It is no secret that the Duffer Brothers took heavy inspiration from their childhood when creating Netflix's Stranger Things. With its roller rinks, D&D, and being responsible for the revival of Kate Bush's career, the sci-fi horror show is a symphony of 80s references. The show's setting makes these Easter eggs easy to spot, but the true inspiration comes from the media that came before it — sci-fi and horror.
While the most recent season of Stranger Things may seem more horror than it does sci-fi driven, the show has taken inspiration from all over, blending the two genres. While it is unique in its own right, there are a handful of classic sci-fi and horror films that fans of Stranger Things are sure to love.
10 Firestarter (1984) Features A Super-Powered Girl Escaping The Bad Men
The Duffer Brothers have admitted to taking inspiration from all over cinema and television to create their hit series, but nowhere is that inspiration most apparent when looking at 1984's Firestarter. The film is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Stephen King and draws similarities to Carrie.
Firestarter features a little girl named Charlie with telekinetic powers who the government is trying to weaponize, a recurring theme throughout Stranger Things. Charlie loses her mother, and her father is abducted as the film follows the two attempting to reunite. Fans who love Hopper and Eleven are sure to love this dynamic.
9 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Brings An Unexperienced Being To A Small Town
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is more of a sci-fi film than it is a horror film, but for the time, the idea of anything from space was a scary concept. On its surface, the most Stranger Things may have in common with E.T. are a few visual gags. But for fans who have yet to see the classic Steven Spielberg film, the similarities are endless.
The themes of Season 1 of Stranger Things and E.T. are so similar. Even the Duffers themselves admitted there were points where they wanted to elicit the same childlike wonder from audiences when it came to El.
8 Scanners Pits Telekinetic Beings Against One Another
1981's Scanners boasts all the same sci-fi tropes the inaugural season of Stranger Things does, but by Season 4 the similarities in themes are uncanny. Just like the battles between Eleven and the Mind Flayer, and One/Vecna/Henry Creel, the scanners are two sides of the same coin fighting against one another.
In Scanners, scanners are telekinetic beings that ultimately are used by a private military to help fight a rogue group with the same powers. The film is host to body horror, so if viewers didn't like the meaty Mind Flayer in Season 3 of Stranger Things, squeamishness is guaranteed with a viewing of this controversial cult classic.
7 The Terminator Is A Graphic & Tense Thriller
Another multi-genre fan favorite is 1984's The Terminator. Melding science fiction, horror, and action, The Terminator was a cultural phenomenon that fans who enjoyed Season 3 of Stranger Things are sure to have a blast with.
Visually, Grigori from Season 3 bears a striking resemblance to Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator and his role is nearly the same — hunt and terminate a target. The thrill of the chase combined with the looming threat of the deadly assassin is sure to keep viewers at the edge of their seats.
6 The Blob (1988) is a Gory Interpretation of Its Predecessor
While Season 1 of Stranger Things showed intense post-mortem imagery in the Upside Down, it was not home to visceral gore-like horror until Season 3. The Duffer Brothers have cited the 1988 rendition of The Blob as a point of inspiration for the grotesque amalgamation of body parts that creates the Mind Flayer.
If Stranger Things fans couldn't look away from the gross consumption of human beings to create the mind flayer, this living mold is sure to evoke the same feeling of morbid curiosity. The Blob first hit screens in the 50s, but this version packs a punch with effects and gross visuals, leaving the more voyeuristic fans feeling satisfied.
5 Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Is A Cinematic Marvel
During the earlier seasons of Stranger Things, eagle-eyed viewers were quick to point out the shots and references directly taken from Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Iconic imagery and scenes from the classic film were used as an homage by the Duffer Brothers, which they have discussed several times in the past few years.
The cinematography was so iconic that the show has its own version of memorable shots at several points in the series. If Will Byers' interaction with the Upside Down, Demogorgons, and the Mind Flayer were intriguing, then Close Encounters of the Third Kind is sure to leave audiences captivated.
4 The Alien Films Send Chills Up Viewers' Spines
One of the pioneers of the sci-fi horror genre, the Alien franchise has inspired many television shows and movies since its debut in 1979. The sequel, Aliens, is regarded as a more iconic watch because of the cinematography and easier-to-follow plot. The Alien franchise is home to one of the most spine-chilling horror movie antagonists of all time, the Xenomorph.
Many scenes from the Alien franchise are directly mirrored with Stranger Things' Demogorgons, from Nancy Wheeler hiding in Season 1 to the eggs they hatch from in the Upside Down. If viewers enjoy the anxiety from watching Nancy Wheeler and the gang interact up close with the monsters of the Upside Down, the Alien films are a must-watch.
3 Gremlins Shows One Creature Is Not Like Its Kin
Gremlins might give some viewers a fear of pets after watching it. Dustin's experience with Dart the Demodog almost directly mirrors the relationship between Billy Peltzer and Gizmo the Mogwai. Eventually breaking the rules to care for the animal, chaos ensues.
Gremlins come from the same cloth as Gizmo, and they kill and run a rampage throughout the town much like the Demodogs introduced in Season 2. If the love between a boy and his Demodog tugs at the heartstrings, so will the love between a boy and his Gizmo.
2 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978) Turns Everyone Into A Potential Threat
As a remake that debuted in 1978, Invasion of the Body Snatchers had an unmatched cultural staying power. For fans who loved the idea of the Mind Flayer possessing and controlling innocent townsfolk, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the film to watch.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers shows what happens when an alien race attempts to copy and imitate humanity in the name of presumably taking over the planet. The film follows one woman and her attempt to get to the bottom of the takeover, much like Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byer's adventure to get to the bottom of the Mind Flayer in Hawkins.
1 Altered States (1980) Depicts How Mind-Blowing Telekinetic Powers Can Be
Being wildly renowned for having everything a pop film should have, nothing would satisfy Stranger Things fans like Altered States, which was released in 1980. The imagery of sensory deprivation tanks and alternate channels of consciousness are common sites for viewers of the Netflix original, but Altered States flips this idea on its head.
Altered States follows Edward Jessup, a psychopathologist, as he does experiments on hallucinogenic drugs and finds that he can enter different consciousnesses with the aid of sensory deprivation. The further into these experiments he goes, the more his mind alters until it is physical as well. El's scenes with Brenner draw direct inspiration from this film, and if fans have a morbid curiosity about the experiments in the Rainbow Room, Altered State can theorize what it's like.