intertextuality in Stranger Things

Stranger Things has been called a "Frankenstein's monster of 80s influences" due to its many intertextual references within the show. Not only does it draw on the styles of Stephen Spielberg, Stephen king, John Carpenter and many others from that ear of pop culture but it makes clear references to their works. 

One big intertextual reference is to Alien (1979). The Demogorgon in ST is similar to the creature in Alien in many ways, both use a gooey substance that they leave as a trail and trap victims with - also, to enter the creatures netherworld, the characters have to claw their way through the goo. The 'face-huggers' in Alien come out of eggs that peel back in quarters, and ST's Demogorgon's' faces do the same. 

Eleven in Stranger Things is very similar to Carrie White in the film Carrie, both girls have supernatural powers that are a factor in their outcasted situations, and both have had sheltered upbringings - Carrie with her extremely religious parents and Eleven with her experimental scientist. They are also both normally sweet and good-natured but can become angry and dangerous when provoked. 

Stranger Things plays homage to Close Encounters of the Third Kind as can be seen clearly with this picture from season 2. Both shows deal with parents who have an obsession with the supernatural that everyone else deems as crazy. In Close Encounters, Roy constructs Devil's Tower out of mashed potatoes and shovels dirt into his living room while his family call him mad and leave. similarly, in ST when Joyce realises her missing son is trying to use electrics to communicate with her, she uses Christmas lights to make a wall Ouija board of sorts and even drives an axe through the wall (much like Jack Nicholson in The Shining) to try to reach him. 

Stranger Things has many intertextual links with Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, even down to the basis of a suburban boy making friends with a powered being in need. Both Mike and Elliott hide their new friend in their homes without anyone finding out and form a strong and powerful bond. Many moments in the ST universe parallel E.T. such as powers being used on the bicycle, use of a make-shift communication device, curiosity of the other being, government agents in hazmat suits, fear of the other being, and dressing up in a wig. 

Stranger Things manages to borrow from Poltergeist, while simultaneously living in a universe where the film exists. Joyce can communicate to Will who is in another dimension that is somehow connected to her house, like in Poltergeist. Both mothers venture into the other dimension in order to retrieve their children.

Both films feature a group of young boys in the 80's who ride around on their bikes and specifically looking for something. Some of the characters parallel each other such as Dustin/Chunk, Mike and Will/Mikey, Lucas/Mouth and Nancy/Andy. Both groups have a joyful spirit and execute their plans without intervention from adults. 

Fandom in Stranger Things and Forbrydelsen

Stranger Things has gained a huge fanbase since first airing in July of 2016, from viewership to social media presence to merchandise - the show has it all. You can get stranger things merch in virtually any form, from thousands of websites, and mainstream retailers such as Primark have entire ST ranges with their logo plastered on phone-cases and hoodies alike. Stranger things has its own page(s) on Fandom.com and it's entire layout is Stranger Things themed.

The online presence of Stranger Things is overwhelming, with millions of results showing on google and social media platforms. The stars themselves have gained millions of followers on Instagram and Twitter (such as Millie Bobby Brown who was before virtually unknown and now has 43.2million Instagram followers). Almost everyone in western society has at least heard of Stranger Things if they haven't actually seen it. 

Stranger Things has also inspired countless fan-creations in the form of fan art and fanfiction, where people write and draw their own version of events for the characters, often changing their relationships or placing them in an 'alternate universe' where readers see how the author thinks they would act in different environments. 

Stranger Things has a very varied fanbase, from young teens to older adults. The 80s setting harbours nostalgia for older viewers, and for younger viewers it comes across as retro and vintage. Younger fans tend to be more involved in 'fandom' with buying merch and actively talking about it on social media, but older viewers are more likely to just watch the show and talk about it with their friends. Fandom is a huge part of this series as they don't heavily rely on marketing and adverts, but more so on fan promotion such as word of mouth and merchandise. 

Forbrydelsen has a slightly smaller fanbase than Stranger Things as it has a more mature viewership. The critically acclaimed show first aired in 2007 in Denmark and was soon translated to The Killing in the UK. The Forbrydelsen page on Fndom.com is also themed just as ST is. 

While Forbrydelsen doesn't have the same scale of fandom as ST has, it does have a wide audience. companies such as Nordic Noir Tours provide a Forbrydelsen tour in which fans an see the famous bridge from the show, which is apparently a 'must see' according to some fans. Also, you can buy Sarah Lund's infamous sweater online or download knitting patterns to make it yourself. 

Forbrydelsen relies less on fandom than that of Stranger Things. This is partially due to the fact that when it first aired in 2007, fandom was much less popular and less relied on - social media was not the consuming presence that it is today.