Vecna touching a scared Will's face in Stranger Things.Image via Netflix
By
Brad LaCour
Published 43 minutes ago
Brad LaCour is a Senior List Writer for Collider. Based out of Los Angeles, California, Brad lives close enough to the stars but is too busy to find out where exactly they live. Brad is fairly certain he's seen Paul Stanley twice in a grocery store, but was too afraid to ask.
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Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
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Stranger Things is one of the most iconic shows in the streaming age of television. Using '80s pop culture as an inspiration, the series deftly harnessed the comfort of nostalgia to tell an original serialized story. It was a good decade to pull from, because the '80s saw the dominance of creators like John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, and, of course, Stephen King.
King's influence can be felt across Stranger Things in everything from the opening titles, the setting of a small town faced with cosmic horrors, and the defining traits of the show's heroes. In celebration of the upcoming final season, we'll take a look at some of the best Stephen King books to read that pair nicely with Stranger Things. The titles aren't ranked in any particular order, but they're all perfect to crack open after or before the "kids" from Stranger Things take their final bows.
1 'The Body' (1982)
Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, Cory Feldman, and River Phoenix sitting on a car in Stand by Me.Image via Columbia Pictures
Friendship, fate, and the loss of innocence are explored in King's novella, The Body. Originally published as part of the collection Different Seasons, The Body follows four boys as they enter the nearby woods to find the dead body of someone rumored to be hit by a train. Along the way, the quartet will learn more about one another's fears or traumas, gaining a deeper understanding of their friends and themselves. Over the course of their adventure, they will face threats from dogs, trains, and a gang of older boys with violent tendencies. The coming-of-age story was critically well-received and later adapted into the film Stand By Me.
Although The Body isn't a horror story, the plot centers around adolescents in a small town, similar to our group of heroes in Stranger Things. Horror and science fiction play a large role in Stranger Things, but the series also wouldn’t resonate with viewers if it were not for the relationships between the children and how their friendship and loyalty are tested in the face of supernatural threats. Often, Stranger Things feels like a King story because of the character development and not despite it, as the reason many King film adaptations fail is due to a focus on horror over relationship building. The Body is a profound coming-of-age story, and although the boys in the novella don't stop to play Dungeons and Dragons in their time together, it's easy to imagine the Stranger Things characters going on a similar quest.
2 'Carrie' (1974)
A shot of Sissy Spacek covered in blood in Carrie.Image via United Artists
King's first novel is still remembered as a modern horror classic. Carrie follows teenager Carrie White, a teenager who lives a lonely existence as an outcast at school, frequently bullied by the other students. Her home life offers no solace, as Carrie's deeply religious mother treats her daughter as an abomination, a physical piece of evidence of sin she previously fell weak to. When Carrie's body reaches the next stage of puberty, she finds telekinetic powers awakening within her as well. These powers are a secret source of strength for Carrie, but they will be a curse for everyone who has hurt her.
If Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) had never found the calming power of Eggo waffles, Stranger Things could have easily gone down the Carrie route. Admittedly, the storylines of Stranger Things and Carrie drastically differ, but the main characters are remarkably similar. Although Carrie was raised in a home by her mother, her upbringing was far from warm, which lines up with Eleven's troubled developmental years growing up in the secret facility. Each teen feels isolated because of their powers, struggling to relate to other people their age, with an implied shame around abilities they see as a burden. Possibly most importantly, Eleven and Carrie each possess a deep level of rage, which we see in Stranger Things when Eleven attacks her bully in the skating rink, and in Carrie when she… murders everyone.
3 'The Talisman' (1984)
The title with broken glass illustration on the book cover for The Talisman by Stephen King.Image via Viking Press/Stephen King
The Talisman, a novel co-written by King and Peter Straub, combines fantasy and horror in a way that holds strong similarities to Stranger Things. Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer is willing to do anything to save his mother, Lily, who is dying from cancer. In his quest to find a cure, Jack is introduced to a parallel world called "the Territories" that looks similar to the existence the boy knows, but containing magic and alternate versions of people in the other world known as twinners. Jack explores the territories, braving creatures and physically daunting trials while searching for the Talisman, the key to saving his mother's life.
The Talisman is one of the rare works King was involved in that has never received an adaptation, a surprising feat when considering even The Lawnmower Man was optioned into a movie, however unrecognizable it may be to the original work. It was announced that the Stranger Things creators, the Duffer brothers, were planning a Netflix adaptation of The Talisman, but news has been sporadic regarding the project. Steven Spielberg has long shown interest in bringing the story of The Talisman to the big screen, but the efforts were stuck in development hell for decades. All of this means the best bet to enjoy The Talisman's story would involve picking up a copy of the book and finding a quiet place to read it, because a live-action version may take some time before getting made.
4 'The Institute' (2019)
The Institute MGM+ poster featuring Mary-Louise Parker and Ben Barnes staring ahead.Image via MGM+
A sinister organization imprisons children with special powers in The Institute. The story begins with Luke Ellis' parents being murdered and the boy finding himself trapped in a sterile lab-like containment center known as the Institute. It's there that Luke meets other young people with various powers, all of them being regularly subjected to tests that determine the scope of their abilities. With no understanding of why he's there or why the Institute exists, Luke begins devising a plan to escape his prison and expose his captors.
The Institute and Stranger Things have many similarities, especially regarding Eleven's time being experimented on in the secret lab. The viewer gets a taste of the awful life of being a test subject, but The Institute takes a deep dive into the helplessness of being a prisoner, and the desperation it inspires to find an escape. Much like Stranger Things, the novel focuses on children with psychic powers, and even though they have powerful gifts, their age and lack of real-world experience keep them vulnerable to the doctors who exploit those weaknesses to their advantage. The novel has been adapted into a TV series of the same name on MGM+, starring Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker, but reading the novel will allow for a deeper understanding of the characters.
5 'It' (1986)
A group of children, each suffering through their own losses or pains, must band together to fight an ancient evil in It. Told between two different time periods, It follows seven childhood friends, Bill, Richie, Beverly, Mike, Eddie, and Stan, who take a blood oath to kill a monster who appears as their worst fears. When their efforts as children don't permanently end the monster's threats, they reluctantly return to their hometown of Derry as adults, facing their fears for hopefully the last time. Over the course of the story, the friends will confront longstanding traumas, discover hidden truths about things from their past, and find closure that leads to peace.
It and Stranger Things carry so many of the same traits without copying each other's story. Fans of Stranger Things should, without a doubt, love reading It, even if they've seen the movies and think they have a full grasp on the story. It is one of King's crowning achievements, loaded with emotional weight, a rich sense of history, and gothic cosmic horror in a way only King can deliver. It remains one of King's scariest novels, an epic accomplishment that examines the core nature of fear and the ability to overcome it by relying on others for support.
6 'Firestarter' (1980)
Drew Barrymore as Charlie walks away from fire in Firestarter.Image via Universal Pictures
A young girl with extraordinary powers is hunted by a secret government agency in Firestarter. Young Charlie McGee has pyrokinetic powers, able to create large and intense fires using her mind. Charlie is not inherently a threat to others, but the government institute indirectly responsible for her powers, known simply as "The Shop," wants Charlie in their custody. Andy, Charlie's dad, stays one step ahead of the ruthless agency, but they will stop at nothing to make sure Charlie is under their control, if that's even possible.
Even though there have been two different Firestarter film adaptations, Stranger Things has done the best job of capturing the essence of its story. The father-daughter bond is strengthened while always looking over their shoulder in fear of a shadowy government organization, a young girl with powers so deadly that they can decimate crowds of people if not controlled — it's all there in Stranger Things. Eleven and Jim Hopper (David Harbour) have established a relationship that is as strong as a blood connection, and seeing Hopper's fiercely protective attitude towards her is reminiscent of the heart of Firestarter's story.
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Firestarter
R
Horror
Thriller
Science Fiction
Release Date
May 11, 1984
Runtime
115 Minutes
Director
Mark L. Lester
Writers
Stanley Mann
Cast
See All-
Drew Barrymore
Andrew McGee
-
David Keith
Charlie McGee
-
Freddie Jones
Dr. Joseph Wanless
-
Heather Locklear
Vicky McGee
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Stephen King
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It
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