Are you anxiously anticipating the release of Stranger Things Season 4 on Netflix? For a long time, we have witnessed suburban youths chasing down aliens. However, your long wait is not ended yet. Stranger Things season four is expected to premiere in mid-2022, according to reports. The look and concept of this nostalgic, inventive, monster-filled series may be traced back to the sci-fi classics.
Simultaneously, it introduced spooky elements, such as new characters, weird plots, and horrible animals. So, if you are wishing for small-town terrors and thrills, now is the time to travel to other towns and cities to see what unusual things are going on in their life. We have compiled a selection of 12 films that will transport you to the world of “Stranger Things” So, what do we have to lose? Let us take a look back at some of our favorite oddball films from the past.
Fear Street Trilogy (2021)
“Fear Street Trilogy” was based on Stine’s Fear Street series of novels of the same title that 20th Century Studios and Chernin Entertainment produced. The plot follows a group of teenagers who try hard to break the curse hovering over their town for hundreds of years. Leigh Janiak directed the film from scripts that she co-wrote with other writers.
The plot of “Fear Street: part one” is set in the year 1994. The brutal, unmotivated massacre once again terrorizes Shadyside, also known as the murder capital of the United States. Many town residents believe that the frequent mass killings are the result of the curse placed by Sarah Fier, who was considered a witch and executed in 1966. Right beside Shadyside is Sunnyvale, one of the safest and wealthiest cities in the country.
Deena, the leading character, and her girlfriend Sam are separated as Sam has moved to Sunnyvale. In a series of events, Deena and Sam reconnect, and a riot causes an accident that sends Sam’s car into the grave of Sarah Fier, resurrecting Sarah and the other killers who are desperate to taste Sam’s blood.
“Fear Street: part two” takes up precisely from the previous story where Deena and her brother Josh restrain a possessed Sam and meet C. Berman. Berman was the sole survivor of the Camp Nightwing massacre in 1978 and, after much convincing, agreed to narrate the story. The camp was divided into Shadyside and Sunnyvale when another boy became possessed and started another murder spree.
Some of the girls learned that Sarah had made a deal with the devil by sacrificing her hand in return for eternal life. They tried to end the curse by reuniting the hand and the body but failed. Deena and Josh also try to end the curse by reuniting the hand and Sarah’s corpse, but Deena starts having a vision of what happened to Sarah in 1966.
“Fear Street: part three,” tells the story of Saral Fier and her vengeance. Will Deena finally be able to lift the curse? The trilogy managed to earn quite a few positive reviews with raw horror, supernatural elements, and a tight plot.
Super 8 (2011)
The next super thriller film on the list is “Super 8,” released in 2011, directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The story is about a group of teenagers in 1979, inclined to film their “Super 8” movie when the train derails, and some terrible creature is released in their town.
The plot is set in 1979, in the fictional town of Lillian. Deputy sheriff Jack Lamb and his 14-year-old son Joe were devastated by the accidental death of Joe’s mother, Elizabeth. Lamb held her co-worker Louis Dainard responsible for her death as he was late for his shift and appeared drunk. After four months, Joe’s friend Charlie decided to make a zombie film for the Super 8 film competition.
His friends Joe, Preston, Martin, Cary, and Dainard’s daughter Alice are assisting him. During their filming at a train depot at midnight, a head-on collision takes place between an approaching train and a pick-up truck, thus derailing the train and destroying the depot. Later the children were shocked to find their biology teacher, Dr. Woodward, as the truck driver. The children also found crates of strange white cubes within the wreckage.
Woodward, though gravely injured, warned the children at gunpoint to remain silent and forget about the incident. Soon strange incidents started occurring. Many people and electrical items went missing along with power fluctuations. When Joe and Charles watched their footage, they realized that a huge monster had escaped the train. Is there any connection between the creature and the uncanny incidents?
The film has evoked general positive reviews calling it one of the most thrilling and exciting movies of the year. Abrams handled the terror and suspense with tenderness and affection without excessive aggression. The film bagged 11 awards and 70 nominations in total.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a sci-fi horror film directed by Philip Kaufman. This 1978 movie is a remake of the 1956 movie of the same name, based on the 1955 novel, “The Body Snatchers” by Jack Finney. The plot involves a horrifying fact where aliens are replacing humans.
A species of strange creatures landed in San Fransisco on earth after abandoning their dying planet. They attached themselves to plants forming small pods with beautiful flowers. Elizabeth Driscoll, a scientist at San Fransisco Health Department, brought a flower home, leaving it on her bedside table. The following day, Elizabeth was surprised to find her husband Geoffrey behaving coldly and distantly. Elizabeth’s friend Matthew suggested consulting his psychiatrist friend David Kibner.
David Kibner thought that Elizabeth and Geoffrey were stressed and wanted to end their marriage. Other people also started complaining about the strange behavior of their loved ones. Meanwhile, Matthew’s friend, Jack Bellicec, informed him about a grotesque body covered with fibers that resembled Jack.
When Matthew went to Elizabeth’s house to warn her about the strange occurrences, he found her semi-formed duplicate in her bedroom. He took Elizabeth with him and later found the duplicate body gone when he came back with the police.
The aliens initially gestated inside the pod before rupturing and spawning a human duplicate, which multiplied and copied the human while they were sleeping. The aliens copied their physical appearance and memory, and after completion, the original human died, while the alien took its place.
The film is considered one of the best remakes, he ever produced. It surpassed the original movie in conception and execution. The performances of actors Brooke Adams and Donald Sutherland were highly appreciated. Over the years, the film’s critical reception has improved significantly as one of the greatest sci-fi horror films ever made.
Summer of 84 (2018)
Even I am a big fan of “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams. But “Summer of 84” is a horror mystery film directed by Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell. The movie centers around a group of teenagers investigating their suspicious neighbor, a police officer, and facing deadly consequences.
Set in the year 1984, thirteen teenage boys had disappeared in Cape May, Oregon. During summer, thirteen-year-old Davey enjoyed with his friends Woody, Curty, and Eats as they spent their idle times in a treehouse located on Eat’s property. Meanwhile, a local newspaper received an anonymous letter.
The unknown person claimed responsibility for the boys’ murders. Somehow, Davey suspected that the popular police officer, Wayne Mackey, his neighbor, was the actual killer. His friends rejected the idea due to Davey’s reputation for making up stories. But things became serious when the photo of a boy whom Davey had seen in Wayne’s house appeared as missing. Then Davey’s friends decided to help him investigate Wayne.
There were many suspicious activities Wayne noted by Davey and his friends, including the bloodstained shirt of the missing boy in Wayne’s garden. When the group presented the pieces of evidence to Davey’s parents, they became furious.
They took the group to Wayne’s house and made them apologize to Wayne while Davey was grounded. Soon Wayne tried to convince everyone that he had arrested the real culprit of the Cape May Slayer case, only to make Davey more convinced that Wayne was the real culprit. But this time, their investigation led to a devastating truth and deadly consequences.
Many viewers had commented on the similarity between this film and Stranger Things to a great extent. This is a creepy thriller, a well-constructed screenplay with a twisted end. Even the critics have praised the direction, dark humor, and performance calling it one of the best horror films of 2018.
Stand By Me (1986)
“Stand by me” is a coming-of-age adventure film directed by Rob Reiner and based on Stephen King’s 1982 story, “The Body .”The film is about four teenage boys in 1959 who went on a hiking trip to find the dead body of a missing boy.
Writer Gordie Lachance remembered his old days and recalled a childhood incident when he went on a journey to recover the body of a missing boy. The incident had occurred near the town of Castle Rock, with his best friend Chris and two other friends, Teddy and Vern, in the year 1959.
Gordie was busy playing cards with his friends Chris and Teddy in the flashback. Chris belonged to a dishonest and abusive family; Tedd’s father was in a mental institution, while Gordie’s parents were devastated by their elder son’s death. Their fourth friend Vern approached them with the news of a dead body.
He told them that he had overheard his elder brother, Billy discussing the dead body of a missing boy, Ray Brower, with his friend Charlie. Billy refused to report to the police as he was in a stolen car.
The four friends decided to find the body and be accepted as the local heroes. Chris stole his father’s gun and met Gordie in town, where they were bullied by a gang of older boys led by Ace Merrill. Chris’s elder brother, Eyeball, also belonged to the group. From here, the four friends set out on a small adventure where they realized what true friendship is?
Stephen King himself was so impressed with the film that he had stated, “That’s the best film ever made out of anything I’ve written….”. The film brilliantly exhibits the values of friendship and standing together. The song “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King resonates in the heart for a long time, just like the film does.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
What can be said about this masterpiece by Steven Spielberg? The story of an eternal friendship between a little boy, Elliot, and an extraterrestrial. Melissa Mathison pointed out that it is not mandatory that the alien must always be deadly and hostile. It can be caring and friendly too. The film had remained the highest-grossing film for eleven years until Spielberg’s Jurassic Park which was released in 1993.
A spaceship landed on earth, and a group of alien botanists came out to gather specimens from a California forest. But as U.S. government vehicles arrived, the group departed, leaving one of them had been accidentally separated from the main group. A ten-year-old Elliot discovered him among the cornstalks in San Fernando Valley. Elliott lured the alien into his house using candies.
As he became more and more interested in the alien, it started imitating him. The next morning, Elliott faked being ill to stay home and play with the creature. Soon, Elliott introduced E.T., as he named it, to his elder brother Michael and younger sister Gertie. But they promised to keep E.T. hidden from their brother and the rest of the world.
Eventually, Elliott developed a telepathic connection with E.T. On the one hand, the government officials were desperate to capture E.T., while the children planned to send it back to its planet. Can Elliott and his group send back E.T. safely, to his home away from the government officials?
The climax of E.T. still gives me goosebumps even after watching it endless times. The film received universal acclaim as everybody agreed that it is one of those films that remain in our hearts forever. The film was nominated for nine Oscars at the 55th Academy Awards and won four Oscar awards.
Carrie (1976)
“Carrie” is another Stephen King adaptation of a horror novel of the same title, directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie, a shy 16-year-old teenage girl who is constantly bullied and mocked in her school. The film also stars John Travolta in a supporting role.
Carrie White was a 16-year-old shy girl living with her fanatically religious mother, Margaret. Her life was even worse in school, being extremely unpopular and bullied by other students. When Carrie experienced her first menstruation, she was horrified as she had no knowledge of it.
Her classmates further humiliated her by throwing tampons at her until their gym teacher, Mrs. Collins, interfered in the process. Carrie was sent back home. Margaret was even ahead of Carrie’s classmates. She told Carrie that her menstruation was a result of sin and locked her up in a closet to pray for forgiveness.
Mrs. Collins punished the students who bullied Carrie by detaining them during the gym class for a week. Wealthy and a popular girl, Christine decided to take revenge on Carrie. She sneaked to a local farm with her boyfriend Billy and killed pigs to drain their blood into the bucket. They made a plan to drench her in the blood during the prom night. In the meantime, Carrie discovered that she possessed the power of telekinesis as she shook off her shyness.
“Carrie” also received positive reviews as a perfect example of high school pranks and bullies, supernatural powers, and teen vengeance. It has also displayed one of the most disturbing and violent prom scenes in the history of the silver screen, with an excellent performance by Spacek.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Next on the list, we have “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” another sci-fi film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film follows Roy Neary, a regular worker in Indiana, whose life alters forever after a close encounter with a UFO.
A group of researchers discovered Grumman TBM Avengers in the Sonoran Desert that went missing after World War II. The planes were in perfect original condition, but they were vacant. Similarly, they were again surprised to find S.S. Cotopaxi, an emergency bulk carrier built during World War I, in the Gobi Desert. The air traffic controllers observed that two airline flights narrowly missed a collision with a UFO.
A three-year-old Barry Guiler suddenly found his toys moving around and operating independently. He was about to follow something when his mother went after him. Electrician Roy Neary intervened in the area as a huge power shortage blackened the area. The UFO flew over his truck and flashed bright lights at Roy, burning his face. As Roy raced off, he almost hit Barry on the road. While Jillian appeared, several UFOs flew above their heads.
Roy and some other officers chased the flying objects but soon they disappeared as the area regained power. Soon Roy and Jillian became obsessed with a strange mountain image. Other scientists Bob and Claude found some people in India chanting a 5-note sequence that fell from the sky. As scientists tried to broadcast the sequence, they received a series of numbers, which they finally realized to be the coordinates of some location.
The special effects, cinematography, and score of the film are absolutely spectacular, while the story is highly engaging. No wonder it won the best cinematography award in the Oscar. It won 15 awards and was nominated for 39 awards in all.
The Lost Boys (1987)
“The Lost Boys” is a supernatural dark humor horror film directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Janice Fischer and James Jeremias. The plot is about Lucy and her two sons, Michael and Sam, moving into a new town and getting involved in the world of vampires and vampire hunters. The film is followed by two sequels and two comic book series.
Recently divorced, Lucy moved to her father’s house, in the small beach town of Santa Carla, with her sons Michael and Sam. She took up a job in a video store run by Max Laurence. Michael and Sam spent most of their time on the boardwalk, where many young people hang out, most notably a group led by David.
Santa Carla was known as being the murder capital of the world. Many people had gone missing whose photos were plastered on the boardwalk. Michael became attracted to a beautiful young girl called Star, who introduced him to David’s gang. Meanwhile, Sam met brothers Edgar and Alan Frog, who consider themselves vampire-hunters. They gave Sam horror comics to acquaint him with their town’s threat.
Michael and David’s group went to their hideout, where David offered Michael a bottle with some drink. Michael drank from the bottle despite Star’s warnings and followed the group. The following day, Michael awakened to find his eyes sensitive to sunlight and a sudden thirst for blood. He was about to attack Sam when their dog Nanook retaliated. Sam realizes that Michael was turning into a vampire with Michael’s faded reflection.
“The Lost Boys” is a fun teen vampire movie with some cheesy moments. The film is highly entertaining as the plot runs fast and intelligently. The characters are well characterized by the performers, while the combination of action, horror, and comedy is well balanced.
Back To The Future (1985)
Next on the list, I happily present one of my all-time favorite movies, “Back to the Future,” directed and co-written by Robert Zemeckis. The story centers around the bizarre incidents when a teenager, Marty McFly, accidentally reached the year 1955 in a time-machine car built by his eccentric scientist friend, Dr. Emmett Brown.
Marty was an ordinary, typical teenager living in Hill Valley, California, who was frustrated due to the following reasons. His father, George McFly, was very submissive, and constantly bullied by his supervisor Biff. His mother, Lorraine, was a depressed alcoholic. His older siblings were professional and social failures, and his band was rejected for a music contest.
That night Marty met his eccentric scientist friend Dr. Brown, popularly known as Doc, in the Twin Pines Mall parking lot. There he unveiled a Time Machine made from a modified DeLorean. He set the destination date to be November 5, 1955. The machine was powered by plutonium, which Doc had swindled from Libyan terrorists. The Lybians arrived at the parking lot and shot Doc.
When they attacked Marty, he fled in the DeLorean, and once he attained the speed of 88 miles/hr, he arrived in the year 1955. He had no plutonium to return, while in the cafe, he met his teenage father, who Biff and his gang still bullied. As he followed his father, he became responsible for obstructing the incident when his father first met his mother. Consequently, his teenage mother Lorraine became fascinated by him instead of his father, hence threatening his existence.
The film generally received positive reviews from critics who said that the film would entertain future generations for many years. The plot is tight, witty, and fresh, brimming with entertainment from the first scene to the last. The film requires the audience’s full attention as each dialogue and scene is sensational.
The Monster Squad (1985)
Next, we have another horror comedy film on the list, “The Monster Squad,” directed and co-written by Fred Dekker. The film follows a group of the monster-obsessed preteen club trying to save their hometown from Count Dracula and his monsters.
A society of preteens idolizing classic monsters and monster movies called themselves “The Monster Squad .”Club leader Sean got the diary of the legendary vampire hunter, Abraham Van Heising. But his excitement and ecstasy were short-lived when he discovered that the book was written in German.
Sean and his squad approached an elderly man known as the “Scary German Guy” who, in reality, was a very kind gentleman to translate the diary. The diary described an amulet in detail, which is indestructible, but one day out of 100 years, as the good and evil forces reached a balance, the amulet became vulnerable to destruction. Such a day of balance next fell within a couple of days.
The kids realized that they must get the amulet before the day of balance arrived and perform the necessary actions to defeat the monsters. On the other hand, Count Dracula was desperate to obtain the amulet before the Monster Squad did- so that he could rule the world and let darkness prevail on the planet. Count Dracula started assembling his own army with a mummy, an amphibious gill-man, a Wolfman, and others.
The movie crashed at the box office, but over the years, people have loved the film, making it a cult classic. The film is entertaining with a funny story, horror, and dark adventure, while the kids would love watching it.
Vampires Vs. the Bronx (2020)
”Vampires Vs. the Bronx” is another horror comedy film directed and co-written by Oz Rodriguez. The film is also about a group of teenagers dedicated to protecting their neighborhood from a vampire invasion.
Vivian, a new resident in the Bronx, visited a salon owned by Becky and learned that a real estate group, Murnau properties, had been buying up land in the neighborhood, and she would sell her salon too. As soon as Vivian left, Murnau broker Frank entered to finalize the deal as he watched a vampire kill Becky. Miguel, Bobby, and Louis were best friends and became worried about the vampires invading their locality. They watched vampire movies and tried to learn everything about killing vampires.
They visited the Murnau Properties office to find out more about the resting places of the vampires during the daytime. Despite threats from Frank, the trio grabbed a file from his office and fled. Eventually, they found a USB drive that contained the locations of the vampire nests throughout the Bronx and a skeletal key. They also found that the courthouse was the nest, and they broke in.
As Miguel opened a coffin, a vampire was found who attacked them and chased them away. The police arrested them for trespassing, and the local residents confronted them, but they had no proof of their experience. Their assumption of Frank being a vampire was also wrong as Frank readily stepped into the sunlight. Would they be able to hunt down the vampires and prove their innocence?
Vampires Vs. the Bronx is another enjoyable kid-friendly horror movie. There is hardly any blood or gore, but the atmosphere is just right for the retro vibe. The child actors performed well, and the story is lighthearted with a severe message of gentrification.
Thus we come to the end of today’s list of movies that will keep you occupied for some time. I hope you will enjoy these movies until the fourth season of ”Stranger Things” is released. Till then, take care and stay safe.