The enormous success of Stranger Things can be attributed to its superb mix of the 80s nostalgia and gripping supernatural horror, the latter of which was complemented by a moving coming-of-age tale. Viewers that were mesmerized by the activities of the children riding bicycles, the hidden military laboratories, and the monsters coming from other dimensions can find many films that have directly inspired the Duffer Brothers.
These five films demonstrate childhood adventure and cosmic terror that cannot be separated, thus revealing that sometimes, the greatest secrets are just under the quiet surface of suburbia. They are movies that everyone must see if one longs for the past where small-town secrets and flashlight-lit explorations of the unknown were the order of the day.
Stranger Things Childhood Adventure & Paranoia
The kids are the ones who are abandoned, and the films that play a big role when it comes to the adult-sized problems they face, created by the storyline of Season 2 where the kids keep Will’s disorders a secret and take over the situation.
The primary emotional reaction throughout the whole story is that of being in actual peril; however, there is still the belief that companionship is able to overpower it.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982): a classic scene of Elliott with E.T. flying on a bicycle through the moonlight is visible in the cycle scenes of Stranger Things, especially when the kids are escaping from the men in suits, thus rendering the bicycle a symbol of children’s freedom and getting away from the oppressive adult rule.
The Goonies (1985): The principal group interactions – the Goon Docks crew consisting of outcasts on an unsafe and pressured adventure against time – are the emotional background of the Hawkins group once more demonstrating that children’s friendships are strong enough to face and even win over adult evils, no matter if they are criminals or monsters.
Stranger Things Supernatural Horror And Government Experiments
This keyword section shows the dark and frightening side of the show which is connected to Eleven’s past, the creation of the Upside Down, and the presence of the Demogorgon and Mind Flayer. The main fact here is that science fiction and body horror overlap each other.
Poltergeist (1982): The core idea of a kid being sucked into another realm and lighting up the family members with terrifying communication through flickering lights and gradients – a clear resemblance to Will Byers in Season 1 and the Mind Flayer in Season 2 – makes poltergeist a classic film.
Firestarter (1984): The film is based on the story of Stephen King and it is the most prominent precursor to the narrative of birthright as it presents the powerful young girl called heist, who has the ability to set things on fire and is chased by a secret government organization called The Shop, which is actually the Department of Energy’s pursuit of the young psychic.
Super 8 (2011): Filmmaking as introduced by the Slide projector is one such case where it is more recent to pay homage to the lovely childhood and the dreamy world of sci-fi, horror, and alien invasion coming along with a group of children’s film makers who just witness a train crash and their town is taken over by a secret government agency, thus capturing the essence of intrigue and childhood’s susceptibility.
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
