17 Key Cinematic Influences On Stranger Things

5) John Hughes

Like John Carpenter, John Hughes is all over Stranger Things, even if no specific movies of his can be said to influence the plot in any deep way. Generally Hughes-like characters dominate Jonathan and Nancy’s storylines: there’s the outcast (Jonathan) pining for the good girl in the bad crowd (Nancy), and a group of cartoonish jocks, the charismatic leader of whom (Steve) is gradually revealed to have secret hidden layers.

Hughes’ presence is felt elsewhere, too. There’s a cheesy makeover scene for Eleven, where she’s turned from feral child to apple in Will’s eye, and a few heartfelt confessionals that seem to draw from the likes of The Breakfast Club. Meanwhile, the Hughes-penned Home Alone plays a key part in one episode – Chapter Eight – as Jonathan, Nancy and Steve set home made traps in the Byers residence to neutralize the Demagorgon.