40 Movies and TV Shows to Watch If You Like Stranger Things – Vulture

Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Universal Pictures, Showtime, Warner Bros. and Fox Network

Are you ready to go beyond the Upside Down?

Stranger Things, Netflixs Zeitgeist-y 80s sci-fihorror series, is one of the most popular and acclaimed TV series of the past decade. Its also a love letter from its co-creators, theDuffer brothers,to the genre movies they grew up watching E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goonies,and more which contain a magic they hoped to re-create. The giant final episodes of the shows fourth season have finally dropped, but if you find yourself wanting more, why not sate yourStrangerthirst by watching the works in its (jugular) vein?

Thats where this list comes in. Below, youll find 40 movies and TV series that exist inStranger Things twilight zone, spiraling outward from its most obvious and direct inspirations and influences to neglected and forgotten flicks that deliver on the Duffer bros promise. Read on, log in, and stream away if you dare

If the films of Steven Spielberg are Stranger Things Bible, E.T. is its Johns Gospel: It may be less directly influential than other films in terms of the shows surface-level horror-film aesthetic, but it has the heart and soul that moved people more than its more straightforwardly spooky analogues and which ST is clearly attempting to evoke. From its sinister government agents in hazmat suits to its iconic bicycle imagery to its general suburbs-gone-weird vibe to its ultimate emphasis on warming hearts over chilling spines (though it remains deceptively creepy and paranoid), this story of the little alien who fell to Earth is the Stranger Things source code.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

One of the all-time great populist collaborations, this teen-adventure classic was written by Chris Columbus (Gremlins, Home Alone, Harry Potter) and directed by Richard Donner (The Omen, Superman, Lethal Weapon) from a story by Spielberg himself. Starring showbiz scions Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, and Martha Plimpton and featuring tween superstar Corey Feldman as comic relief, its story of a gaggle of dirt-broke kids on the trail of pirate treasure in the Pacific Northwest posited a world of discovery and danger literally beneath its characters suburban feet. Sound familiar?

Available to stream on HBO Max

Spielbergs sci-fi breakthrough trafficked in some of the same cover-up and conspiracy mentality that Stranger Things has utilized as a Watergate by way of The X-Files bit of flavoring. Beyond that, though, its a story of an everyday parent awed by evidence of other worlds, and like Stranger Things, it uses children menaced and abducted by these forces as emotional linchpins. A recent theatrical rerelease has given its dazzling visual effects (by 2001 and Blade Runners Douglas Trumbull) and five-note theme (by all-timer John Williams) a new grip on our collective imagination.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

Theyre heeeeere At the same time Spielberg was working on the wholesome science-fantasy of E.T., he was also collaborating with Texas Chainsaw Massacre auteur Tobe Hooper on this nightmarish demolition of the Reagan-era nuclear family. Starring Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams as wealthy young parents raising three children in a suburban development, its tale of an increasingly malevolent haunting centering on their angelic young daughter Carol Anne (Heather ORourke). Stranger Things borrows a lot from its toolbox, from the mother desperate to rescue her missing child to an electronic method of communication with the Other Side. The mother-daughter material here is white-hot with emotion, particularly when you factor in older investigators played by Beatrice Straight and Zelda Rubinstein; unlike Stranger Things, Poltergeist directly indicts the American Dream, laying the blame at the feet of the rapacious real-estate developer who built the family home. (James Wan, director of Insidious and The Conjuring, owes his entire career to this movie.)

Available to stream on HBO Max

Stranger Things has two dads: Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. While the Master of Horrors supernatural stories are undoubtedly a major influence on the show, its director Rob Reiners adaptation of his resolutely realistic coming-of-age story The Body that seems most directly responsible for the banter between its young male characters. A period piece set in 1959, it stars a killer quartet of child stars Corey Feldman, River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, and Jerry OConnell as friends who discover a dead body and learn a lot about life in the process. Stranger Things scenes of the gang traipsing along train tracks are pulled directly from this beloved drama.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

Arguably Stephen Kings masterpiece,Itcould not possibly be more directly analogous toStranger Things: Its about a bunch of boys and a single girl facing off against a horrible monster. Kings original novel was a period piece, likeStand by Me, and its original1990 TV miniseriesadaptation followed suit, featuring Tim Curry as the shape-shifting clown entity Pennywise in a career-high performance. The more recent blockbuster theatrical adaptation changes the time frame to the 1980s, hitting the same nostalgic sweet spot asStranger Things.The presence of young actor Finn Wolfhard in both certainly helps, to the point where many younger viewers feelIt ripped offStranger Thingsinstead of, arguably, the other way around.

Available to stream on Netflix and HBO Max

Its neither one of Kings best books nor one of his most highly regarded film adaptations, but from its superpowered young female lead (Drew Barrymore) to her origin in shadowy government experiments, Firestarter has a whole lot in common with Stranger Things. Its hard to imagine Eleven without this pyrokinetic protagonist as her forerunner.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

If Nancy were Stranger Things psychic superweapon rather than Eleven, you might have wound up with something close to Carrie. One of the all-time great King adaptations, its based on his debut novel about a religiously repressed teen outcast who discovers she has incredible telekinetic powers, but wants nothing more than to fit in until bullies provoke her into a murderous rampage. Directed by the 70s New Hollywood scenes number-one Hitchcock acolyte, Brian De Palma, and written by Larry Cohen, who would also pen the It mini-series, its considered a masterpiece in its own right. But Stranger Things fans might consider doing a double feature with De Palmas other psychic thriller, 1978s The Fury.

Available to stream on Amazon Prime

The third member of Stranger Things holy trinity, writer-director-composer John Carpenter made his mark on the show in a number of ways, from his increasingly influential synthesized scores to the autumnal hell comes to the suburbs vibe of this landmark slasher film. While its teen characters are a more mature demographic than Stranger Things, Winona Ryders Joyce Byers and Natalia Dyers Nancy Wheeler feel like they could be the older and younger sisters of star Jamie Lee Curtiss final girl.

Available to stream on AMC+

Halloween has its place in the horror canon, but for my money, this is Carpenters masterpiece: a claustrophobic sci-fi nightmare set deep in the Antarctic, in which Kurt Russell leads a cast of character actors to rival 12 Angry Men against a shape-shifting alien designed by Rob Bottin and Stan Winston. Without this film, the Demogorgon would not exist, period.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

Wes Cravens supernatural slasher flick launched almost as many sequels as imitators, thanks to the for-the-ages work of actor Robert Englund as its knife-gloved killer Freddy Krueger. (Hes a way less wacky guy in the original than he becomes in subsequent installments, for what its worth.) Its lack of polish really shows when youve seen enough other movies of its kind, but when it clicks? Hoo boy, Craven and company stumbled across a deep, fetid swamp of teenage terrors. While Johnny Depp getting swallowed by his bed and vomited forth in a geyser of blood is its most memorable scare, a shot of Freddys hand prodding the wall of the films final girl Nancy like a membrane eventually found its way into Stranger Things, as did the heroines name (and pajamas!).

Available to stream on Netflix and HBO Max

As horror movies about maternal anxiety go, few can top James Camerons flawless action-horror sequel to Ridley Scotts tense and terrifying sci-fi classic. The scene in which Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) rescues the young orphan shes come to care for from the viscous alien hive was repurposed byStranger Thingsinto the climactic beat for its corresponding characters, Joyce Byers and her long-lost son, Will. And by both name and nature, the Demogorgon and Xenomorph have a lot in common. Stranger Things Paul Reiser co-stars as one of cinemas greatest slimeballs, by the way.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo from his comic-book series of the same name, Akira was one of the most successful and influential anime films of the decade; in America, it was, for many years, almost the only game in town. Many of Elevens powers and their visual signatures stem from this dystopian thriller about young bikers who get mixed up in their governments weaponized psychic-power program in the sprawling city of neo-Tokyo. If youd prefer to watch Eleven wreak havoc without a gaggle of adorkable dudes in tow, this is the movie for you.

Available to stream on Tubi

Directed by cult favorite Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps), who co-wrote the script with future screenwriter and script-doctor extraordinaire Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Predator, Iron Man 3), this zippy, creepy action-horror gem reads like The Goonies vs. Universals Dark Universe. Featuring redesigns of classic fright-film icons Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon by the great Stan Winston the makeup effects and creature-design genius behind The Thing, The Terminator, Predator, Aliens, Jurassic Park and more its got a foul mouth and a good heart, a combination that went out of style until Stranger Things and It brought it back.

Available to stream on Starz

All due respect to Near Dark and Fright Night, but Joel Schumakers stylish horror comedy about a band of goth-metal-surf-punk California vampires and the guys (and girl) who team up to stop their reign of terror is hands down the best vampire movie of the 1980s. With a vibrant cast from across the entertainment spectrum Kiefer Sutherland! Dianne Wiest! Edward Herrmann! Barnard Hughes! Jason Patric! Jami Gertz! Corey Feldman and Corey Haim! and a murderously good soundtrack (including the shirtless sax anthem I Still Believe, the inspiration for Jon Hamms SNL skit Sergio), it may well be the most enjoyable teens vs. monsters flick on this list, which is saying something.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

While theres nary a supernatural note to be heard (give or take a Weird Science), the 80s high-school dramedies of auteur John Hughes are still an integral part of Stranger Things DNA. Ferris Bueller, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink: Its a long list, and The Breakfast Club takes the top spot. With a killer Brat Pack cast, it uses a bunch of sturdy teenage stereotypes jock, nerd, princess, burnout, etc. and turns their day in detention into memorable movie magic. Chances are good the Hawkins gang would see a bit of themselves in Hughess cast of characters.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

Nominally one of the few J.J. Abrams projects that didnt entail him adapting other peoples ideas (cf. Lost, Mission Impossible, Star Trek, Star Wars, Westworld), this nostalgic popcorn movie is nevertheless just as indebted to the work of Steven Spielberg (who produced it) as The Force Awakens is to George Lucas. If you get through Stranger Things and think Yknow, I sure could go for another modernized riff on the old-school ideal of good-hearted small-town folk beset by forces beyond their understanding, give this one a try.

Available to stream on HBO Max

While Spielbergs maritime monster-movie masterpiece helped inaugurate the blockbuster business model that has dominated Hollywood for more than 40 years, it didnt define its aesthetic the way his subsequent films did. Indeed, watching Jaws now feels like going to church on Christmas Eve and hearing old, semi-sacred songs thats how powerful and sublime it is in its classical simplicity. Actor David Harbours Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper owes a whole lot to Roy Scheiders Chief Brody, a family man doing his damnedest to protect the people of his town while fearing what will happen if he admits the true danger they face. From the Vertigo Shot closeup on Brody during an unexpected shark attack to the were gonna need a bigger boat jump-scare to Robert Shaws legendary USS Indianapolis monologue (Anyway, we delivered the bomb), this movie contains moments of the rawest, purest genre-film power.

Available to stream on Peacock

With the same level of shamelessness you either loved or hated during its first season,Stranger Things 2features its quartet of kid heroes dressed up inGhostbustersgray-brown jumpsuits and proton packs. Its hard to get too judgmental about it. While elements of the films gender politics have aged poorly, it remains one of the tightest combinations of big-idea science fiction and down-and-dirty belly laughs ever put onscreen thanks largely to co-writer and star Dan Aykroyd, both aSaturday Night Liveoriginal cast member and a real-life paranormal expert. The films sequel-slash-reboot, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, relocates the action from New York City to the Midwest and features Finn Wolfhard, proving that when it comes to Stranger Things and artistic influence, the door swings both ways.

Ghostbusters (1984) is available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' (2021) is available to stream on Starz

Nearly as strong a remake of its 1950s creature-feature source material as John Carpenters The Thing was a few years later, Philip Kaufmans contemporary classic shares many of those films hallmarks: a killer cast (Donald Sutherland, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Brooke Adams), grotesque body-horror creature designs, and an atmosphere of relentless paranoia. The sentient-plant biology of the Demogorgon owes a hell of a lot to the so-called pod people, as does the horticultural hellscape of the Upside Down.

Available to stream on Pluto TV and Tubi

Though less frequently cited as an influence on Stranger Things than Spielberg, Carpenter, or King most likely because hes not as much of a mainstream talent David Cronenberg casts a long shadow over Hawkins. Scanners was a breakthrough film for the cerebral, perverse Canadian horror filmmaker, chronicling a war between corporate-controlled telekinetics/telepaths and their rivals in a murderous rebel underground. In a way, it can be read as a prequel about what might have happened had Eleven truly gone rogue. Its exploding-head scene is still one of the most gorgeously gross sights in the history of the genre.

Available to stream on HBO Max

Before Stranger Things, before Game of Thrones, there was another runaway small-screen science-fantasy phenomenon. Lost is the original mystery-box TV series: a pulpy and propulsive romp that crosses stranded on a deserted island survival stories with an overarching time-and-space-warping story line that constantly twisted, turned, and raised new questions. In the pre-binge TV world, fans tuned in for the answers week after dizzying week. The divisive ending didnt stop co-creators J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof from conquering Hollywood. Stranger Things ever-expanding scope owes a lot to this one.

Available to stream on Hulu and Freevee

And before Lost, there was The X-Files, Chris Carters paranoid paranormal thriller. The show starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI Agents Mulder and Scully (their will they, wont they energy was off the freaking charts), an odd couple hes a true believer, shes a skeptic tasked with investigating cases too weird for the bureau to handle otherwise. The show famously mixed monster-of-the-week outings with episodes that built up the shows dizzying conspiratorial mythos; Stranger Things is kind of an Oops! All Mythos remix of the X-Files approach. A long-awaited revival arrived a few years ago, and there are two X-Files feature films for further investigation.

Available to stream on Hulu and Freevee

Looking for more family-friendly fare for when you and yours make it through Stranger Things? You cant beat Gravity Falls, Disneys animated answer to The X-Files. Over the course of two tight seasons, creator Alex Hirschs cast of kids explore the paranormal mysteries of the titular town, which range from silly to sinister. In an era of ambitious animated series for kids, this is one of the most accomplished of the bunch.

Available to stream on Disney+

And before The X-Files, there was the granddaddy of them all: David Lynch and Mark Frosts groundbreaking mystery-comedy-horror-soap-surrealist masterpiece Twin Peaks. An antecedent to Mulder and Scully, Agent Dale Cooper (a brilliant Kyle MacLachlan) headed to the small logging town of Twin Peaks to solve the murder of high-school homecoming queen Laura Palmer. Over 25 years after the shows unceremonious cancellation by ABC, it returned for a stunning third season on Showtime, directed in its entirety by Lynch, adding genuine avant-garde touches to its continued exploration of the supernatural forces swirling around Lauras killing. The Black Lodge may strike me down for putting it this way, but think of it as Stranger Things for grown-ups.

'Twin Peaks' (19901991) is available to stream on Paramount+

'Twin Peaks: The Return' (2017) is available to stream on Showtime

Once you get past Scanners, there are other Cronenberg films you might cite as Stranger Thingsesque before you hit this one; the parasitic slugs of Shivers, the membranous message-from-the-other-side effects of Videodrome, and the conspiracy/telepathy combo of The Dead Zone could conceivably move those movies to the front of the line. But Im going with The Brood for several reasons. For starters, its anchored by the best lead performance in any of Cronenbergs pre-mainstream films, thanks to the magnetic he-man machismo of Oliver Reed as an experimental psychotherapist. (Much love to Jeremy Irons, Jeff Goldblum, and Viggo Mortensen, but hes still my favorite Cronenberg leading man.) But most important, this movie comes across like the dark-side version of Joyce Byerss narrative: Instead of trying to rescue her child from supernatural forces, Samantha Eggars ignored and institutionalized mother character is channeling her frustration into creating murderous new offspring.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

A fascinating slice of sci-fi psychedelia, this singular collaboration between writer Paddy Chayefsky (Network) and director Ken Russell (The Whos Tommy) did not end well for the two artists. But it influenced Stranger Things in at least two distinct ways: The maverick researcher played by William Hurt subjects himself to sensory-deprivation experiments similar to those that help Eleven unlock the voidlike pathway to the Upside Down, while the stunning title sequence by Richard Greenberg (Alien, The Dead Zone) was a direct reference for the seriess own memorable opening credits.

Available to rent on Amazon and iTunes

You cant talk about troubled-tween horror, superpowered 12-year-old girls, or, really, any modern populist-genre filmmaking whatsoever without talking about William Friedkins immortal story of demonic possession. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his novel of the same name, its one of a handful of films also including Peeping Tom, Psycho, Night of the Living Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jaws, Halloween, and Alien that establish the grammar of contemporary horror filmmaking. Its emotional depth and willingness to be appalling while still appealing to the broadest possible audience may well make it the most influential of the lot.

Available to stream on the Roku Channel

Though it earned a lot of comparisons to Stranger Things in its early episodes the two shows share a network and, at least in part, a nostalgic 80s setting the German import Dark is, well, a lot darker than the Duffer brothers series. Spanning several generations, it focuses on a group of families at the center of a mysterious, Mbius striplike time anomaly that threatens not just their small town but the entire world. If you want something new to binge on Netflix once you make it through that season-four finale, this ones for you.

Available to stream on Netflix

As Stranger Things characters have aged, Richard Kellys simultaneously overratedandunderrated high-school mind-benderDonnie Darkobecomes a more and more direct touchstone for the shows supernatural teen angst. An 80s throwback long before that era became one of Hollywoods favorite aesthetics to mine,DDsees something uncanny in the blue skies, green lawns, and stonewashed jeans of its setting and era something strange enough to rewrite the rules of reality itself. Plus its stellar soundtrack (its the movie that brought Gary Juless cover of Tears for Fears Mad World to the masses) paved the way for big Stranger Things needle drops such as Maxs beloved Running Up That Hill.

Available to stream on HBO Max

Written and directed by splatterpunk auteur Clive Barker (adapting his own novella, The Hellbound Heart), this BDSM-influenced landmark pushed horrors evolution toward the extreme by introducing Pinhead, one of the all-time-great monster designs, to an unsuspecting world. Shot on a small budget and starring a cast of primarily unknowns (the biggest name, Andrew Robinson, played the Scorpio killer in Dirty Harry hes the goddamn good guy in this thing), it has Halloween season atmosphere to burn and visceral, blood-and-guts creature effects any modern-day effects house would kill to re-create digitally. If youre ready to kick Stranger Things training wheels off, this wild ride is waiting for you.

Available to stream on Tubi

One of the most beautiful, melancholy, magical, and genuinely adult animated features in American film history. This adaptation of fantasist Peter S. Beagles novel comes to us courtesy of Rankin/Bass Productions and Japanese animation studio Topcraft the former responsible for the stop-motion Christmas classics Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin to Town, the latter eventually evolving into Hayao Miyazakis Studio Ghibli. Together, they produced the J.R.R. Tolkien cartoons The Hobbit and The Return of the King, plus this gut-punch of a film, about a unicorn who becomes trapped in the body of a young human woman. With a body-horror subtext worthy of Cronenberg and a ridiculously impressive voice cast (Mia Farrow, Jeff Bridges, Christopher Lee, Angela Lansbury, and Alan Arkin), its like a cross between Stranger Things and a story from the Dungeons & Dragons game its characters play.

Available to stream on Tubi and YouTube

Directed by Bernard Rose who would later adapt Hellraiser writer-director Clive Barkers short story The Forbidden into the acclaimed urban-horror film Candyman this harrowing supernatural/surrealist film centers on an 11-year-old girl who discovers her dreams and drawings are coming to life and consuming her reality. Shes got to figure out how to take charge and reassert control. Paperhouse is what I think of when Stranger Things is at its best.

Available to stream on YouTube

Recast the relationship between Eleven and Mike Wheeler as a tragedy instead of a heroic fantasy, and you might wind up with this morbid proto-romance between a bullied kid and the young vampire who simultaneously befriends, protects, and uses him. Theres stuff going on here about abuse and loneliness, for characters of all ages, that digs way deeper than anything Stranger Things has done; if Netflixs series is a 101 entry-level course, this is graduate work.

Available to stream on Showtime

If you feel Stranger Things older-teen dynamics deserve further exploration,It Followsmight be the movie for you. David Robert Mitchells slow-burn horror film centers on a small group of teenagers being stalked by a supernatural entity; the only way to escape death at its hands is to have sex with someone else, making them the things new target.Stranger Thingsreluctance to punish young people for sexual activity is one of its few bona fide innovations.It Followssubverts that generosity, asserting that, yes, its fine to have sex, and, yes, awful things may happen to you anyway.

Available to stream on Netflix

Am I comfortable saying this is the best movie on this list? Yes. Am I comfortable asserting its one of the best movies ever made? Again, yes. Jonathan Glazers bone-scrapingly dark sci-fi-erotic-horror film stars Scarlett Johansson as a woman who picks up random men and invites them back to her place, at which point well, honestly, Id rather not say, just to spare you the spoilers. Stranger Things deep-black psychic void, and its telepath Elevens progress through it, is swiped so directly from this movie that your headll fuckin spin but since the movies thesis is how easy it is to use people for your own ends, thats weirdly fitting.

Available to stream on Showtime

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40 Movies and TV Shows to Watch If You Like Stranger Things - Vulture

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero