When it premiered in 2016, Super 8 did just that five years earlier. Stranger Things combines the small-town thrills of Stephen King novels with the coming-of-age warmth of Stand by Me and The Goonies. At the time the series debuted on Netflix, it felt like a breath of fresh air bringing back the familiar feel of a bygone era of science fiction and teen drama – but Abrams already did that half a decade earlier.

Although it was originally conceived as a limited series, Stranger Things proved to be so overwhelmingly popular that Netflix wanted to keep it going. The show has been a consistent hit with viewers for three additional installments, with a fifth and final season on the way, expected to be released in 2025. After Stranger Things became one of the most successful TV shows of the 21st century, it seemed wild that no one in Hollywood thought to tap into Amblin nostalgia sooner – except someone did tap into that nostalgia a full five years sooner.

Super 8 Has A Weirdly Similar Premise To Stranger Things

They're both period pieces about small-town teens contending with the supernatural

The premise of Super 8 is oddly similar to that of Stranger Things. Like Stranger Things, it’s a period piece, although Super 8 takes place in the late ‘70s where Stranger Things takes place in the ‘80s. And like Stranger Things, it revolves around a plucky group of kids who unwittingly contend with the supernatural in a small town. Whereas Stranger Things’ town of Hawkins is threatened by monsters who come from a parallel dimension to attack local kids, Super 8’s town of Lillian is threatened by a malevolent alien visitor.

Both Super 8 and Stranger Things use a science fiction story about monsters to dig into Cold War-era paranoia and conspiracy theories. Super 8 was the first original movie that Abrams directed, and remains his only directorial feature that isn’t based on a popular I.P. But it’s so wonderful that it makes a case that Abrams should leave Star Trek, Star Wars, and Mission: Impossible behind and tell more original stories. There’s more idiosyncrasy and personality in Super 8 than in any of Abrams’ other movies, because it’s his story from beginning to end.

Super 8 & Stranger Things Are Both Great, Despite Being Similar

Super 8 and Stranger Things take similar stories in very different directions

Usually, when two similar projects come along around the same time, there’s a clear winner: Top Gun is much better than Iron Eagle; The Truman Show is much better than EDtv; Finding Nemo is much better than Shark Tale. But Super 8 and Stranger Things are both great in their own ways. Unlike a feature film confined to two hours, Stranger Things had the time and freedom to explore a sprawling ensemble of characters, and the Duffer brothers created a bunch of rich, lovable, three-dimensional characters that audiences got emotionally invested in, from Eleven to Jim Hopper.

But while Super 8 didn’t have eight hours to sink its teeth into its characters, it still has plenty going for it. Super 8 has stunning visual effects, a great musical score by Michael Giacchino, and brilliant performances from the cast – particularly by Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, and Kyle Chandler. The core narrative behind the alien invasion storyline is a group of kids trying to make their own zombie movie. This is where Abrams’ love of filmmaking shines through, making Super 8 easily his most sincere and heartfelt movie.

J.J. Abrams hasn’t directed a movie since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Why Stranger Things Is So Much Bigger Than Super 8

Stranger Things can push the horror a lot further on television

Although Super 8 was a box office success when it hit theaters in 2011, its popularity doesn’t compare to Stranger Things. While Stranger Things remains one of the most popular shows in the world almost a decade after it began, there aren’t many people who Super 8. This is because Stranger Things utilized every advantage that television has over film: more time spent with the characters, more time to develop the mysteries and build the suspense, and less restraints on the horror and violence.

As a theatrically released movie going for a PG-13 rating, Super 8 was forced to play it safe. Stranger Things, on the other hand, had no such constraints, because it was produced for a streaming service. Netflix allowed the Duffers to take the terror of their monster story much further than Paramount allowed Abrams with a big-budget movie they were hoping to turn into a summer blockbuster. Super 8 was a fantastic movie, but Stranger Things had fewer restrictions and more time to make an impression on audiences.