Stranger Things really meant it when they said season 4 will be the most horrifying season yet. They even took inspiration from a classic.

Five Analogous Details That Connect &#8216;Stranger Things&#8217; 4 to a Cult Classic 1984 Horror Film

Season four of Stranger Things was unmistakably a return to the Netflix series’
horror foundations. Season four lived up to the promise. The creators introduced
a new enemy who was reminiscent of Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm
Street. But this isn’t the first time producers Matt and Ross Duffer have paid
homage to legendary horror films from the 1980s. Jaws, Close Encounters of the
Third Kind, and Halloween have all been mentioned in prior seasons.

This time, though, the inspiration was A Nightmare on Elm Street, which inspired
not one, not two, but five nods to Wes Craven’s 1984 slasher.

Find out all the references to the horror movie in the new season down below.


ALL A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET REFERENCES IN STRANGER THINGS


THE COMEBACK OF ROBERT ENGLUND

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/robert-englund-stranger-things-top.jpg.webp

Actor Robert Englund is the initial link between Stranger Things
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-stranger-things-season-4-where-have-you-seen-victor-creel-robert-englund-before-duffer-brothers-reveal-the-characters-inspirations/]
and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Englund played Freddy Krueger in multiple
Nightmare on Elm Street films. In Stranger Things season 4, Englund reprises his
role as Victor Creel, Vecna’s first victim.


TEENAGERS WHO HAVE BEEN TROUBLED IN THEIR DREAMS

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]

Stranger Things season four villain Vecna [https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/vecna]
terrorizes kids in their nightmares, somewhat as Freddy Krueger does. Unlike
Freddy, though, Vecna is capable of attacking the scared teenagers when they are
awake.


MONSTERS THAT WERE ONCE HUMANS

Vecna was Victor Creel’s telekinetic kid before being caught by Dr. Martin
Brenner and dubbed “001” or One, as we learned in season four, episode seven.
[https://www.netflix.com/watch/80229872?trackId=14170289&tctx=2%2C2%2Ce230d34c-6a4d-4ae7-a1f4-e25dca53ee97-336371101%2C6c8f06f6-6349-43ce-8f44-54fabf37856d_268138280X3XX1653912567237%2C6c8f06f6-6349-43ce-8f44-54fabf37856d_ROOT%2C%2C%2C%2C80057281]

In a flashback, One is banished into the polluted Upside Down after a
confrontation with Eleven at Hawkins Lab, resulting in his metamorphosis into a
humanoid monstrosity.

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]

Freddy had an identical past, as revealed in the film, as a human child
murderer, who was burnt alive by the victims’ loved ones, leaving his scarred
spirit to pursue vengeance.

So in hindsight, both Freddy and Vecna were once humans who, in turn, were
turned into monsters.


TEENS WHO HAVE BEEN FALSELY ACCUSED

Eddie Munson
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-26-years-old-documentary-series-inspired-stranger-things-dungeon-master-eddie-munson-and-the-hellfire-club-storyline/],
the head of the Dungeons & Dragons organization The Hellfire Club, is played by
Stranger Things newbie Joseph Quinn.
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-shaggy-haired-eddie-munson-joseph-quinn-is-the-bridge-between-game-of-thrones-and-stranger-things/]

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]

While Eddie appears to be a genuine bad guy at first, he is revealed to be a big
sweetie, who enjoys rock music and fantasy games.

Eddie reminds us of Rod from A Nightmare on Elm Street, who watches classmate
Chrissy being murdered by Vecna and is subsequently accused of murdering the
Hawkins High cheerleader (Jesus “Jsu” Garcia).

ALSO READ: The ‘Harry Potter’ Connection of Vecna in ‘Stranger Things’ Is Not
Just the Nose
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-originals-the-harry-potter-connection-of-vecna-in-stranger-things-is-not-just-the-nose/]

Rod, like Eddie, stands helpless as his lover Tina is murdered in her sleep by
an unknown assailant. He is subsequently apprehended and charged with her
murder.


NANCY IN STRANGER THINGS AND A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

Nancy Wheeler is Vecna’s victim as season four, volume one draws to a
conclusion, and it can’t be a coincidence. Why do we believe it?

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]

Because Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is also the name of the final girl in the
first Nightmare on Elm Street film, both characters are enigmatic brunettes, who
aren’t about to give up without a fight.

Were you guys able to spot any references in Stranger Things
[https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/stranger-things/] that we didn’t mention? Feel
free to let us know in the comments.

Baheen Qadri

Comment

Five Analogous Details That Connect &#8216;Stranger Things&#8217; 4 to a Cult Classic 1984 Horror Film - Netflix Junkie

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Baheen Qadri is an entertainment writer at Netflix Junkie. Currently, he is pursuing BA in Mass comm Hons from SCMC Pune. He loves binge-watching films and TV series on Netflix. He is passionate about making films and watches movies from different corners of the world to better understand the field of cinema in his free time. He also loves animes and is currently hooked on the new Demon Slayer season. One of his favorite thrillers on Netflix is Shutter Island. The film always gives him goosebumps. Apart from thrillers, he also loves sitcoms like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Office. Being a huge movie buff, he is a tough competition on movie trivia nights.

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Season four of Stranger Things was unmistakably a return to the Netflix series&#8217; horror foundations. Season four lived up to the promise. The creators introduced a new enemy who was reminiscent of Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street. But this isn&#8217;t the first time producers Matt and Ross Duffer have paid homage to legendary horror films from the 1980s. Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Halloween have all been mentioned in prior seasons.
This time, though, the inspiration was A Nightmare on Elm Street, which inspired not one, not two, but five nods to Wes Craven&#8217;s 1984 slasher.
Find out all the references to the horror movie in the new season down below.
<h2>All A Nightmare on Elm Street references in Stranger Things</h2>
<h3>The comeback of Robert Englund</h3>
<a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/robert-englund-stranger-things-top.jpg.webp"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33178 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/robert-englund-stranger-things-top.jpg.webp" alt="" width="1024" height="450" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/robert-englund-stranger-things-top.jpg.webp 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/robert-englund-stranger-things-top.jpg-300x132.webp 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/robert-englund-stranger-things-top.jpg-768x338.webp 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Actor <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-stranger-things-season-4-where-have-you-seen-victor-creel-robert-englund-before-duffer-brothers-reveal-the-characters-inspirations/">Robert Englund is the initial link between Stranger Things</a> and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Englund played Freddy Krueger in multiple Nightmare on Elm Street films. In Stranger Things season 4, Englund reprises his role as Victor Creel, Vecna&#8217;s first victim.
<h3>Teenagers who have been troubled in their dreams</h3>
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33180 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.17.57-PM.png" alt="" width="2880" height="1023" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.17.57-PM.png 2880w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.17.57-PM-300x107.png 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.17.57-PM-1024x364.png 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.17.57-PM-768x273.png 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.17.57-PM-1536x546.png 1536w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.17.57-PM-2048x727.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2880px) 100vw, 2880px" />
Stranger Things season four villain <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/vecna">Vecna</a> terrorizes kids in their nightmares, somewhat as Freddy Krueger does. Unlike Freddy, though, Vecna is capable of attacking the scared teenagers when they are awake.
<h3>Monsters that were once humans</h3>
Vecna was Victor Creel&#8217;s telekinetic kid before being caught by Dr. Martin Brenner and dubbed &#8220;001&#8221; or One, as we learned in <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/80229872?trackId=14170289&amp;tctx=2%2C2%2Ce230d34c-6a4d-4ae7-a1f4-e25dca53ee97-336371101%2C6c8f06f6-6349-43ce-8f44-54fabf37856d_268138280X3XX1653912567237%2C6c8f06f6-6349-43ce-8f44-54fabf37856d_ROOT%2C%2C%2C%2C80057281" target="_blank" rel="noopener">season four, episode seven.</a>
In a flashback, One is banished into the polluted Upside Down after a confrontation with Eleven at Hawkins Lab, resulting in his metamorphosis into a humanoid monstrosity.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33181 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/stranger-things-freddy-krueger2-1653668063054.jpg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="628" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/stranger-things-freddy-krueger2-1653668063054.jpg.jpg 1200w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/stranger-things-freddy-krueger2-1653668063054.jpg-300x157.jpg 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/stranger-things-freddy-krueger2-1653668063054.jpg-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/stranger-things-freddy-krueger2-1653668063054.jpg-768x402.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />
Freddy had an identical past, as revealed in the film, as a human child murderer, who was burnt alive by the victims&#8217; loved ones, leaving his scarred spirit to pursue vengeance.
So in hindsight, both Freddy and Vecna were once humans who, in turn, were turned into monsters.
<h3>Teens Who Have Been Falsely Accused</h3>
<a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-26-years-old-documentary-series-inspired-stranger-things-dungeon-master-eddie-munson-and-the-hellfire-club-storyline/">Eddie Munson</a>, the head of the Dungeons &amp; Dragons organization The Hellfire Club, is played by Stranger Things<a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-shaggy-haired-eddie-munson-joseph-quinn-is-the-bridge-between-game-of-thrones-and-stranger-things/"> newbie Joseph Quinn.</a>
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33183 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.26.15-PM.png" alt="" width="2880" height="998" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.26.15-PM.png 2880w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.26.15-PM-300x104.png 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.26.15-PM-1024x355.png 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.26.15-PM-768x266.png 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.26.15-PM-1536x532.png 1536w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-30-at-5.26.15-PM-2048x710.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2880px) 100vw, 2880px" />
While Eddie appears to be a genuine bad guy at first, he is revealed to be a big sweetie, who enjoys rock music and fantasy games.
Eddie reminds us of Rod from A Nightmare on Elm Street, who watches classmate Chrissy being murdered by Vecna and is subsequently accused of murdering the Hawkins High cheerleader (Jesus &#8220;Jsu&#8221; Garcia).
ALSO READ: <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-originals-the-harry-potter-connection-of-vecna-in-stranger-things-is-not-just-the-nose/">The ‘Harry Potter’ Connection of Vecna in ‘Stranger Things’ Is Not Just the Nose</a>
Rod, like Eddie, stands helpless as his lover Tina is murdered in her sleep by an unknown assailant. He is subsequently apprehended and charged with her murder.
<h3>Nancy in Stranger Things and A Nightmare on Elm Street</h3>
Nancy Wheeler is Vecna&#8217;s victim as season four, volume one draws to a conclusion, and it can&#8217;t be a coincidence. Why do we believe it?
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-33184 size-full lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Unpopular-Opinion-11-e1653912311194.png" alt="" width="1494" height="550" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Unpopular-Opinion-11-e1653912311194.png 1494w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Unpopular-Opinion-11-e1653912311194-300x110.png 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Unpopular-Opinion-11-e1653912311194-1024x377.png 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Unpopular-Opinion-11-e1653912311194-768x283.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1494px) 100vw, 1494px" />
Because Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is also the name of the final girl in the first Nightmare on Elm Street film, both characters are enigmatic brunettes, who aren&#8217;t about to give up without a fight.
Were you guys able to spot any references in <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/stranger-things/">Stranger Things</a> that we didn&#8217;t mention? Feel free to let us know in the comments.

The ‘Harry Potter’ Connection of Vecna in ‘Stranger Things’ Is Not Just the Nose

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Five Analogous Details That Connect 'Stranger Things' 4 to a Cult Classic 1984 Horror Film - Netflix Junkie

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Five Analogous Details That Connect &#039;Stranger Things&#039; 4 to a Cult Classic 1984 Horror Film - Netflix Junkie

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Five Analogous Details That Connect ‘Stranger Things’ 4 to a Cult Classic 1984 Horror Film

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