8 Movies You Need to Watch Before Binging Stranger Things 2

James Cameron's space saga influenced the Duffer Brothers particuarly in their casting of star Paul Reiser as the enigmatic Dr. Owens. Is he like Aliens' Burke? Or is he just a nice dude?

The Duffer Brothers are huuuuuge Spielberg fans so naturally this classic film comes into play, particularly in a specific shot of Will (Noah Schnapp) looking out his door at the beginning of the season.

Stranger Things 2 is set during Halloween in 1984... as is a portion of this iconic drama.

The core group of kids in Things dresses up like these ghoul hunters for Halloween. The Duffers had to get permission from Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd to use these costumes.

Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) discovers a "pollywog" and takes it in as a pet. This is the Duffers' homage to the Joe Dante horror flick so you can assume this relationship may be a bit challenging.

Obviously, not an '80s movie but Park still worked its way into Things 2. "Why we’re saying Jurassic Park is like the scene in the kitchen with the raptors," explains Ross. "Our favorite stuff is where you’re just glimpsing a monster. If you can do it with a sound or a shadow, we always try and do it because we think it’s more effective."

The second Indy film is a pivotal influence in the second installment of Things. Says Ross Duffer, "We’ve got a soft spot for Temple of Doom."

The Duffer Brothers were inspired by both the look and the score of this John Carpenter cult classic.