Intertextuality in Stranger Things

The Duffer bros created a masterpiece with Stranger Things, described by some as a "nostalgia bath." The show draws on the work of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter and Stephen King and many other notable works from the 80's. 

Carrie & Firestarter:-

Eleven from Stranger Things is a blend from two Stephen King stories about girls with telekinetic powers. Carrie and Eleven share a sheltered upbringing but are still widely knowledgable. They are also both product of needy parents, Carrie with her religious zealot and Eleven with the experimental scientist that doesn't allow socialisation with other children. Also, both characters are sweet natured but are capable of severe violence  when provoked. The classic looking out can be seen in the first photo which is when the characters have been provoked and this is before the violent outburst. The second picture shows how the duffer bros payed homage to Firestarter with the creation of the character Eleven but also with this near identical scene. 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind:-

The duffer bros chose to include a parent with an obsession with the supernatural. Much like in Close Encounters when one of the characters terrorises his family into an alien premonition. Similarly, in Stranger things, when Joyce finds out that her son is missing, she gets flashing lights and paints Ouija letters in the wall trying to reach him. Also, the shot on the right closely mirrors the original shot from close encounters. This pays homage massively as this shot was used to advertise the release of season 2. 

Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back:-

The film was released three years before Stranger Things was set. Therefore it can be assumed the boys went to see it. This can be seen with the implicit intertextuality of Mikes Yoda toy which he shows to Eleven. More explicit references can be seen in both films when they use the arm out gesture to make something move. And Mike refers to Elevens powers as "like a Jedi." 

ET:-

One of the most notable references is to Spielbergs ET. A story in a small town with boys rushing around on bikes and they find a strange creature. The first shots are when they are both found. Many similarities can be drawn including the pathetic fallacy of it being night time and its raining and the bright torchlight finding them. In both films they hide the character without the parents finding out. The second photo shows how they dress them both up as girls to try and hide them. In addition to this, in ET when they are trying to escape being caught, ET uses their powers to make the bikes fly. Similarly, in Stranger Things when the boys are escaping, Eleven uses their power to levitate a van and throw it out of the way.