Stranger Things 2 Big Thread of References

Jim

I'm considering putting together a video showcasing a bunch of the 80s-inspired stuff in Stranger Things season 2 and need your help to catalog as much as possible.  I'm looking for the things that only people familiar with the material would get.  For instance, a Jaws poster on the wall of Will's room doesn't count, but Hopper going back for his hat before they torch the place, ala Indiana Jones, would definitely count.

RyanReeseman

Sean Astin asking if there’s pirate treasure at the X is probably the big obvious one.

adobo1148

Wasn't there a Stay frosty ala Aliens reference? 

Jim

Yes, yes there was. It's in my notes so it'll be super easy to find.

CodySolo

I noticed what seemed to me to be four different references to Temple of Doom.

- Hopper grabbing his hat is a reference to when Indy and Short Round escape from the collapsing room.
- The filming and editing style of the scene where Nancy and Jonathan fret about whether to hook up is a reference to the sequence with Indy and Willie fretting about whether to hook up in the palace. 
- Max wearing a block on her foot in order to reach the gas pedal is a reference to Short Round doing the same thing in Shanghai.  
- Nancy using a burning poker rod to the side to bring Will out of his possession is a reference to when Short Round uses a torch to the side to bring Indy out of the black sleep of Kali.  

Dee

Steve and Dustin walking down the train track seemed like a nod to Stand By Me. 

Bob wanting to move to Maine (Stephen King territory). 

adobo1148

CodySolo said:

I noticed what seemed to me to be four different references to Temple of Doom.

- Hopper grabbing his hat is a reference to when Indy and Short Round escape from the collapsing room.
- The filming and editing style of the scene where Nancy and Jonathan fret about whether to hook up is a reference to the sequence with Indy and Willie fretting about whether to hook up in the palace. 
- Max wearing a block on her foot in order to reach the gas pedal is a reference to Short Round doing the same thing in Shanghai.  
- Nancy using a burning poker rod to the side to bring Will out of his possession is a reference to when Short Round uses a torch to the side to bring Indy out of the black sleep of Kali.  

Haven't seen TOD in a while but i think those r on point 

adobo1148

snakes or vines around the tunnels a pretty clear nod to Raiders of the lost Ark

adobo1148

Setting fire to the tunnels reminded me of Ripley laying waste to the Queen Xenomorph from Aliens

adobo1148

Steve Harrington's costume at the party was a nod to Risky Business

adobo1148

At the same party, the guy who refers to the punch as pure fuel is a nod the Animal house

adobo1148

Chase scene at the beginning with Kali and her gang had very A Team undertones. I recall many a chase scenes with That Black Van speeding away from the military police 

majjam0770

ET references : leaving a trail of meat instead of reeses pieces to lure the alien creature somewhere,  safety suits and airlocks going into the upside down from the lab are visually similar to the quarantine setup in ET,  and of course  the sheet-with-two-eyeholes ghost costume Eleven tried to wear trick or treating.  

hisdudeness915

I got an Evil Dead vibe when Hopper was being wrapped up and held down by the vines. 

Hatorian

Dart possibly a Gremlins reference. 

Melia004

Beyond Stranger Things is definitely worth watching.  They pointed out a reference to Ray in Ghostbusters saying "Judgement Day" very heavily, and Lucas does as well.  I don't remember exactly where, though.

One I swear I thought I noticed was the mind flayer making a sound when it noticed Will that sounded a lot like Dana Barrett looking into her fridge and hearing "Zuuuuuuul...".  Haven't been able to confirm with anyone else yet.

Also, Billy is clearly the manifestation of cocaine use in the '80s  

cdrive

The EEG scene seemed reminiscent of D.A.R.Y.L.

Billy's dangly earring was very Rob Lowe in St. Elmo's Fire.

Billy and his friends around the keg stand sort of looked like The Warriors.

This might be a stretch but the Chicago skyline had the Adventures in Babysitting building lit up.  And Steve as super babysitter seemed to be a callback.  

Thomas

All of the Alien/Aliens references towards the end were awesome.  At one point in episode 6 when the soldiers are entering the heart of the shadow monster, the leader says "everyone stay frosty," which I believe the 1SG from Aliens says right before they get eaten by the Xenos.  One reference I enjoyed that I could be wrong on, was the music in the second to last episode, it was very similar to the thrumming from the original The Thing.

MrX

Episode 8 had a lot of Jurassic Park in it. Not 80's, but definitely prime- Spielberg.

Bob turning the power back on, using his super BASIC knowledge, very much like "it's a Unix system!" sequence in the movie. And the dema-dogs were totally velociraptor stand ins. 

Zandra

Hatorian said:

Dart possibly a Gremlins reference. 

The music as he runs out of the A.V. room past Max is reminiscent of the gremlins theme. 

gguenot

Having to reboot the system to restore power was totally a call to Jurassic Park

Hatorian

Nailed it on gremlins

https://www.buzzfeed.com/beckybarnicoat/facts-about-stranger-things-2?utm_term=.boXkDx7Ay#.pb7vPKW9M

alina_mac

@A_Ron_Hubbard Did anyone get a "Last of Us" feel when Hopper and El were entering the deserted lab? Especially with the Upside Down flakes floating in the air, it looked like Joel and Ellie in a snow scene. 

highrise

Mentioned it in the other thread but I think the Nancy and Jonathan scenes with separate rooms was inspired by the Temple of doom. 

Lannitik

Surprised no one has brought up the obvious Exorcist one. 
CLEARLY the inspiration for Will and exercising the 'demon' from him. 

letrbuck2006

In no specific order at all...

- When Will is looking out the front door at the upside down when he is at home is almost identical to Close Encounters of the Third Kind..
- The Demo-dogs shedding it's skin is very similar to the Xenomorphs in Alien.
- I've heard both Indiana Jones and Evil Dead in regards to the vines grabbing Hopper.  I definitely think it's more of a Evil Dead feel to it.
- Nancy jabbing Will with the hot poker is identical to Short Round getting Indiana Jones out of his trance in Temple of Doom.
- Eleven having to move the train car is very similar to Luke's training to pull the X Wing out of the swamp with Yoda.
- Also going back to the Halloween party Tommy is dressed up in a Cobra Kai outfit from The Karate Kid
- Eleven using the TVs static has similarities to scenes in Poltergeist
- I got a Teen Wolf feel during the Billy Steve basketball showdown?
- Hopper drops a cigarette on the ground in the tunnel is similar to Ripley dropping flares in Aliens.
- Hopper grabbing his hat is very similar to Indiana Jones never leaving his hat behind.
- Reese's Pieces being Will's favorite candy seems like a throwback to E.T. 
- When Eleven wants to dress up like a ghost for Halloween is exactly what happened in E.T. to hide him
- Bob saying what's at the X "pirate treasure" is a straight rip from The Goonies.

Rid

When Dustin brings home Dart for the first time, his cat recoils and hisses just like when the full grown xenomorph first appears in Alien.

akritenbrink

Women having no agency and being either hysterical (the mom), powerless to their own sexuality (the sister) or completely disposable (Barb) was a throwback to every 80s movie as well as expectations in the actual 80s. 

I didn't watch season 2 but I bet you can find more there! 

cdrive

^ aw c’mon @akritenbrink really? You can’t shoehorn the feminism lens on everything. The hero is female for chrissakes.  Will’s Mom is a strong Mama Bear who is vindicated.  This isn’t Short Circuit.  

akritenbrink

cdrive said:

^ aw c’mon @akritenbrink really? You can’t shoehorn the feminism lens on everything. The hero is female for chrissakes.  Will’s Mom is a strong Mama Bear who is vindicated.  This isn’t Short Circuit.  

I'm not shoehorning shit, man! That's my honest take on it. I watched season 1 and felt the same ICK I felt as a young woman in the 80s when the media that references was all on the first time! 

Dee

Well, this is a thread about pop culture references in S2, not S1, but okay, here goes. 

Joyce puts herself in mortal danger to save her son. She has a male with her but she is not a passive observer. Nancy puts herself in mortal danger to find her friend. She has two males with her but she is not a passive observer. Eleven puts herself in mortal danger to save the town. She has four males with her who stand around like shags on rocks.