Why is Netflix's Stranger Things so popular? Not only does the dark science fiction series introduce a new wave of characters, creepy plots, and nefarious creatures; it also pays homage to the many works that inspired its creators, the Duffer Brothers. Set in the 1980s, Stranger Things is full of nostalgic references to the heyday of Cold War paranoia and VHS culture.
The fourth season of Stranger Things will land on Netflix later than expected. Fortunately, there are plenty of similar horror movies fans can binge in the meantime. While parallels between Stranger Things and features like Stand By Me and Jaws are obvious, there are so many more scary films to check out.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
One of many adaptations of Jack Finney's 1955 sci-fi novel, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a character-driven, cinematic survey of what happens when Earth is overrun by aliens who duplicate and then replace humanity. The extraterrestrials arrive in the form of giant pods that extract DNA from people and turn them into the now well-known "pod people."
Donald Sutherland is the star of the show here, playing a health inspector who uncovers the plot. Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nemoy, and Brooke Adams co-star in this creepy addition to the genre.
Firestarter (1984)
Drew Barrymore plays a precocious girl with a special talent in Firestarter: she possessed pyrokinesis, meaning she can start and control conflagrations with her mind. Much like Eleven in Stranger Things, Barrymore's character Charlie McGee is co-opted by a secret government agency that hopes to harness her power.
Firestarter is based on a novel by the king of horror, Stephen King. Mark S. Lester directs this feature, which co-stars David Keith and Martin Sheen.
It Follows (2014)
Filmed on location in Detroit, Michigan, It Follows is a singular teen horror film about a curse that passes from person to person through sexual contact. Maika Monroe plays Jay, a teenager who catches "It" after sleeping with a man under false circumstances.
The title creature turns out to be a shape-shifting, supernatural evil entity that stalks its target. Jay discovers that if "It" reaches Jay, it will take her life – and go after everyone else who contracted it her before.
Carrie (1976)
Prom never looked as unappealing as it does in Brian De Palma's take on Stephen King's iconic novel about a sensitive, bullied teenager with powerful telekinetic abilities. Sissy Spacek plays Carrie, who wants nothing more than a normal life.
Between her religiously zealous mother, her tormentors at school, and her magical abilities, normalcy just isn't in the cards for this young woman. It all comes to a head when Carrie is the butt of a gruesome, bloody joke on prom night.
Beyond The Black Rainbow (2011)
Psychedelic and weird, Beyond the Black Rainbow is the debut feature from Panos Cosmatos, who is also known for directing 2018's Mandy. Set at a New Age research facility in the 1980s, the film stars Michael Rogers as a deranged scientist who holds a teenage girl hostage.
This teenager wields a psychic weapon: telepathy. Instead of relying on action sequences and extended dialogue, this film tells its story through moods, images, and body language.
Aliens (1986)
For those who like their sci-fi with a twist of butt-kicking action, James Cameron's Aliens is a top-notch example. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, who is armed with a legion of space Marines and ready to take out the Xenomorphs who killed her crew in the previous film.
With her military aids, Ripley pays the same exomoon where she found the derelict ship infested with slimy ETs another visit. Once there, Ripley rescues the only survivor of a colony attacked by the creatures, a young girl named Newt, but the battle is only just beginning.
Super 8 (2011)
This monster movie harkens back to vintage sci-fi features, starring a group of kids in 1979 who decide to document an alien invasion using a Super 8 camera. Similar to The Party in Stranger Things, the tweens in Super 8 band together to protect each other and expose the truth about what's happening in their town.
Joel Courtney and Ellen Fanning play members of the YA film crew, while Kyle Chandler co-stars as the Deputy Sheriff of their Ohio town. Super 8 is one of J.J. Abrams's most acclaimed films to date, combining blockbuster thrills with a compelling, well-written script.
Summer Of 84 (2018)
A Canadian scary flick, Summer of 84 is nostalgic for 80s ensemble horror films about teens who fight evil together. Instead of otherworldly forces, the four boys at the center of this film decide to defeat a real-life serial killer in their Oregon town.
In the film, over a dozen boys have gone missing in the decade leading up the summer of 1984. 15-year-old Davey Armstrong believes he knows why: his neighbor, a beloved police officer, is responsible for the disappearances.
Scanners (1981)
A classic David Cronenberg film, Scanners tells the story of a private security company that hopes to profit off people with telekinetic abilities. The company, ConSec, believes these extraordinary individuals are the next wave in securities innovation.
Michael Ironside plays Darryl Redok, a rogue scanner who threatens to destroy ConSec's entire operation and kill scanners who won't join him in staging a coup. Stephen Lack co-stars as a homeless drifter and scanner recruited to defeat Redok, who turns out to be his biological brother.
Let The Right One In (2008)
In Let The Right One In, two outcast youth find solace in their unique companionship. While one is a bullied boy who lives in a large tenement building with his mother, the other is a vampire.
This Swedish vampire venture set in the 1980s is dark, moody, and very bloody. The actors chosen to play the boy and the vampire make the movie, a critically acclaimed take on the subgenre.