10 Stephen King References And Homages In Stranger Things

The novel It is perhaps one of the biggest influences on Stranger Things as far as Stephen King is concerned.

Consider this: The Duffer Brothers, who created the show, were actually up for directing the 2017 big screen adaptation of the classic King tale. However, they didn't land the job (although Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike in Stranger Things, did land the role of Ritchie in the film), which freed up plenty of time for their own series.

It's clear that some of the ideas they would have incorporated into their vision of It made it over to Stranger Things. They nailed the atmosphere of the early 80s, nailed the small town feel, but a better nod to It might be that the kids in Stranger Things seem a lot like The Loser's Club.

The Loser's Club, in It, was a group of childhood friends, mostly outcasts, who wound up fighting the demonic Pennywise/It. They were a ragtag bunch, picked on, some from troubled homes.

In Stranger Things, Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin are pretty much a Loser's Club of their own (you can consider Eleven an honorary member). It's not just the fact that they're bullied and referred to as losers, either. There's the D&D angle - these were not the cool kids. There's the fact that they wind up taking on a monster. Even their bikes - after all, a Schwinn was a huge part of It.

Overall, it's just the feeling - this group and the Loser's Club would get along just fine.