Jurassic Park? Debuting in 2016, Netflix's Stranger Things soon became a word-of-mouth phenomenon and has since gone on to become one of the platform’s biggest hits so far. It is easy to see what attracted audiences to Stranger Things, as the show boasts a superb multi-generational cast, a stellar sci-fi mystery at its core, and some effective scares thanks to its terrifying monster villains.
However, the nostalgic ‘80s setting was also instrumental to the success of the show, with Terminator 2 during season 3. It seemed strange for the ‘80s-based show to reference the film, as the James Cameron sequel was a ‘90s blockbuster and wouldn't have existed during the era the series takes place in.
However, the 1980s-centric series has constantly featured nods to Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park too, like the way the Demo-Dogs hunt in packs, Bob's Ellie Sattler-aping final mission, or Jonathan & Nancy’s reaction to the Mind Flayer. So, why are these references included, and why (despite its release date) is Jurassic Park a more fitting reference than, say, The Never-ending Story (which Stranger Things also included a nod to)?
Jurassic Park Is A Classic Monster Horror (Like Stranger Things)
The surfeit of Jaws references featured in Stranger Things is explained away by the Netflix series being a creature feature at heart. Despite the earlier Spielberg movie being a ‘70s hit, the fact that Jaws and Stranger Things share a primary plotline wherein the main characters attempt to hunt down a man-eating monster before it hunts them down is enough connection to justify the references. The same is true of Jurassic Park, with some of Stranger Things’ nods simply being classic monster movie gags, regardless of the era they originated in.
Take, for example, the moment in Stranger Things season 3 finale that features a nod to Jurassic Park’s famous visual gag where a T-Rex appears in a rearview mirror that bears the inscription “objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.” In the show's version of events, the inscription refers instead to the fully-grown Mind Flayer that is pursuing Steve’s car, but otherwise, the moment is a perfect dupe because the joke works as a moment of comic relief outside of its Jurassic Park reference.
Jurassic Park Is A Sci-Fi Horror Cautionary Tale (Like Stranger Things)
Both Stranger Things and Jurassic Park are the sorts of classic cautionary tales that sci-fi viewers love, which warn against playing god with scientific experimentation. As a result, it makes sense the Demo-dogs and dinosaurs wreak such similar sorts of havoc, as the monsters of the Netflix show and the Michael Crichton adaptation both come into existence because of meddling researchers overstepping the boundaries of responsible practice. The way that the Demo-Dogs hunt in packs, and specifically the maneuver of one sneaking up behind their prey while the others distract them from the front, is a clear reference to the velociraptors of Jurassic Park (although Steve survives the attack in question, and doesn’t call the Demogorgon a “clever girl”). This reference adds up since both the Demo-dogs and the Velociraptors are hunters who humans would never stand a chance against and would luckily never encounter - if it weren’t for meddling scientists, that is.
Jurassic Park Is Quintessential Spielberg
Despite being released in the 1990s, Jurassic Park features so many hallmarks of sci-fi legend Steven Spielberg’s work that Stranger Things can’t avoid referencing the movie. Stranger Things is endlessly indebted to Spielberg, from its small-town setting to the lighting and framing of specific shots being borrowed from the director’s back catalog. Often, nods to the helmer’s work are subtle enough that the creators may not have even considered the era the original work they came from, meaning references to his ‘90s movies make it into the series alongside nods to his ‘70s output. Jonathan & Nancy's initial awed reaction to the Mind Flayer, for example, is a visual nod to Sattler and Grant’s first sight of the brontosaurus from Jurassic Park. Sans the movie’s trademark soaring musical cue, it’s a hard reference to place, and these sort of creative borrows are understandable because their subtlety makes them more of a tribute to the cinematic legend’s style than a riff on a specific movie.
Familiarity Makes Stranger Things’ Subversions More Effective
Throughout its three seasons, Stranger Things has reveled in upending viewer expectations. Referencing famous movies like Jurassic Park at pivotal points in the story sometimes allows the series to mislead viewers about where a scene is going, making the eventual emotional impact more effective as a result. For example, the similarity between Bob Newby and Dr. Ellie Sattler’s chase scenes in Stranger Things season 2 and Jurassic Park is designed to make viewers think their outcome will also be the same, lulling them into a false sense of security before it reminds viewers the series subverts cliches as often as it plays into them.
Unlike Bob’s final mission, Dr. Ellie survives her successful attempts to bring the eponymous park’s power back online. However, Bob’s death is otherwise a match for her mission, making his sudden dispatching as tragic and shocking as Billy's season 3 demise. Both Ellie and Bob are guided via the intercom by a doctor running the institution (Hammond in Jurassic Park, Owens in Stranger Things) and both are tasked with finding the mains switch before being caught by monsters prowling around the area. As such, when Bob's mission is a success, viewers subconsciously expect to see him make it out alive precisely because of the scene’s familiarity. This allows Stranger Things to use a Jurassic Park reference against its viewers for a solid, brutal shock, something the series excels at no matter what decade's pop culture the show is referencing.