8 ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Callbacks to Beloved ’80s Movies You Might Have Missed
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 is here, and with it comes a fresh wave of shocks, nostalgia, and long-awaited answers that push the story toward its final chapter. It also brings a huge heaping amount of pop-culture movie references to let fans know that Ross and Matt Duffer are still tipping their hats to the films that inspired the series from the very beginning.
According to Matt Duffer, “The movies I think that are worth watching in preparation would be — and this is going to sound all over the place — Children of Men, The Great Escape, The Lost Boys, Home Alone, The Cell with Jennifer Lopez, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Back to the Future always, The Terminator for Linda (Hamilton). Those are the big ones.”
But of course, that isn’t all. We spotted a few additional visual cues to fan-favorite films from the ’80s woven into the mix, and we wanted to share them with fellow Stranger Things fans who love a good cinematic Easter egg. So, before Volume 2 unleashes a new crop of cultural references upon us, here is a deep dive into deep-cut ’80s movies you might have missed in Volume 1.
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 1, now streaming, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 2, December 25, 8/7c, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Finale, December 31, 8/7c, Netflix
Eleven is wearing the same outfit as Brand in The Goonies
Gray sweatsuit, headband, layered clothing…all Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) needs is a bike and she has Brand’s (Josh Brolin) look down to a tee. Ever since the show premiered, the Stranger Things crew has been compared to 1985’s The Goonies, so this reference feels deliberate. It’s a playful nod to the iconic ’80s adventure classic and yet another way the series pays homage to the movies that shaped its nostalgic aesthetic.
Holly's Poltergiest moment
When Holly (Nell Fisher) is attacked by a Demogorgon, it echoes Carol Anne’s (Heather O’Rourke) terrifying experience in 1982’s Poltergeist, where she’s pulled into her closet by malevolent spirits. A prominent horror pic from the ’80s, directed by Tobe Hooper and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the film remains an important piece of supernatural cinema that continues to influence modern genre storytelling, including moments like this one.
All the Back to the Future references
In Stranger Things, the gang needs to hit a frequency of 88 decibels on their satellite system to locate Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), a not-so-subtle nod to Marty McFly’s (Michael J. Fox) need to reach 88 mph to activate the DeLorean’s flux capacitor and travel through time.
There’s another Back to the Future echo as well: The moment Steve (Joe Keery) drives straight toward the gate mirrors the film’s climactic sequence, where Marty races to hit the cable wire connected to the clock tower at precisely 10:04 p.m. so he can make it back to 1985.
And of course, Robin (Maya Hawke) tricks poor Joyce (Winona Ryder) into thinking something is wrong with the flux capacitor, which is the device that enables time travel in the BTTF franchise.
Vecna does 'The Kubrick Stare'
In the episode “The Sorcerer,” Max (Sadie Sink) is about to escape Vecna’s mind in which she is trapped when she spots Vecna as his mortal self, Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower). He gives her a glare, a look best known as the Kubrick Stare. This is a cinematic trademark used throughout Stanley Kubrick‘s films to convey unhinged menace: a downward tilt of the head paired with an upward, icy glare that signals something terrible is about to happen. It’s a classic horror visual cue, and it’s seen in classic Kubrick films such as The Shining and Full Metal Jacket, as well as 197’s A Clockwork Orange. Stranger Things uses it to chilling effect as Vecna locks his sights on Max.
The gang borrow from Nancy's playbook in Nightmare on Elm Street
Though most viewers will get a Home Alone vibe from the way the gang booby-traps the Turnbow family home in the episode “The Turnbow Trap,” the Duffer brothers have said they pulled a lot of inspiration from A Nightmare on Elm Street, specifically the sequence where Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) rigs her house with traps to take on Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund, who also appeared in Stranger Things Season 4).
Elm Street‘s Nancy directly inspired Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) to set her own series of deadly traps. While Nancy Thompson was trying to pull Freddy into the real world, Nancy Wheeler was trying to kill or at least maim Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). And just like Freddy, Vecna falls victim to tripwires, projectiles, and fire.
Robin's re-enacts Good Morning, Vietnam
Stranger Things has always loved a clever cinematic parallel, and one of its most understated nods comes through a surprising connection to a very different Robin. Both films feature a Robin who is a radio DJ broadcasting from a militarized zone, pretending to assist the brass while secretly helping those who truly need them, the ones fighting the good fight. In 1987’s Good Morning, Vietnam, Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) lifted spirits with impersonations and rapid-fire gags, while in Stranger Things, Robin Buckley (Maye Hawke) was sending out coded messages of her own, slipping crucial information past those who were listening for all the wrong reasons. Both offer whirlwind delivery and brighten spirits in a time of need.
Linda Hamilton channels her inner Terminator
Linda Hamilton has always been, and will always be, a force of nature. In 1984’s The Terminator, her Sarah Connor was relentlessly hunted by a T-800 determined to track her down. So when Hamilton’s Dr. Kay strides down the hallway in Stranger Things, gun in hand, the moment instantly harkens back to her days. The lighting and atmosphere mirror the tension of the iconic Club Noir sequence, echoing the same ominous vibe Arnold brought to the screen as the hunter closed in on Sarah. It’s a subtle but unmistakable tribute to one of Hamilton’s most legendary roles.
Murray's fake name is a nod to Spies Like Us
When Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) is smuggling goods into Hawkins, he tells the military that his name is “Austin Millbarge.” This is the name of Dan Akyroyd’s character in the 1985 John Landis-directed comedy Spies Like Us. In the film, Austin Millbarge is a Pentagon code-compliance supervisor who, along with his partner Emmett Fitz-Hume (Chevy Chase), is sent on a government mission as a decoy to distract Russian forces while a real mission is carried out.
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