WASHINGTON 鈥� Will a streaming show spark听sci-fi horror for a new era?
Stranger things听have happened. In fact, “Stranger Things” just听happened.
Netflix’s eight-episode series is the latest binge-watching craze, following the creepy events of the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. It’s here that a single听mom,听Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), searches for her 12-year-old son Will (Noah Schnapp), who has been abducted into an alternate dimension.
Joyce听enlists the help of Police Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and her eldest son Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), who has a crush on classmate听Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer). But the missing boy’s best hope is his听trio of friends:听the conscientious Mike (Finn Wolfhard), the bold Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and the goofy听Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), who听encounter a听strange girl named听Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Where did Eleven come from? And could听her special powers help find听Will?
If all that sounds strange, it absolutely is. And yet, that’s precisely the point.
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer have branded themselves听“The Duffer Brothers”听as if to听harness the thrills of the Coens, the humor of the Farrellys, the indie cred听of the听Duplasses and the sci-fi of the Wachowskis. The result is a听campy, oddly听gripping send-up of genre films of the late ’70s and ’80s.
These nostalgic memories 鈥� mixed with great characters and smart听storytelling 鈥� are precisely the reasons why “Stranger Things” has caught fire. Like the听’80s creature from “The Thing,” it absorbs familiar elements听from our pop genre听iconography听and 鈥� to quote “Spinal Tap” 鈥斕齮urns it听up to 11.
Which beloved flicks does “Stranger Things” succeed in recapturing the magic?
SPOILER ALERT:听Expect some unavoidable听spoilers below:
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind”听(1977). The most听crucial听homage belongs to Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters,” which defined supernatural child abduction.听It also paved the way for a parent to conduct听bizarre rituals in the home, appearing听crazy to neighbors but actually nearing the truth. Instead of Richard Dreyfuss building mashed potato mountains, we get Winona Ryder stringing听Christmas lights, building to a secret government facility trying to cover it all up.
“Poltergeist” (1982).听The second most important homage is another nod to Spielberg, who wrote the script for Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist.” Without this 1982 supernatural horror classic, there would be no kid getting sucked into an alternate dimension. Winona Ryder’s attempts to communicate with her missing son Will via flashing听Christmas lights is a direct reference to Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams communicating with their missing daughter Carol Anne via听TV static. “They’re heeeere.”
“E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982).听Keeping with the Spielberg kick, there’s no denying the obvious similarities to “E.T.” 鈥斕齪articularly the early episodes with听Eleven. Mike encounters Eleven in the woods, just like Elliott听saw听E.T. in the cornfield (minus the Reese’s Pieces). As he hides Eleven in his home, he shows her action figures and hides her in a closet. Parents make close calls in spotting her. Authorities in hazmat suits try听to听steal her. There’s even a听magical bike chase in the seventh episode.
“Jaws” (1975).听In a final听Spielberg nod, “Stranger Things” features the “Jaws” poster on the wall and a creature that is attracted to blood (Watch out,听Barb!). Most importantly, The Duffers听attempt to follow Spielberg’s technique of not showing their monster until听later in the movie. Less is more.
“Alien” (1979).听Ridley Scott similarly kept his creature concealed in “Alien,” offering only flashes as the alien devoured members of the starship Nostromo. For my taste, “Stranger Things” shows too much of its creature in the alternate world听(i.e. M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs”). Still, the shock flashes of its听Venus-flytrap mouth are听similar to the alien striking during the “Alien” hunt for听Jones the Cat.
“The Breakfast Club” (1985).听It’s not all killer creatures and alternate dimensions. “Stranger Things” wouldn’t be the beloved show it is without some good old-fashioned听teen romance. Many of the school hallway scenes are听straight out of听John Hughes flicks (“Breakfast Club,” “Pretty in Pink”).
“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982).听In addition to the in-school scenes, the extracurricular scenes recall high school party flicks like Amy Heckerling’s “Fast Times at Ridgmont High.” Teens hold parties while the听parents are out of town, flirting and drinking beers by the pool. You almost expect “Somebody’s Baby” to start playing as听Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) takes Nancy up to his bedroom.
“All the Right Moves” (1983)听& “Risky Business” (1983). This pair of Tom Cruise movies seems to represent Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). In one scene, he actually says he looks like Tom Cruise and sings “Old Time Rock ‘n Roll” in an homage to “Risky Business.” Later, he writes “slut” in graffiti on听the movie theater marquee, which shows Cruise’s “All the Rights Moves,” set in a small blue-collar听town.
“The Omen” (1976). Steve听Harrington’s rival in the Nancy love triangle is Will’s quiet older brother Jonathan. At first, Nancy thinks he’s a creepy peeping Tom when she catches him taking photos of her undressing by Steve’s window. But it turns out his photos have captured supernatural clues just like the photographer pursuing Damien in听“The Omen” (1976). The red-tinted dark room is听uncanny.
“Blue Velvet”听(1986). The relationship between听Jonathan and Nancy recalls听Laura Dern and Kyle MacLachlan in “Blue Velvet” as they peel back the town’s mystery and plunge deeper into darkness. Hawkins becomes a new sort of Lumberton with secrets lurking beneath the perfectly-cut grass.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984).听The scene where听Nancy asks Jonathan to听lie in bed with her 鈥� keeping the lights on 鈥� beckons Wes Craven fans to chant: “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you.”
“A Christmas Story” (1983). The bully duo that torments the young听protagonists听is听reminiscent of Scut Farkus and Grover Dill听in “A Christmas Story.” All that’s missing is the “Peter and the Wolf” tune.
“The Goonies” (1985) and “Stand By Me” (1986).听Speaking of our young group of heroes, “Stranger Things” highlights their adventurous听camaraderie,听from riding bikes to building forts to playing Dungeons & Dragons. There’s the smart one, the caring one and the听“chunky”听one with a heart of gold.听This is all made possible by Richard Donner’s “The Goonies” and Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me.”
“Carrie” (1976).听“Stand By Me” isn’t the only Stephen King story referenced in “Stranger Things.” Eleven’s superpowers appear to come straight from Brian DePalma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “Carrie” (1976). In Episode 7, a local woman describes Eleven’s super听powers:听“Have you ever read Stephen King? Telekinesis, telepathy.” The only thing missing is Sissy Spacek听burning down the prom.
Matthew Modine & Winona Ryder.听The casting of famous ’80s faces can’t be听coincidental. Matthew Modine broke in听with听“Full Metal Jacket” (1987) and “Married to the Mob” (1988), while Winona Ryder rose to fame with听“Beetlejuice” (1988), “Heathers” (1988) and “Edward Scissorhands” (1990).
“Ernest Scared Stupid” (1991).听While many folks remember “Ernest Saves Christmas,” it was the Halloween rendition that inspired “Stranger Things.” In “Ernest Scared Stupid,” kids keep disappearing in the small town of Briarville, Missouri, thanks to an evil troll. The freaked-out听friends听ultimately track the mystery to a tree where the kids are trapped. Sound familiar?
“The Empire Strikes Back” (1980). In Episode 7, Dustin makes multiple references to “Star Wars” character Lando Calrissian. You’ll find these direct dialogue allusions听around the 18-minute听mark as the kids use听walkie talkies and again at the 20-minute mark as the kids are听inside a school bus.
“The Thing” (1982). In this same episode, the schoolteacher watches听John Carpenter’s 1982 horror classic.听As his girlfriend covers her eyes in horror, the teacher points at the special effects and says, “You know how they did that? Melted plastic and bubble gum.” The poster also hangs on听a wall.
New millennium references. While most homages come from the ’70s and ’80s, you’ll notice several newer allusions. The high-school hijinx recall “Freaks & Geeks” (1999-2000). Eleven channels her mental powers in a liquid vat听like听Agatha in “Minority Report” (2002). Once inside her alternate dimension, Eleven appears in a black void with water on the ground like Scarlett Johansson in听“Under the Skin” (2014). Most obviously, the kids clash with a monster like J.J. Abrams’ “Super 8” (2011).
Why point out all these similarities? It’s certainly not to criticize “Stranger Things.”听Rather, it’s an attempt to showcase that The Duffer Brothers are pop-culture buffs who know exactly what they’re doing, weaving beloved genre archetypes into a sci-fi horror tapestry that leaves us .
As “Stranger Than Paradise” director Jim Jarmusch said of his own ’80s rise to prominence:
鈥淣othing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things … that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. Don鈥檛 bother concealing your thievery; celebrate it if you feel like it. …听Always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It鈥檚 not where you take things from 鈥� it鈥檚 where you take them to.'”
In the case of “Stranger Things,”听it has taken us through a glorious “show hole” into an alternate dimension, a crazy听upside-down world that has听turned television inside out. You know, binge land.
