Stranger Things Season 5: Top 10 Movie References You Might Have Missed

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Warning! Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 5, volume 1.

The show Stranger Things is famous for referencing movies – it’s a key part of its appeal – and the fifth season is no different, with nods to films like Back to the Future and The Great Escape. However, with so many streaming options and social media trends today, movies don’t dominate popular culture like they used to.

Set in the 1980s, Stranger Things captures a time when shopping malls were popular, Kate Bush was a musical icon, and films like The Goonies and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off were cultural touchstones. The show is full of nods to these and other classic movies that inspired it.

Spies Like Us

The new season of Stranger Things begins with Hawkins under military quarantine. Soldiers are stationed at checkpoints surrounding the town to control who enters and exits, but their security checks aren’t very thorough.

Murray has been secretly traveling in and out of town, pretending to be a truck driver to deliver supplies to the group. He’s using the name “Austin Millbarge,” which is a reference to a character played by Dan Aykroyd in the movie Spies Like Us.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The first part of Stranger Things season 5 reaches a thrilling peak at the MAC-Z facility. Mike and his friends race to rescue the children who have been taken, while the military fights off a terrifying attack by Demogorgons. Just when things seem chaotic enough, Vecna, the main villain, arrives to escalate the final showdown.

Vecna dramatically appears through a gateway to the Upside Down. Lit by the eerie red glow of this alternate dimension, his imposing figure slowly approaches. The scene strongly resembles Darth Vader’s famous walk in Rogue One, and it’s just as frightening.

Good Morning, Vietnam

I absolutely loved seeing what Robin was up to in the final season of Stranger Things! She’s become a radio DJ – can you believe it? – calling herself “Rockin’ Robin.” It’s so her! She keeps everyone informed about all the military stuff happening around town, but also plays the best classic songs. And the coolest part? She uses her broadcasts to send secret messages to the others – it’s such a clever way for them to communicate!

This reminds me of Robin Williams’ character, Adrian Cronauer, in the film Good Morning, Vietnam. Like Williams, Cronauer used his radio show to boost morale during difficult times, and he also secretly included coded messages in his broadcasts.

The Goonies

We find Eleven undergoing rigorous training, preparing for the upcoming fight against Vecna and the soldiers who now occupy her world. She’s dressed for the occasion in a headband, a gray sweater, short shorts layered over long gray underwear, and colorful striped legwarmers.

This outfit might seem like typical ‘80s workout gear, but it’s a precise copy of the clothes Josh Brolin wore as Brand in the movie The Goonies.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Knowing Vecna’s followers will likely target Derek, Mike and his friends brace themselves for an attack. They try to fool the creatures by placing a crash test dummy in Derek’s bed.

This trick is similar to what Ferris Bueller did in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. While he was enjoying a day out in Chicago, he left a crash test dummy in his bed to make it seem like he was still home.

Poltergeist

One of the most frightening moments in Stranger Things season 5 involves the Demogorgon going after Mike’s younger sister, Holly. It opens a gateway from the Upside Down into her bedroom and tries to drag her through—a scene very similar to one in the movie Poltergeist.

The movie Poltergeist famously features a girl being pulled into a glowing portal that opens in her closet, and she holds onto her bedpost for dear life. A similar scene happens in Stranger Things when Holly is targeted by the Demogorgon – she does the same thing, grabbing onto her bedpost as a nearly identical portal tries to pull her in.

Home Alone

Mike and his friends don’t simply place a crash test dummy in Derek’s bed—they rig the entire house with traps. Using everyday objects, they transform the building into a dangerous maze. When the monster arrives, it’s easily defeated.

In the movie Home Alone, Kevin McCallister famously defended his house from two burglars by creating a series of clever, homemade traps. These traps were surprisingly effective at stopping the burglars and protecting his home.

The Terminator

This isn’t a direct movie reference, but a clever twist on the typical hero-villain relationship. Like in The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the cold, relentless villain, while Linda Hamilton played the ordinary person he was after.

I think what’s so brilliant about Mark Hamill as Dr. Kay in Stranger Things is how completely terrifying he is – he’s just this cold, relentless force of evil. It reminds me of that shocking move Sergio Leone made in Once Upon a Time in the West when he cast Henry Fonda, America’s golden boy, as a truly awful villain. It’s that unexpected twist that makes it so impactful!

The Great Escape

With the military constantly patrolling Hawkins, Mike and his friends are traveling through a system of underground tunnels. Once they identify the tunnel that will help them rescue the kidnapped children from MAC-Z, Robin jokingly names it “Dick.”

The classic war film The Great Escape features prisoners of war digging three tunnels, nicknamed Tom, Dick, and Harry. I suspect the Netflix series Stranger Things included a reference to this movie just to allow its characters to say the name “Dick” frequently in their conversations.

Back To The Future

Robin cleverly creates a fake crisis to get a private moment with Will. She dramatically cries out, “Great Scott!” and tells Joyce that the “flux capacitor” is broken, pretending she needs Will’s help to repair it. Joyce doesn’t understand the reference, but viewers will recognize it as a nod to the movie Back to the Future.

Most of the movies mentioned in Stranger Things are shown as already being favorites of the characters, but we actually see Robin watch Back to the Future for the first time. In season 3, after being drugged, Steve and Robin hide during a screening of the film, and that’s how Robin becomes familiar with it.

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2025-12-06 15:10