5 possible movie influences (and 1 bonus) for Stranger Things 3
With the news that Stranger Things 3 takes place in the summer of 1985, what sorts of pop culture influences might the production turn to?
About the only way to make this piece of Stranger Things 3 news more official would be to hear it from production itself. However, we do know that production has already started, so seeing Noah Schnapp tell The Hollywood Reporter that the third season will skip forward to the summer of 1985 means that we can pretty much take it as true.
But, of course, the show likes its pop culture references. As a result, we took a look back at the pop culture history of 1985 to pick out five movies that might merit mentions in season 3 of Stranger Things.
There is one non-movie lurking at the very end, though…
Back to the Future
Released in June of 1985, Back to the Future seems like one of the most likely movies to get referenced by the characters throughout the third season. Heck, time travel itself might even play a role in the plot, though that’s just a guess — it’s just possible, considering the nature of the Upside Down as an alternate dimension.
Beyond that, though, the sci-fi and strong friendships of Back to the Future basically make it ideal for our Hawkins heroes.
Teen Wolf
More of a Nancy movie just by its nature as a teen comedy, Teen Wolf dropped in August of 1985. Honestly, we’d be shocked if Michael J. Fox didn’t get a reference or two throughout the season. Thematically, though, the plot of Teen Wolf almost makes Scott, its main character, sound like a prototype of Jonathan Byers — down to the left turn that things take in season 1 for Jonathan.
Fright Night
Okay, we would not be surprised if at least some of the boys try to sneak into a screening of Fright Night, which also arrived in August of 1985. Stranger Things has always had a horror flavor to it, and Fright Night not only fills that in but also gets to the more meta level that Stranger Things shoots for. After all, one of its main characters literally hosts a TV show that presents other old horror flicks. Who couldn’t imagine the Byers brothers staying up late to catch something like that?
Rocky IV
The mentality of holding firm or even going in to get some revenge for your friends could both apply to both Stranger Things and Rocky IV. Granted, summer 1985 is a little too early to see someone refer to explicit plot points because it didn’t arrive until November of 1985. However, with the knowledge that it’s coming, the boys might end up watching the first three films or mentioning that they’re planning to have a film fest. Hey, maybe it’s part of Jim and Jane Hopper’s father-daughter bonding time. Who doesn’t like a good boxing movie, right?
The Goonies
It’s been noted basically since Stranger Things first arrived that the show has a lot of ties to The Goonies. This one might not get too many references just because it’d be so obvious as to almost jar viewers out of enjoying the show. However, it did arrive in June of 1985, and so it’s pretty much in prime territory.
Shame about Bob, though…Okay, yeah, that’d be too obvious.
A bonus: The Nintendo Entertainment System
1985 also saw the debut of the NES. Granted, by summer of 1985, it’d only been announced and shown in North America at the Consumer Electronics Show, not actually in the market. However, with the boys being members of the school A/V club as well as pretty avid Dungeons & Dragons fans, who’s to say that the arrival of games like The Legend of Zelda or even Super Mario Bros. wouldn’t excite them too? At least one character might already be saving to buy the system when it comes out.
Next: 6 classic and creepy Winona Ryder films for Stranger Things fans
What references do you want in the next season of Stranger Things?