The ’80s were an absolutely rich decade for the horror genre. It was an age of slashers, psychics, and stupendous scares. It was a time when the likes of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and Clive Barker all became household names. However, no horror creator had such an impact on the genre as a whole more than Stephen King.
Stranger Things wears its 1980s influence proudly on its sleeve and does nothing to hide it. Especially when it comes to Stephen King easter eggs and parallels. From a young group of misfits taking on the forces of darkness to old houses hiding a deadly secret, the master of horror is given more than a few tributes in the Netflix series.
The Font (Various)
Starting right from the opening sequences of the show, one thing fans of both King and the series will know is that the red typeset that glows angrily against the black screen looks vaguely familiar. If they know the imagery but don’t know where it came from, it’s likely because it came from not one, but multiple sources.
The font is called “ITC Benguiat,” and it’s graced the covers of several of Stephen King’s best works. From Carrie to Cujo, the large red letters have practically been the face of his novels for decades.
A Group Of Kids Fights Off Evil (It, Christine, The Body)
Although Stephen King wasn’t the only creator to use a group of youngsters to fight the power of darkness, he was one of the most successful to define the trope. Well-read members of the Stranger Things audience will easily note similarities between the kids in Hawkins to groups like the Losers Club and other young heroes from King’s coming-of-age tales.
Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will of Hawkins are easy stand-ins for Bill, Ben, Stan, Mike, Eddie, and Beverly of Derry, but the older members of the cast, such as Steve, Johnathan, and Nancy, could easily run in the same pack of teens from Philidelphia that encountered a possessed Plymouth Fury. Either way, the parallels are clear and present.
Monsters Live Beneath/Within A Small Town (Various)
Again, King might not have invented this trope, but he definitely made it famous. The idea of horror coming to town is one that can be traced as far back as The Devil and Daniel Webster, but the way the series handles it is remarkably similar to King’s methods.
It might not be a clown, a demon, a vampire, or some strange combination of all three living in Hawkins, but the eldritch horrors of the Upside Down could easily square off with the supernatural entities encountered across a multitude of Stephen King’s stories. Similar to creatures like Atuin and the tendrilled terrors lurking in the mist, there are some monsters that are just beyond human understanding.
Only One Useful Member Of Law Enforcement (Needful Things)
Despite their training, their equipment, and their call to protect and serve, it seems like members of law enforcement are often a little more than useless in most horror stories. That being said, one thing that Stephen King and Stranger Things have in common is that at least one member of the police force is able to screw his courage to the sticking place.
Hopper is to Hawkins as Pangborn is to the town of Castle Rock. While one deals with missing kids, Russian spies, and creatures from another dimension, the other is able to deal with murderers, curses, and even the devil himself. Either way, the supernatural is just another day at the office for these members of the force.
There’s A Search Along The Railroad Tracks In The Woods (The Body)
Although this is more of a cinematography/filmmaking choice, the image of kids looking for something along the railroad tracks is entirely a reference to Stand By Me, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, there’s a lot more in common between the film and the story that inspired it and the iconic Netflix series.
The first season has the kids are looking for Will in the woods, the second has Dustin and Steve searching for Dart along the railroad tracks. Both sequences are reminiscent of the search for the dead body seen in the iconic film, all it’s missing is an encounter with an oncoming train and a slow-motion scream.
Someone Has Mutant Psychic Powers (Firestarter, Carrie, The Shining)
The introduction of Eleven is where things start to truly take a turn into Stephen King’s territory. King is notorious for giving kids special abilities, whether that be psychic powers, pyrotechnic abilities, or “the Shining,” and it’s usually never explained entirely. To a point, Eleven is almost the same way.
Her powers were the result of selective breeding and government experimentation, but information regarding the process has only been trickled to the viewers until season four. With the reality of Vecna revealed, more will certainly be unraveled about Eleven’s past and Dr. Brenner’s work.
Someone Has A Past With A Creepy Clown (It)
Perhaps the biggest nod to Stephen King’s work was the pep-talk with Bob in season two. As Bob is driving with Will in the passenger seat, he tells to him the tale of Mr. Baldo back when he lived in Maine. Anyone remotely familiar with the author’s work will instantly be able to draw a connection between Bob’s encounter and another infamous clown.
Although it’s not outright said that Bob’s clown was indeed a variation of It, he does go on to say that the clown offered him a balloon and started appearing in his dreams. This can only be a reference to both the novel and Tim Curry’s iconic (and scary) performance in It.
A Monster Feeds Off Of Someone’s Energy (Various)
Whether it’s Pennywise, the Crimson King, Randal Flagg, or Leland Gaunt, there is always an evil creature, demon, or entity feasting on the souls of the town or even just the energy of a single person, and the show is certainly no different. Although the series pulls the names of its creatures from the pages of a Dungeon Master’s guide, they could all arguably be connected to the same species of terror seen in the pages of Stephen King’s work.
The Demogorgon, the Mindflayer, and Vecna might look and behave different from some of Stephen King’s monstrosities, but the author’s influence has a grip as tight as a blood-sucking tendril from the Upside Down. Cosmic horror truly is one of the author’s fortes, and the Duffer Brothers know it.
A Store Has Something Sinister Behind It (Needful Things)
Easily the most subtle nod to King’s work, but not unrecognizable by any means. Although the Starcourt Mall lacks any sort of magical trinkets or demonic shopkeepers, it does conceal a secret from the small town that would blow them right off the map. Russian spies and officers might not be as dangerous as Leland Gaunt, but they do cause the same amount of explosions.
The secret base and Gaunt’s place of operations might be two different types of evil, but the results are just as destructive. Both simultaneously unite and tear a community apart, a theme King uses time and time again to tremendous effect.
A House Radiates Evil (It, Rose Red, Jerusalem’s Lot)
Stephen King has created some of the greatest haunted houses in all of horror literature. From the House on Neibolt Street to Rose Red, similar themes, imagery, and motifs are shared with the Creel house seen in season four of Stranger Things.
Its stereotypical towering visage is a clear reference to the House on Neibolt Street, and that stained glass rose on the door is clearly a callback to the large windows seen in Rose Red. When everything’s said and done, it’s blatantly a testament to how much of a character a house or structure can be.
