The Duffer Brothers created Stranger Things to serve as a love letter to the '70s and '80s, and it makes sense that Steven Spielberg's Jaws emerged as a heavy inspiration behind the series. After debuting on Netflix in 2016, Stranger Things quickly became one of the most popular shows in recent memory. Within a month of season 3's release, 64 million households viewed the installment, making Stranger Things a record-breaker for the streaming giant. The Duffers and Netflix will look to build on that success with the upcoming season 4.

Set in the early '80s, Stranger Things follows the small Indiana town of Hawkins and a handful of citizens swept up into a supernatural scenario straight out of a Stephen King novel. By no coincidence, King was a heavy influence when it came to developing Eleven, a young girl with telekinetic abilities who is at the center of the series — which also involves an alternate dimension, known as the Upside Down, that holds otherworldly monsters. By mixing sci-fi and horror elements similar to the tone of King, John Carpenter, and George A. Romero, fans have been able to make connections to hits like Stand By Me, The Thing, and Dawn of the Dead, among others.

Related: Stranger Things: Every Major Character Death Fakeout In The Show

As mentioned, Spielberg might stand as the most influential figure in the minds of the Duffer Brothers. Aspects of Stranger Things are directly linked to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in addition to Spielberg movies like Indiana Jones and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The latter of which directly led to the creation of Joyce Byers, the character played by Winona Ryder. Among the most significant inspirations was Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster, Jaws. The movie, which is said to be one of the Duffers' favorites, originally influenced Stranger Things' development. In the show's early stages, the project was first titled Montauk as a nod to Jaws' coastal setting. Though that idea evolved, other Jaws Easter eggs and references made their way into Stranger Things.

Jim Hopper Has A Lot Of Direct Connections To Jaws

David Harbour

David Harbour has served as a primary character in the role of Jim Hopper since the beginning of Stranger Things. The man serves as the Chief of Police in Hawkins, which can easily be connected to Jaws' primary protagonist, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider). Like Brody looking out for the citizens of Amity Island, Hopper is often tasked with keeping Hawkins safe. When Will Byers goes missing, Joyce sought out help from Hopper, the only man with a real interest despite his hardened demeanor. Before Brody arrived in New England, he worked on the police force in New York City. According to the Stranger Things spinoff novel, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Hopper spent time as a homicide detective in New York City between 1972 and 1979.

Other than the characterization, Hopper's appearance also correlates with Brody in Jaws. The Hawkins' chief travels around in a similar toned uniform with a similar triangular patch on the left sleeve. He also uses a police vehicle styled also identical to Brody's in the 1975 film. At one point in the series, Hopper sat at the station and worked on a police report with a typewriter scene that is intentionally reminiscent of a frame from Jaws that featured Brody writing the "shark attack" warning. More recently, in the Stranger Things season 3 episode titled "The Mall Rats," Hopper drunkenly left an Italian restaurant with a stolen bottle of alcohol while claiming "I'm the Chief of Police, I can do anything." Brody said the exact line of dialogue in Jaws.

How Jaws Inspired The Demogorgon

Even though Stranger Things has moved on to bigger villains like the Mind Flayer in more recent seasons, the Demogorgon marked the first antagonist. The mysterious creature from the Upside Down was able to breach an opening to travel between dimensions. Rather than compare the Demogorgon to killers like Pennywise from IT, the Duffer Brothers connected the Upside Down creature to the ominous shark from Jaws.

Related: Stranger Things: What Happened To The Mysterious Egg In The Upside Down

In a 2016 interview (via EW), the creative duo mentioned that the Demorgon entering the Hawkins dimension was like a shark breaching the surface of the water. To go even deeper, they mentioned that the Demogorgon "drags its prey back into its home, where it feeds," which is a tactic used by a shark, especially the one in the spotlight in Jaws.

Every Other Easter Egg & Reference To Jaws In Stranger Things

Netflix

The first three seasons of Stranger Things hosted a bevy of nods to Jaws, but there have also been a few Easter eggs and clever references to the first-ever summer blockbuster. Like most kids in the '80s, Will and his older brother Jonathan had several notable movie posters hanging on their bedroom walls. In season 2, Will was suffering from a bit of a mental breakdown while the Mind Flayer was infecting him as a host body. During the sequence that focused on Will's tunnel drawings, a classic Jaws poster could be seen on the left side of his bed.

Ahead of season 2's release, Netflix and Stranger Things released a series of promo posters that were directly inspired by some of the past's most iconic theatrical posters. Among them, of course, was the emerging shark shot, but it was altered to feature a Demogorgon approaching the surface from the Upside Down. The marketing material also featured a caption of "you'll never go in the Upside Down again," which was a reference to Jaws' iconic tagline: "You'll never go in the water again."

Last but not least, the introduction of Mayor Larry Kline, played by Cary Elwes in season 3, was a reference to Jaws' selfish mayor, Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton). Not only were both men portrayed as slimy businessmen, but they also cared more about their town's economy rather than the well-being of its citizens. While Jaws' mayor fought to keep the beaches open while a man-eating shark was on the loose, Mayor Kline didn't care that a corrupt mall was putting hardworking people out of business. Both men also seemed obsessed with their respective town's Fourth of July celebrations. To further connect both characters, Stranger Things made sure to throw in an Easter egg with Mayor Kline wearing a blue and white striped shirt that resembled the other Mayor's eccentric style in Jaws.

Next: Stranger Things: All Of The Mind Flayer’s Powers Explained