: Reese’s Pieces for E.T. and Eggos
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for Eleven.
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[My mom, she’s a pretty awesome cook. She can make you whatever you like.]
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[Eggos.]
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Both Eleven and E.T. are curious as they explore the house and watch TV for the first time
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when they are alone.
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Mike and Elliot both pretend to be sick and stay home with Eleven and E.T., respectively.
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The kids also ride their bikes to try and outrun a shady government organization in
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a fight sequence showing heavily armed adults chasing down a few regular kids.
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While E.T. helps them escape by levitating their bikes, Eleven flips a van to clear the
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way.
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Of course, one key difference emerges in Mike’s obvious romantic attraction to Eleven, which
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wasn’t a factor for Elliot & ET.
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Will’s family has the same structure as the one in E.T.: the single mom, and two brothers
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about the same age.
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The first episode of Stranger Things copies ET’s flashlight in the bushes shot:
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Will also spells out “Right Here” with the Christmas lights,
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a reference to ET’s line:
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[I’ll be right here.]
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The little sister Holly is dressed up in the same clothes and pigtails as Drew Barrymore’s
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character in ET.
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There’s a small homage to Close Encounters of the Third Kind when Holly goes into Will’s
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room, and she’s pulled away from danger by Joyce.
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In Close Encounters, they also communicate with aliens using lights and synths,
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just like Joyce communicates with Will using the lights.
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And Joyce becomes like Richard Dreyfuss’ character, as both become isolated due to
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their obsession with a supernatural force.
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A poster for Spielberg’s Jaws can be seen in the background of the Byers’ home.
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Like the Jaws shark, the Demogorgon is attracted to blood.
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Nancy even cites this fact when she’s developing her theory about the monster.
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[Sharks can detect blood in one part per million. That’s one drop of blood in a million.
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And they can smell it from a quarter mile away.]
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The character of Jim Hopper also reminds us of Jaws’ Chief Brody.
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Both are formerly city cops working in small towns where nothing bad ever really happens.
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Both are driven by a sense of fatherly protection. Brody snaps into action after the shark
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goes after his son. And Hopper feels like saving Will can make up for the death of his
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own daughter.
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Both also have to fight higher authorities to save their communities.
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Even the scene when they fill out the missing persons report is shot in the same way.