7 Movies That Do Small Town Lovecraftian Horror Better Than Stranger Things

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With the release of Season 4 on Netflix, the Stranger Things craze has captivated the whole world. The remaining two episodes of the season, both of which are movie-length, will be released on July 1. The ’80s-style sci-fi thriller about psychic girl Eleven and her companions facing aliens from another realm became a tremendous sensation since it reminded audiences of horror classics. It’s surely a one-of-a-kind program, although it may be related to a variety of different shows and films. As a result, here’s a list of 7 similar-genre films to see that could be better than Stranger Things:

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1. The Goonies by Richard Donner:

One of the movies you should watch if you like Stranger Things.
1985 American adventure comedy film: The Goonies.

Anyone who grew up in the 1980s likely rank The Goonies as one of their favorite movies, or at the very least remember it fondly. It had everything: excitement, rushes, pirates, adventures, misfits, and bad boys, to name a few. Unlike a Barney episode, each member of this main cast is given a backstory and a list of distinctions from their castmates. The teenager Brand will not react to the same circumstance in the same way that the ten-year-old Mikey does, and this is where the movie’s strength lies. Now that it is twenty years old, it will be remembered as a time relic for all eternity.

Related: Goonies Re-Enactment Series Pilot Ordered By FOX

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2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by Steven Spielberg:

One of the movies you should watch if you like Stranger Things.
A scene from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Thanks to the wonderful and unexpected connection between a kid and an alien at the narrative’s core, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has been elevated to a level that no other film about extraterrestrials has been able to achieve. A group of youngsters find an alien that has crashed on Earth and create a lasting friendship with the species. The film, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison, easily captures the spirit of youth. This movie also has the most famous cinematic scenes, with the youngsters flying into the summer sky on bicycles.

3. Vampires vs the Bronx by Oz Rodriguez:

One of the movies you should watch if you like Stranger Things.
Movie Poster of Vampires vs the Bronx.

Vampires vs. the Bronx, Netflix’s new kid-friendly horror flick, twists the game and portrays the undead as representations of class conflicts and gentrification’s systemic subjugation of racial minorities. That in itself makes Vampires vs. the Bronx a worthwhile viewing experience. It’s also a delightful picture with a strong good sense of humor and identity, as well as a fantastic cast, making it the ideal way to kick off the Halloween season. The vampire genre will not be revolutionized by this film. However, if you want a movie that addresses a significant topic while simultaneously being a fantastically enjoyable kid-friendly horror thriller, this is the movie for you.

Related: 10 Movies of 2020 That Surprisingly Turned Out to be Amazing – Animated Times

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4. Poltergeist by Tobe Hooper:

One of the movies you should watch if you like Stranger Things.
A scene from the movie Poltergeist.

Poltergeist is a classic haunted mansion tale with hints of early tech horror that caused us nightmares as kids. It also had us calculate the seconds every time we witnessed a bolt of lightning. It is one of Stranger Things’ most prominent influences, underpinning much of the series’ main motifs. The Duffers’ “Upside-Down” is eerily similar to Spielberg’s parallel spectral world, and the concept of transitory contact between those realms and ours. Furthermore, they’re both gloomy, yet comforting, and depict evil powers preying on children. This is a concept as old as the Grimms’ and Anderson’s fairy tales.

Related: Twisted Horror Movies That Almost Drove The Actors Insane

5. Heathers by Michael Lehmann:

One of the movies you should watch if you like Stranger Things.
American comedy teen film, Heathers.

In the 1989 cult classic coming-of-age picture Heathers, a virtually unknown 18-year-old Winona Ryder earned the part of Veronica Sawyer alongside bad boy Christian Slater as Jason Dean. Heathers is an iconic element of 1980s pop culture, owing to Ryder and Slater’s passionate presentation of an angry couple who made being unpopular social outsiders acceptable. It’s a dark comedy that tackles serious subjects like suicide, sexual preference, and depression. Slater’s gothic Jason Dean is a clear homage to James Dean, the classic adolescent heartthrob, and with Ryder by his side, they’re unbeatable as two cigarette-smoking, spiteful crooks with killer style.

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6. Halloween by John Carpenter:

One of the movies you should watch if you like Stranger Things.
One of the best American independent slasher films.

John Carpenter’s Halloween, arguably the most impactful of all horror flicks, is why this type of thrillers exist at all. Even though it wasn’t the first of its sort, it was a game-changer. Every other low-budget independent horror film that came afterward only ended up replicating the template. There were a few nuisances, but overall, Carpenter’s film is an exciting, fascinating, and fulfilling journey that is well-deserving of its cult reputation. It’s a horror filmmaking tutorial that minimizes gore and graphic violence in order to demonstrate the long-term impact that a persistent tense ambiance can have on audiences.

Related: Don’ Call Yourself A Halloweener If You Haven’t Watched These 15 Halloween Movies

7. Stand by Me by Rob Reiner:

One of the movies you should watch if you like Stranger Things.
American coming-of-age story, based on Stephen King’s The Body.

In Stand by Me, a bunch of 12-year-old adolescents embark on a quest to find a dead body. After learning that a kid was killed by a train while crossing the dilapidated tracks out in the country, the lads decide that recovering the body will give them a sense of purpose in their dreary existence. However, they run into many barriers as another group of boys led also searches for the body. Stand by Me is a touching adventure film that effectively conveys the growing sorrows of leaving childhood behind.

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Written by Alfeeya Pathan

Articles Published: 342

Alfeeya Pathan is an entertainment news writer at FandomWire. With over 4 years of experience in writing and a Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication, Alfeeya has honed her skills in writing compelling news for reader's.