Stranger Fins: How Jaws influenced Stranger Things

The Duffer brothers have never made it a secret that the hit Netflix series has been majorly influenced by movies from the 1970s and 1980s such as those by Steven Spielberg and based on the books of Stephen King.

And Jaws is one of those ones the series has actively worn on its sleeve, quite literally when it comes to Sheriff Hopper with his Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) style outfit and car.

In series 2 he is even directly quoting Amity''s finest, saying that he is the chief of police, and he can do anything he wants when stumbling out of a restaurant with a bottle of chianti, rather than red wine. He might want to let that breathe...nothing, nothing.

Teasers for series 2 also paid homage to the iconic Roger Kastel Jaws film poster, although instead of the shark rising we get the open mouth of the demogorgon.

That classic Jaws poster also crops up in an actual episode, sitting on the bedroom wall of Will By­ers (Noah Schnapp).

Come Stranger Things series 3 and we have the mayor of Hawkins, in the shape of Larry Kline (played with relish by Jaws fan and The Daily Jaws followers, Cary Elwes). He's their version of manipulative and scheming Mayor Vaughn (who also has the first name Larry) as played by the wonderful Murray Hamilton. Both Mayor's survival hangs on the fourth of July.

We can only hope that more Jaws parallels lie ahead is Stranger Things season 4 part 1 and part 2. Hopefully, this is going to be the best Stranger Things we've ever had.

Words by Dean Newman

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