Stranger Things’ latest teaser makes a passing allusion to Stephen King’s The Shining, but what does this brief visual acknowledgement reveal about the future season? Stranger Things has never been shy about acknowledging its creative debt to Stephen King, as a nostalgia-soaked series set in the 1980s. The Netflix series has made several references to King’s work and even lifted a few narrative lines from the legendary horror author’s novels over the course of its three seasons.
Similarities Between Stranger Things and King’s Works
The Twins in The Shining
Stranger Things’ plot revolves mostly around a bunch of teenagers, thus the King works that the programme frequently recalls — Stand By Me, Carrie, and It — are all stories about teenagers.
Stranger Things has also made references to Christine, Stephen King’s deadly automobile storey, yet even that horror had a teen protagonist. Stranger Things features a homage to King’s more adult-oriented books, which is a little uncommon — and thus a little more telling.
The Shining reference in the recent Trailer
The Shining reference in the recent Trailer
The show’s most recent trailer, a season 4 teaser dubbed “Creel House,” gave viewers a glimpse into Hawkins’ past while also referencing one of King’s most well-known adaptations.
One shot of the mysterious father standing in the doorway with both of his children lying on the floor beside him, similar to how the Grady twins are gruesomely presented in Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, albeit with less blood, as a seemingly idyllic family’s life takes a turn for the terrifying, is a perfect match for how the Grady twins are gruesomely presented in Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, albeit with less blood.
Many fans are wondering why season 4 of Stranger Things is drawing inspiration from The Shining, which is a striking visual in both the teaser and the original film.
Will We Learn About Hawkin’s Past?
Stranger Things 4 Teaser
Depending on whatever direction the Stranger Things writers take the reference, this may be good or terrible news for the show.
On the one hand, the fact that the scenes at Creel House are set in a fictionalised version of the 1950s suggests that viewers will be able to learn about Hawkins’ past and how the Upside Down came to be.
Season 4 of Stranger Things could be gearing up to go back in time and dig some ancient, chilling history, similar to how the shelved Overlook television series was supposed to depict the history of the titular haunted hotel.
What we can gather from the show’s Trailer so far?
Stranger Things Season 4
The nod, on the other hand, could indicate that Season 4 will be a little too ambitious for its own good.
So far, the four Stranger Things season 4 teasers have teased Hopper’s return from Siberia, a haunted home tour in Hawkins, a mass breakout from Hawkins lab, and a flashback to Eleven’s time there, which could reveal more about her pre-series past mystery.
Even with Stranger Things season 4’s enormous scope, there may be too many narratives for the show to connect, especially because the storylines are divided between Hawkins, Russia, and Eleven’s new house.
Stranger Things season 4’s reference to The Shining is refreshingly ambitious, but drawing from the horror classic means giving the audience ome meaningful horrors rather than a myriad of subplots that overlap and fail to interact.
