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Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2

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Stranger Things 2 is a nostalgia goldmine, and with its release on Netflix, fans are racing to uncover all the Easter eggs. Binge-watching the season reveals just how challenging this task is. Fans of the show love creating Stranger Things art and theorizing about future seasons. Now, their focus is on tracking down every reference in season 2. Finding all the hidden references is a daunting task, akin to defeating the Mind Flayer - it's a challenge that requires collaboration. Here are some of the most amusing, intriguing, and impressive references in Stranger Things 2, but there are likely many more waiting to be discovered.

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  • 1
    Steve And Dustin Walk Down The Train Tracks Just Like In Stand By Me

    One of the best moments in Stranger Things 2Stranger Things 2 features 'Steve And Dustin Walk Down The Train Tracks Just Like In Stand By Me' as an Easter Egg.Steve and Dustin walk down train tracks, just like the kids in Stand By Me.Stand By Me appears in Stranger Things 2.They leave raw meat for the demodog Dart. The scene's real charm comes from their talk about girls and hair products.

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  • 2
    Eleven's Halloween Costume Is E.T.'s Halloween Costume

    Eleven acts like an alien in Hawkins. When she asks Daddy Hopper to go trick-or-treating, she wears a sheet ghost costume.Eleven wears E.T.'s Halloween costume.This is the costume E.T. wears when he goes trick-or-treating with Elliott.

    Eleven has been dressed like E.T. twice across two seasons. Will the Duffer Brothers send her off in a spaceship in Season 3?

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  • 3
    Hooper's Hat Grab Is From Raiders Of The Lost Ark

    This quick shot feels '80s. Hopper enters the tunnels, finds the Upside Down bleeding into Hawkins, and faces strange flower creatures. Hopper almost runs away after dropping his hat, but quickly...He grabs his hat.This move is like Indiana Jones. The Duffer Brothers say this shot was a last-minute idea during filming.

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  • 4
    Bob's Arc Is A Reference To The Goonies

    Bob, Joyce's boyfriend, is played by Sean Astin. He is Mikey from the '80s classic The Goonies.Bob's arc references The Goonies.This reference might end the reference for some, but not the Duffer Brothers. In Stranger Things 2...The Goonies appears in Stranger Things 2.Bob's story mirrors Mikey's: he figures out how to read a map and refuses to leave the tunnels until his group is safe.He figures out how to read a map.Bob refuses to leave the tunnels until his group is safe. Bob also mentions pirate treasure before helping Will decode his map.Bob straight up mentions pirate treasure.Bob helps decode Will's map.

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  • 5
    The Terminator Is Showing In Hawkins

    Look closely: the Hawkins theater marquee advertises James Cameron’s The Terminator.The Terminator shows up in Hawkins.The movie premiered October 26, 1984. This means Season 2 happens during the film's opening weekend.Opening weekend

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  • 6
    Will's Love Of Reese's Pieces Is A Tip Of The Hat To E.T.

    The Duffer Brothers give props to Steven Spielberg, the original director of children in sci-fi danger. When Will visits Dr. Owens, he names Reese’s Pieces, the candy that...Reese’s Pieces plays a large part in Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.This plays a part in Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.The Duffer Brothers gave props to Steven Spielberg, the original for putting kids in sci-fi danger. Will asks Dr. Owens about his favorite Halloween candy. Will names Reese’s Pieces, the candy that plays a large part in Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

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  • 7
    That Shot Of The Front Door Is Pure Close Encounters

    A shot in Stranger Things 2 shows Will opening his front door to an apocalyptic red sky over Hawkins. This mirrors a shot from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.Stranger Things 2 features a shot resembling Close Encounters of the Third Kind.Will opens his front door, looking out onto an apocalyptic red sky hanging over Hawkins. This mirrors a shot from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.Close Encounters of the Third Kind appears in Stranger Things 2.In that scene, aliens abduct a young boy after he opens his door to a nearly identical sky.

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  • 8
    You Don't Mess Around With Jim Is The Perfect Song For Hopper

    A flashback shows Hopper and Eleven's actions between the first and second seasons. They clean Hopper's family cabin to Jim Croce’s “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim is the perfect song for Hopper.This song is a dad jam about not messing with Jim. This matches what government agents, demodogs, and a spooky kid find out when they meet Hawkins Police Chief Jim Hopper. Can a song be an Easter egg? Yes.

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  • 9
    Steve Wears Josh Brolin's Bandana From The Goonies

    When Steve and the kids set tunnels on fire, he wears the same red bandana.Same red bandanaThe bandana Josh Brolin wears in TheGoonies Steve Wears Josh Brolin's Bandana From The GooniesThe Duffer Brothers chose to mirror their tunnels with the caves from the classic film.

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  • 10
    Steve And Nancy Wear Risky Business Costumes

    Tiffany's Halloween Party featured '80s moments. Steve and Nancy spent much time on their couples' costume.Steve and Nancy wear Risky Business costumesYou probably haven't watched it because you haven't seen it.Steve and Nancy wear Risky Business costumesSteve adopted the Tom Cruise '80s look. Nancy chose a more modest outfit from Rebecca De Mornay's film.

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  • 11
    Bob's JVC GR-C1 Is The Same As Marty McFly's

    Bob is cool or the coolest? Joyce's new boyfriend works at a Radio Shack and knows how to operate a JVC GR-C1.Bob's JVC GR-C1 is the same as Marty McFly'sThat video camera is the same one Marty McFly and Doc Brown used to record the first big time travel test in Back to the Future.Bob's JVC GR-C1 is from Back to the Future

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  • 12
    The Newspapers Reference A Real Medical Breakthrough

    Look at the paper parents of Hawkins read. The front page features a story about "Baby Fae’s Baboon Heart" That reads like scattered words, but it covers the first successful infant heart transplant. The surgery happened in October 1984, making it big news around Season 2.

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  • 13
    The Radar Scene Nods To Aliens

    The first two films in the Alien franchise get many nods.AlienStranger Things 2Stranger Things 2No scene shows the nod to the first two films in Alien better than when Will sends scientists to their doom in the tunnels below the lab. Hooper, Dr. Owens, and scientists watch helplessly on the radar.Bob watches helplessly on the radarthe scientists carry flamethrowers, just like in Aliens.Aliensa pack of demodogs attacks the scientists. Someone tells the scientists to "Stay frosty" before they take the elevator into the tunnels.

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  • 14
    The Scene Where Bob Unlocks The Gate Is Full On Jurassic Park

    When Hopper, Joyce, Bob, and Dr. Owens realize they must flip the breakers to restart computers and leave the lab, the scene mirrors one from Jurassic Park.Jurassic ParkThis proves the Duffer Brothers should pay Steven Spielberg royalty checks. A character also has to be guided through a dangerous journey via walkie.

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  • 15
    The Tunnels Are Pure Aliens Set Design

    The Upside Down always shares a visual similarity with the world of Aliens.The tunnels show a visual similarity to the world ofAliensAliensThe Upside Down looks gross. Creatures blend into their surroundings, and there is no clear light source. A vine-wrapped Hopper eerily resembles the colonists the space marines find in Aliens.AliensWhen Eleven escapes the Upside Down, she goes through a thin, slimy wall that looks like the basement walls on LV-426.

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  • 16
    The MADMAX Reference Is Right There

    Max'sDig DugThe screen name MADMAX references the lead character from George Miller's Mad Max movie and its sequels.Mad MaxMad Max and its sequels.

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  • 17
    Paul Reiser Is A Living Reference

    Stranger Things 2Paul Reiser joins the cast, giving Stranger Things 2 a major nostalgia boost. Reiser's breakout dramatic role was in Aliens.AliensReiser played a bureaucrat in Aliens who endangered the whole crew because he only cared about profit. Who else do you use for that role?

    Dr. Owens was a direct reference to Reiser's character in Aliens.Alienshis name was originally just "Paul Reiserappears in the script.

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  • 18
    Bob Wants To Move To Maine

    Bob's brilliant idea for a fresh start is moving to Maine—the charming state where every Stephen King book takes place. Maybe he was eaten by demodogs.every Stephen King booktakes place. Perhaps he was eaten by demodogs.

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  • 19
    Nancy Burns Will The Same Way Short Round Burns Indiana Jones

    In the Season 2 finale, "The Gate," Joyce, Nancy, and Jonathan try to purge the Mind Flayer's virus from Will's body by turning up the heat. They surround his body with space heaters, trying to sweat the cold-loving monster out. He freaks out and chokes his mom. Nancy saves the day by burning Will with a hot poker.

    This is pretty much what happens inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. If you missed the darkest Indiana Jones film, it ends with Indie being hypnotized by a high priest and almost killing kids. He stops when his young companion, Short Round, burns him with a torch to shock him out of his trance.

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  • 20
    Jonathan And Nancy's Hook Up Is Straight From Temple Of Doom

    The Duffer Brothers modeled the scene where Jonathan and Nancy hook up straight fromIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:

    "Nancy and Jonathan when they’re [going to bed], that’sTemple of Doom, that’s the whole bedroom dance. They leave the bedroom, fight, go out, return, and come back.that’sTemple of Doom."

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  • 21
    The Junkyard Scene Is Full Of Spielberg References

    Putting Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Max together makes one of the greatest scenes in Stranger Things 2.Stranger Things 2. To trap Dart, they build a bus fortress and prepare to catch the demodog in a ring of fire. A scene from Jaws follows.Jaws, where the kids talk about their lives and expectations while staring out a window for the monster to appear.

    When Dart shows up, two other demodogs flank him, acting eerily like the velociraptors from Jurassic Park.Jurassic Park – especially when one jumps on Steve.

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  • 22
    Will's Exorcism Is Pulled Directly From The Exorcist

    The last half of Stranger Things 2 deals with Will being taken over by the Mind Flayer, giving the show a perfect excuse to reference The Exorcist.Stranger Things 2The Exorcist. From the facial disfigurement to the shrieks, Will's possessed performance is pure Regan.. Will's possessed performance shows the facial disfigurement and terrifying shrieks, just like Regan.

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  • 23
    Dragon's Lair Has The Same Structure As Season 2

    For those who sank quarters into Dragon's Lair, the game the gang plays in the first episode of season 2 has this plot: A knight must overcome fears and go underground to a dragon's lair to save a princess. This mirrors the storyline of Dustin, Lucas, Steve, and Max: they must overcome fears to enter a creature's lair and help save the Princess, who is Will.Dragon's Lair, the game the gang is playing in the first episode of season 2. The game's plot is this: A knight must overcome fears and go underground to a dragon's lair and save a princess. This mirrors the storyline of Dustin, Lucas, Steve, and Max: they must overcome fears to enter a creature's lair and help save the Princess, who is Will.mirrors the plotDustin, Lucas, Steve, and Max face fears to go underground into a creature's lair to save the Princess, who is Will.

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  • 24
    Dart Follows Gremlin Rules

    Dart, Dustin's pet demodog, is basically a mogwaimogwaiDon't get Dart wet. Keep it out of the light. Do not feed it after midnight. Dart probably turned into a demodog the whole time. Still, things only went wrong once Dustin started feeding it Three Musketeers.

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  • 25
    The Soundtrack To Eleven Running Away Is On The Nose

    In episode 7, "The Lost Sister," Eleven runs to Chicago to find the girl from her mother's memory. Bon Jovi's "Runaway" plays during the scene.Runaway appears in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.Later, El and her sister's group of runaways go to kill an ex-scientist. They listen to "Dead End Justice" by the Runaways.

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  • 26
    The Girl That Flirts With Jonathan Is In Full Siouxsie Sioux Makeup

    Tiffany's Halloween party has much going on. You won't be faulted for not seeing that the girl flirting with Jonathan while he looks for Nancy wears Siouxsie Sioux makeup.The girl flirting with Jonathan wears Siouxsie Sioux makeup in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.Siouxsie was the singer for the '80s goth band Siouxsie and the Banshees. Jonathan not knowing this shows how un-hip he is.

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  • 27
    The Demodogs Are Basically Xenomorphs

    The demodogs act like velociraptors or the Xenomorphs from "Aliens," depending on the scene you watch.The demodogs are aliens in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.The demodogs crawl across the ceiling while running through the lab. The sound they make sounds close to a high-pitched screech.The demodogs make a high-pitched screech in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.Xenomorphs make in the demodogs in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.Aliens appear in the demodogs in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.The demodogs are Xenomorphs in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.

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  • 28
    The Mind Flayer Is A Creature From The Mist

    The Mind Flayer, the giant, evil shadow creature that stalks the Upside Down, shares similarities with the creatures in Stephen King's "The Mist."Stephen King's work features the Mind Flayer in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.The Mind Flayer is a creature from The Mist in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.Lovecraftian creatures stalk a Maine town when a huge fog comes. Stalking through fog is what the audience mostly sees the Mind Flayer do.

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  • 29
    Punky Brewster's Dream Describes Eleven's Season 1 Arc

    Episode 7, "The Lost Sister," shows Eleven finding Kali, the girl from Hawkins Lab with her, in Chicago. Kali has been killing lab workers. She brings El to kill a lab technician named Ray. They find him watching an episode of "Punky Brewster."Punky Brewster's Dream describes Eleven's Season 1 arc in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.If you listen close, Punky tells her guardian she had a bad dream about doctors. The whole thing oddly mirrors El's relationship with Jim.Punky Brewster's Dream describes El's relationship with Jim in 'Easter Eggs In Stranger Things 2'.

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