10 Stephen King References And Homages In Stranger Things
8. The Safety Line
While several films have attempted similar scenes, the shot of a government agent entering The Upside Down attached to a safety line - then eventually having the line pulled back through the portal to reveal he has been ripped free of it - has striking similarities to yet another King story: The Mist.
The Mist is perhaps one of King's most underrated works. It has long been a favourite of loyal King readers, but never jumped into the public consciousness the way novels like Carrie, Misery, or It have.
A 2007 big screen adaptation by Frank Darabount starring Thomas Jane was serviceable, with an over-the-top ending that got many fans talking, but it didn't really represent a hit. The novella is now being adapted into a series for Spike TV, so it may get another chance.
In any case, it's obvious The Duffer Brothers are aware of it, and the idea of a portal to another world, with demonic, monstrous creatures waiting to rip through into our reality is a shared concept between the two works.
So it's more than likely that this scene was an intentional nod to King. In The Mist, a grocery store bag boy walks out into the mist with a safety line tied around his waist, only for monsters to take him, and a bloody cord be pulled back. A similar result awaits the unlucky candidate heading into the Upside Down in Stranger Things.