10 Stephen King References And Homages In Stranger Things

10. Cujo On Screen

When it comes to nods to the works of Stephen King in Stranger Things, there's subtle - scenes and ideas influenced by the works of King that you might not notice at first glance - and there's obvious.

The inclusion of Cujo in The Body, the fourth episode of Stranger Things, lands in the obvious category, but it's also a very smart nod to the horror author. The book is glimpsed in the hands of a state trooper at the morgue when Hopper shows up to view Will Byer's body. King's face is clearly visible on the back cover.

So why is it there? Well, Cujo was published in 1981, just two years before Stranger Things is set. However, the big screen adaptation of Cujo was released in - you guessed it - 1983 (a summertime feature, no less), meaning it would have been very much in the public consciousness at the time.

You might also notice a bit of a thematic link between Cujo and Stranger Things, when it comes to a mother's obsession to keep her son alive. Though that worked out much better for Joyce Byers than it did for Donna Trenton.