'Stranger Things' Creators Reveal What Influenced the Series

By John Connor Coulston

There were a slew of details to come out of the Strangers Things panel at Sand Diego Comic-Con, including the creators dishing on their biggest inspirations.

While homages and references were picked apart in details after the show premiered, the Duffer Brothers (who wrote, directed and produced the series) gave fans the three auteurs they looked to the most for inspiration.

Up Next: 'Stranger Things' Reveals Details About New Characters at SDCC

"What would be the ultimate long movie?," one of the brothers said. "It would be Steven Spielberg directing a Stephen King book with John Carpenter music, so that's what we did."

While many of those filmmakers' works were sprinkled into scenes of the Netflix original series, that overall description of the series fits it to a T.

More: David Harbour Talks About the End of 'Stranger Things'

They also said that King described another recognizable trait of the show: the title font.

"We wanted the font to look like a Stephen King paperback," they said.

Those were some of the many details the creators and actors shared about Stranger Things' acclaimed first season. They also hinted at aspects of the show's second season, which will be streaming on Oct. 27.

Scroll down to see more revelations from the SDCC 2017 panel.

'Stranger Things' Reveals Details About New Characters at SDCC

The cast of Stranger Things took San Diego Comic-Con by storm with one of the most-hyped panels of the weekend, and the details about season two did not disappoint.

The cast dished out some select details about some of the new characters joining the series.

Paul Reiser shed some light on his contribution to season five. He seems to be filling in for the shady government official character, similar to Matthew Modine's season one character, Martin Brenner.

"I'm basically coming from the government to clean up Brenner's mess," he said, vaguely adding, "Certain things happen."

Dacre Montgomery and Sadie Sink were also on-hand to discuss their characters.

Montgomery is playing Billy, who was previously described as "hyper-confident and edgy." He's the older brother to Sink's character, Max, and will be an antagonistic force.

"The Duffers wanted to play with me as a human antagonist as opposed to a monster," he said. "I hope I can be scary enough."

Sink played things close to the chest when it came to her tomboy character, but did reveal that she'll be new in town.

"She moves to Hawkins from California," she said.

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David Harbour Talks About the End of 'Stranger Things'

David Harbour, who portrays Police Chief Jim Hopper on Stranger Things, is speaking out about how the wildly popular Netflix series is going to end. For the fans hoping that the show could possibly go on a double-digit seasons run, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment.

The 42-year-old actor attended Comic-Con this past weekend to promote the second season of Stranger Things, and he opened up about how the series will have a finite conclusion while talking to TVLine.

"We don't have an open-ended thing like The Walking Dead," he said. "There is an end to all these characters… We're going to give you something fun and then we're going to get out before we've worn out our welcome. We have a specific story that we're going to tell."

Up Next: Matthew Modine Explains Why Eleven Is the True Villain of 'Stranger Things'

As for the upcoming second season, Harbour says that the new episodes could polarize some viewers.

"In general, I think people will be pretty excited about it, but I do think some people will expect something and not get it," he said. "Some people may want the same thing [as Season 1], but we're not going to give them that. Literally, upon reading the first five minutes of the first script, I realized we opened up the world in an entirely new way. And these characters can go in an entirely new direction and have new arcs."

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David Harbour Teases Chief Hopper's Role in 'Stranger Things' Season 2

Also during the San Diego Comic-Con Stranger Things panel, Harbour revealed that his character is going to go through a drastically different arc than Season 1 of the wildly popular Netflix series.

"In Season 2, it's a year later and you can't do the same thing," he said. "One of the interesting things is that there is a psychology that comes with a heroic action. You're going to see a wildly different arc this time, but it's just as good. It all starts with leaving Eggos out in the woods."

While he didn't spill on any specific plot details, Harbour did mention that his character is going to get be heavily involved in the action.

"Hopper gets to do some thrilling and even sexy things in Season 2," he said.

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Matthew Modine Explains Why Eleven Is the True Villain of 'Stranger Things'

When Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016, Millie Bobby Brown's character, Eleven, instantly became a fan favorite. The gifted teen immediately became a social media superstar, and fans have been eagerly awaiting her return when the series' second season arrives this fall.

Despite her warm reception, there's one person who doesn't seem to view Eleven the same way many fans do — Matthew Modine, who plays Dr. Brenner on the show, told Variety at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend that he thinks the supernatural tween is actually more of a villain than his own character.

Up Next: New 'Stranger Things' Season 2 Trailer Released at San Diego Comic-Con

"There's a lot of people who think Dr. Brenner is an evil character," Modine said. "In all those scenes that you see him with Millie, did he ever speak harshly to her, did he ever harm her, did he ever not explain what it was that he was going to do with her?"

In the show, Brenner is a research scientist who performs experiments on Eleven to test her supernatural abilities. After her escape, he and his team feverishly search the town for her.

More: 'Stranger Things' Season Two Will Reference Actual CIA Projects

"Since her escape from the laboratory, how many people has she killed?" Modine continued. "And how many people has Dr. Brenner killed?"

The answer — several, although it can be argued that she acted in self-defense, as the agents she killed were trying to return her to the laboratory.

Modine also offered one more idea to think about. "And perhaps the only reason Dr. Brenner is so ardently pursuing Eleven is because what happens if Eleven were to get in the hands of somebody that is truly evil?" he queried.

Whatever the answers may be, fans will have plenty of time to mull these new questions over before the second season of Stranger Things drops on Netflix October 27.

prevnext

Matthew Modine Explains Why Eleven Is the True Villain of 'Stranger Things'

When Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016, Millie Bobby Brown's character, Eleven, instantly became a fan favorite. The gifted teen immediately became a social media superstar, and fans have been eagerly awaiting her return when the series' second season arrives this fall.

Despite her warm reception, there's one person who doesn't seem to view Eleven the same way many fans do — Matthew Modine, who plays Dr. Brenner on the show, told Variety at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend that he thinks the supernatural tween is actually more of a villain than his own character.

Up Next: New 'Stranger Things' Season 2 Trailer Released at San Diego Comic-Con

"There's a lot of people who think Dr. Brenner is an evil character," Modine said. "In all those scenes that you see him with Millie, did he ever speak harshly to her, did he ever harm her, did he ever not explain what it was that he was going to do with her?"

In the show, Brenner is a research scientist who performs experiments on Eleven to test her supernatural abilities. After her escape, he and his team feverishly search the town for her.

More: 'Stranger Things' Season Two Will Reference Actual CIA Projects

"Since her escape from the laboratory, how many people has she killed?" Modine continued. "And how many people has Dr. Brenner killed?"

The answer — several, although it can be argued that she acted in self-defense, as the agents she killed were trying to return her to the laboratory.

Modine also offered one more idea to think about. "And perhaps the only reason Dr. Brenner is so ardently pursuing Eleven is because what happens if Eleven were to get in the hands of somebody that is truly evil?" he queried.

Whatever the answers may be, fans will have plenty of time to mull these new questions over before the second season of Stranger Things drops on Netflix October 27.

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