Movies That Stranger Things Season 1 References

1 Steve Harrington = Jean-Ralphio Saperstein From Parks and Recreation

Image Sources: NBC and Netflix

Though I wouldn't go so far as to say that there's a conspiracy afoot, after Steve's hair starts getting gelled up in the second episode, it's hard to deny the resemblance between him and Jean-Ralphio.

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2 Eleven = Furiosa From Mad Max: Fury Road

Image Sources: Netflix and Warner Bros.

It's hard to be this fierce, but these are two extraordinarily fierce females. It should come as no surprise that a picture of Furiosa inspired Millie Brown, the actress who plays Eleven, to let them chop all her hair off.

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3 The Quarry = The Quarry in The Walking Dead

Image Sources: Netflix and AMC

To be fair, there aren't a whole lot of quarries that they could be referring to. And the fact that they actually shot it in the same place in Georgia probably helps, too.

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4 The Woods = The Woods in The Walking Dead

Image Sources: Netflix and AMC

Who knew that being in the woods required a sheriff's hat?

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5 Jonathan Byers = Bill Hader

Image Sources: Netflix and Getty / Steve Granitz

There's no justification needed. They're definitely the same person.

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6 The Sensory Deprivation Tank = The Sensory Deprivation Tank From Fringe

Image Sources: Fox and Netflix

The craziest part is that the sensory deprivation tank serves as the portal to an alternate universe in both shows.

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7 The Boys Riding Bikes = The Boys Riding Bikes in Freaks and Geeks

Image Sources: Netflix and Fox

Cue nostalgic '80s music; those really were the good old days.

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8 The Group of Kids = The Group of Kids in Super 8

Image Sources: Paramount Pictures and Netflix

There are loads of similarities between the movie and the show, but the faces in both pictures really seal the deal.

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9 Eleven in the Tank = Donnie Darko

Image Sources: Netflix and 20th Century Studios

Yes, the sensory deprivation tank is more reminiscent of Fringe, but it's hard to deny the similarity between the cry for help in these two side-by-side photos.

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10 The Electrodes on Eleven = The Electrodes in Firestarter

Image Sources: Universal Pictures and Netflix

Drew Barrymore doesn't crush a Coke can with her brain, but she does light fires.

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11 The Axe in the Wall = The Axe in the Wall in The Shining

Image Sources: Netflix and Warner Bros.

There was someone on the other side of the wall in The Shining, but there was something on the other side of the wall in Stranger Things.

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12 Netherworld = Netherworld in Under the Skin

Image Sources: Netflix and A24 Films

Watching the show next to the movie is a surreal experience; though these two women have very different intentions, the route they use to get there is identical.

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13 Bully With a Knife = Bully With a Knife in The Goonies

Image Sources: Warner Bros. and Netflix

The real message here? Stay away from bullies.

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14 Hazmat Suit = Hazmat Suit in E.T. the Extraterrestrial

Image Sources: Universal Studios and Netflix

There are more than a few ways to deal with the supernatural, but both E.T. and Stranger Things take the same tactic: don't get too close to what you don't understand.

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15 Barb Holland = Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink

Image Sources: Netflix and Paramount Pictures

Eerie.

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16 Joyce Byers = Kate Hewson From Wayward Pines

Image Sources: Fox and Netflix

Both of these women lean toward the hysterical, yet they're more correct about the truth than they could ever possibly know.

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