Stranger Things is more than a show. Unquestionably, it is a phenomenon, and why not? It has that effective blend of drama, nostalgia, and pathos. All the taut ingredients are there: the supernatural, government conspiracies, missing persons, and monsters, of course. It is the perfectly binge-worthy epitome of any session of Netflix and chill.
There are a lot of elements at play, including ones that work well on other cult shows such as Walking Dead, Black Mirror, American Horror Story, and Game of Thrones. But, the heart of Stranger Things is the kids (El, Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas) and their adventures against the darkness. Without that, there is no story.
Obviously Netflix wasn’t the first to find success and garner praise with a drama, episodic or otherwise, that employs such a hook. More than a few movies echo similar tones and tropes that find their way into the streaming giant’s average list of recommended similar content. So “because you watched Stranger Things,” below are a few flicks you might want to keep an eye out for and add to your queue (you know, if available with any luck).
The Sandlot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec9W8JbFykw
It’s the 1960’s and Smalls is the new kid in town. All he wants is to fit in so he befriends a local group who plays baseball in the titular spot. After pilfering, and losing, a baseball signed by Babe Ruth belonging to his stepdad (Denis Leary), Smalls and his new buddies have to match wits with “The Beast” on the other side of the fence to get it back.
A bit out of the ordinary for this type of list — a family-friendly comedy, not a horror movie, though it makes reference to the original Wolf Man — Sandlot is still a layered coming-of-age tale. The film is told in flashback by Smalls who is a play-by-play man for the MLB. It’s a story about being an outcast, friendship, belonging, and it keeps the focus on the group of kids, arguably more than Stranger Things often does. Threats are real but exaggerated. “The Beast” is only a big dog the boys build up in their imaginations to be more fearsome than he actually is, although he does cause more damage than humanly possible.
Famous today mostly for the “You’re Killin’ Me, Smalls” meme, The Sandlot is a classic amongst those who saw it in their youth. It’s bound to warm your heart and is fun for all ages. In other words, don’t worry about creepy otherworldly creatures freaking the little ones out.
Little Monsters
A boy (Fred Savage) is visited by a monster from another dimension (Howie Mandel) who emerges from under his bed. The monster, Maurice, takes the young boy, Brian, to his world and they become pals. Eventually, Brian becomes agitated by the antics of Maurice and his fellow monsters. He also realizes the time he spends in Maurice’s dimension is slowly turning him into one of them.
Little Monsters is another on the comedic side geared toward a general audience, bearing more of a resemblance to Jim Henson than Stephen King. Albeit, unlike The Sandlot, this one takes viewers on a journey to a preternatural realm harboring denizens with impressive makeup designs. It also attempts to deal with tough issues, such as divorce and others rather incidentally. What the relationship between Maurice and Brian symbolizes is ambiguous in the eyes of some people. But that shouldn’t get in the way of a wacky experience that livens up the mood after a viewing of Stranger Things and its much darker overtones.
Monster Squad
Suburbanite kids, who happen to be savvy horror fans, do battle with Dracula and his motley crew of Universal movie monsters — a mummy, a werewolf, a gill man, and Frankenstein’s monster (who switches sides).
It’s a cliche today that the heroes know the nature of the evil forces they fight. Monster Squad is an entry from the late 80’s, before Joss Whedon spoiled us all when he flipped the script on horror and science fiction. And well before preteens relied on their knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons to grapple with alien beings and telekinetics. Ahead of its time, the Squad is enjoyable for its SFX, humor, likable characters, and the reverence it has for Golden Age creature features and Gothic horror.
Oh, remember one thing: werewolf has nards.
The Lost Boys
Santa Clara has a dark secret; it’s home to a clan of murderous vampires. Too bad this is where single mom Lucy wants to start over with her two kids, one of whom (Jason Patric) falls in with the rowdy vamps. The other (Corey Haim) befriends two brothers (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) who fancy themselves expert vampire hunters.
Lost Boys is a veritable 80’s classic, a time we all miss when vampires didn’t sparkle and were liable to rip your head off. Allusions to Peter Pan aside, a lot of head ripping, blood drinking, and staking goes on here. Joel Schumacher directed — before all that Batman business — and made the most of the material he was handed, which was originally more child-friendly. That and a handsome cast including Kiefer Sutherland in their prime give this picture some real bite.
There were two sequels but they were awful and you should stay away from them like vampires from sunlight.
IT
Demonic clown Pennywise terrorizes a small town in Maine and it’s up to a certain “Club” to put an end to him. While triumphant, the experience haunts them into adulthood.
The most recent iteration of IT’s performance in theaters proves the story has as much resonance today as it did when it was first adapted soon after Stephen King wrote it. But it is part one of Andy Muschietti’s two-part saga most in line with the essence of Stranger Things. Finn Wolfhard appearing in both helps.
See both the 2017 update and the 1990 TV version where Tim Curry shines. They both float just as easily.
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