Sheriff Hopper's trailer reportedly only cost the art department $1 to buy.

In an interview on NPR, the Duffer brothers praised Millie Bobby Brown as a precociously gifted actress and said that she is able to adjust her performance to different lens or camera positions in a way that most child actors don't know how to do. But they also said that there were times on the set when they were reminded that she was just a little girl; the example that Ross Duffer gave was, "one day she showed up on set and she [was] just covered head to toe in glitter. And she's like, 'I don't know where this glitter came from.' And it's like I'm not having this problem with any of my adult actors. David Harbour is not coming in covered in glitter." The Duffers said that removing the glitter delayed their shooting schedule by 45 minutes.

The state trooper guarding the morgue is reading "Cujo" by Stephen King. This is one of the show's many hat tips to the author's work.

Gaten Matarazzo's voice had changed so much by the time production ended that the sound team could not use him for additional dialogue recording.

The Duffer Brothers originally wanted to make a remake of Stephen King's It, but were turned down.

The official poster for the series was created by Kyle Lambert. It was done in an art style inspired by acclaimed poster/album artwork artist Drew Struzan, who has created official posters for Star Wars (1977), "Indiana Jones," Back to the Future (1985), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and several others.

The twin actresses that play Holly Wheeler are the same twins who played the original baby Judith in The Walking Dead (2010).

Season two was announced on August 31, 2016. Episode titles, "Madmax," "The Boy Who Came Back To Life," "The Pumpkin Patch," "The Palace," "The Storm," "The Pollywog," "The Secret Cabin," "The Brain," and "The Lost Brother". It will take place in the Fall of 1984. The season will begin streaming in 2017.

Winona Ryder is admittedly a late bloomer in terms of electronic devices and supposedly did not know what streaming was, when she was approached for this Netflix series.

Dustin's medical condition is called cleidocranial dysplasia, a hereditary condition involving abnormal development of the collarbone (clavicle) and skull bones.

The Hawkins Police Department vehicles and uniforms are identical to those used in Jaws and Jaws 2. This includes the Chief's tan uniform, Amity Island triangle shaped patch, and beige SUV that was worn/used by Roy Scheider's character. This also includes the blue uniforms and trooper/sheriff style hats worn by the patrolman, which also matches the Amity Island Police uniforms from the Jaws films.

Winona Ryder portrays a mother whose child has gone missing. In real life, Ryder dedicated the film Little Women (1994) to Polly Hannah Klaas, a young girl from her hometown of Petaluma, California, who went missing and was later revealed to have been kidnapped and brutally murdered. She offered a $200,000 reward for anyone with information on the subject, and as of 2016 she still remains a strong supporter of the Polly Klaas Foundation for Prevention of child abduction, and aid in the search.

The Demogorgon, according to Dragon Magazine, is considered the most powerful villain in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. It rules as a Demon Prince of the Abyss, an ever-changing plane of chaotic evil.

The series's logo resembles the font used on the covers for the original 1980s editions of Stephen King novels, notably Cujo and Christine.

The quarry scene in Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street is the same location used in The Walking Dead (2010) Season 1, most notably episode 4, "Vatos."

Millie Bobby Brown actually had her head shaved for her role while her mother filmed the whole cutting session with a camcorder. Her father was so traumatized by the event, he sobbed and couldn't bear to watch. The footage of the event was uploaded to YouTube.

Finn Wolfhard was always the first choice to play Mike, but was initially unable to play the role due to his commitments to 'It' (2017). However, production delays caused filming of that project to be pushed back a year, therefore making Wolfhard available to star in both projects.

Of the many nods to Stephen King in this series, one of the most obvious is in episode 4 ("The Body") when the kids travel a significant stretch along the railroad tracks. Much of the story in the film "Stand By Me" (and in the novella it is based on, titled "The Body"), includes kids traveling along railroad tracks.

Will, El and Sara Hopper each have the same toy stuffed animal Lion from Steiff.

Even though the original score is electronic and very Tangerine Dream influenced, actual Tangerine Dream track excerpts can be heard over some scenes. At least one track from their album Green Desert was used in the pool scene at the party in series one.

In an interview, The Duffer Brothers admitted that they were inspired by anime Elfen Lied (2004), which was inspired by another classic anime Akira (1988)

Interestingly, as this show has many homages and Easter eggs involving Stephen King, Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler, will be starring in a reboot of Stephen King's "It", premiering in 2017.

The quarry scenes were filmed at the same location as the quarry scenes in The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), which is another Netflix original.

Holly Wheeler's moments on-screen were unscripted. When she slouches at the dinner table and in another scene replies, "Yes!" were ad-libbed.

In the pilot script, Steve Harrington was written as "the biggest douchebag on the planet," going so far as to rape Nancy Wheeler. The character changed when actor Joe Keery turned out to be "much more likable and charming than the Duffer Brothers originally had envisioned."

In another homage to 80's movies, Police Chief Jim Hopper is named after the character Arnold Schwarzenegger first goes looking for in the 1987 film "Predator".

John Carpenter's films are a touchstone for the series; for instance, the movie poster for The Thing appears in several scenes. Carpenter has also composed the scores for several of his films. The main theme is highly reminiscent of Carpenter's electronic scores.

During the Christmas scene at the end of season 1, there are no Christmas lights present in the house...for obvious reasons

The repeated shots of the Byers' home with the porch swing in the foreground is an homage to The Evil Dead (1981).

Matthew Modine stated in an interview that the character of Dr. Brenner was written as wearing a plaid shirt and jeans. Instead, Modine worked closely with the Duffer brothers to craft the character's look, and patterned his hair after Robert Shaw in Battle of the Bulge (1965) and a pristine suit after Cary Grant's wardrobe in North by Northwest (1959).

Shares many similarities with J.J. Abrams film Super 8 which was also created and heavily inspired as a throwback to 1980s film, writing and themes - especially the influence of Steven Spielberg.

During the pilot when the boys are confronted by school bullies, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) is mocked about his teeth and quickly explains that he has "Cleidocranial Dysplasia," a rare genetic disorder with which he was actually born.

The character of State Trooper O'Bannon is a reference to Dan O'Bannon, the screenwriter of Alien (1979) and Dark Star (1974).

Millie Bobby Brown (who plays Eleven) was eleven years old during casting and filming.

The series heavily homages 80s films, especially the work of Steven Spielberg, most notably ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Poltergeist.

Joe Keery who played Steve and Noah Schnapp who played Will has been promoted from recurring characters to regulars in Season 2.

The poster for "The Thing" Appears several times in episodes, it also appears in the film "The Mist" based on a Stephen King novel about creatures slipping through a rift of some sort.

Winona Ryder based the look of Joyce on the Meryl Streep character in the film Silkwood (1983).

One of the most popular and recognizable aspect of Stranger Things is its 80's inspired opening theme music. It's influence is drawn from 'John Carpenter' style synth music. Most notably from the track "Abduction at Airport" from the 1986 movie Big Trouble in Little China (1986). The music in question plays during an abduction of one of the films protagonists, who is kidnapped and later held captive by otherworldly creatures, as her friends attempt to rescue her throughout the film. A plot point shared by the show as well.

The little white flakes fluttering in the Upside Down's atmosphere resemble those in the forest in Ridley Scott's fantasy film Legend (1985).

In Episode 4 the Coroner is Shawn Levy who directed the episode and is an Executive Producer for the series

The orange cat hissing at Eleven reminisce Jonesy from Alien and the outfit Holly Wheeler wears when following the bulbs is similar to what Drew Barrymore wears as E.T. leaves.

The character of Holly Wheeler (Mike's baby sister) is played by identical twin sisters.

Winona Ryder and David Harbour were first on board during the series casting. Harbour had been a fanboy of Winona in Heathers (1988) when he was a teenager and the pair got along extremely well on ST set.

Callahan is an obvious reference to Father Callahan from Stephen King's "Salem's Lot" and the "Dark Tower" books.

There are many possible homages to the Silent Hill series of games on the show, particularly the game Silent Hill: Homecoming. In addition to the similarities of the dark "Otherworld" of Silent Hill and the "Upside-Down" (both mirroring the real world, but decrepit and filled with a haze and falling flakes like ash), there are also living portals in inanimate walls, one of which an agent "Shepherd" tears into so he may pass through, just as the character Alex Shepherd does in Homecoming. Mike's family share the same last name with Deputy Wheeler from the same game. Elle (El) is a prominent character in Silent Hill: Homecoming. An "Eleanor Gillespie" is mentioned in Stranger Things; the Gillespies are a crucially important family in the Silent Hill mythos (and Alessa Gillespie is a telekinetic little girl who spends most of her life in a hospital). The actor Finn Wolfhard bears an uncanny resemblance to Alex Shepherd's little brother, Joshua.

Throughout the series, Steve Harrington wears the same exact shoes as Marty McFly, from Back To The Future (1985).

Just as the Chief's name, Hopper is a reference to the film Predator, there is also an officer Powell, played by an African American most likely a reference to Die Hard.

The premise of this show bears a striking resemblance to "Little Girl Lost", episode 91 of "The Twilight Zone". In that episode, a little girl goes missing after her mother tucks her into bed. The parents hear her cries for help but can't find her. With the help of a physicist friend, they learn that she is in a parallel dimension that she entered through a portal in the wall behind her bed.

Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine have appeared together once before, in the music video for Roy Orbison's "A Love So Beautiful".

The Upside Down world shares many similarities to the video game Zelda Twilight Princess. The floating "snow like" flakes are very similar to the game as well as the generally darker colours in the Twilight realm. In addition the monster has remarkable similarities to the Shadow Beasts which are found in the game, also in the Twilight Realm.

According to Millie Bobby Brown, Eleven has approximately 42 lines.

The opening credits are not only reminiscent of Stephen King's work in terms of font but the manner in which the title sequence plays out is also extremely similar to The Terminator, released in 1984.

Officers Powell and Callahan have a similar feel to the paranormal investigator's assistants (Marty and Ryan) in "Poltergeist." Officer Callahan even wears the same style of glasses as Marty.

Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers) was born in 1971. The series takes place mainly in 1983. Ryder turned 12 years old that year, roughly the same age in real life as all of the main young child characters were in the year the series takes place.

The series bears similarities to the film 'Liberty', created in 2003, which centers around a gifted/telepathic young woman undergoing experiments underground in a secret Government lab facility.

The style of the title of the show during the opening credits is very similar to how Stephen King's books have been with the first and last letter in the first word dropping down to partially embrace the second word. Google Stephen King Book and look at images. It is unmistakable, and could be paying homage to the creators influence.

This TV series shares the basic plot line with NBC's (cancelled) series Believe (2014). Both series are about a girl with special powers (telepathic / telekinesis), that is lab-tested by a non-gov organization which wants to use her as a weapon.

Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) appeared in NCIS (2003) S12E06. In the scene when Tony and Bishop enter the hotel room where Rachel (Millie) is supposedly staying, there is an episode of The Big Bang Theory (2007) running on the hotel TV and Tony remarks that it had Dungeons and Dragons on that particular episode.

The (pocket) knife used by Chief Hopper (David Harbour) is a Gerber AR 3.00 Knife, Serrated Edge, Black [05849]. It it used multiple times. Once while in the morgue, another when tearing up his couch.

Despite his character (Johnathan Byers) being a big fan of The Clash, Charlie Heaton has admitted that he is not a fan of the band.

Officer Callahan's name seems likely to be a reference to the character of the same name in the Police Academy films released in the 1980s.

The character Barbara (Shannon Purser) carries a strong resemblance to the Character Barbara (Patricia Tallman) from the movie Night of the Living Dead (1990)

David Harbour (Chief Hopper) has promised that there will be "Justice for Barb" in the upcoming season.

Majority of the young main cast have musical talent.

There are many homages to English theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking. Including the town's alliterating name, Hawkins; Joyce's light-bulb alphabet to communicate with Will, whose principle resembles the scientist's speech-generating device; also, Hawking's works are often centered around fundamental questions about time and space.

Season two will premiere on Halloween (Oct. 31) of 2017

Millie Bobby Brown co-stars with Noah Schnapp who played Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie (2015). Millie's actual brother is named Charlie.

The series main title sequence was inspired by The Terminator (1984).

The second season is due to be released on October 31, 2017.

Millie Bobby Brown had her head shaven to play Eleven.

Spoilers

The trivia items below may give away important plot points.

In episode 3 when Hopper is doing research at the library, Dr. Brenner is associated with the MKULTRA project. MKULTRA was a real project that was undertaken by the CIA, researching telekinesis and other forms of mind control.

When Will wins one of Dustin's comics in the first episode, he asks for X-Men 134. In this comic, a psychic know as Jean Grey unleashes the Dark Phoenix for the first time after being tortured.

The Duffer brothers admit that their series is influenced and inspired by many works of fiction from the 80s. The font of the titles and the episodes is the same as many Stephen King's books. The plot in which a ragtag group of children fights a powerful monster is similar to King's novel IT (coincidentally, Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler) will be playing Richie Tozier in It (2017)). The kids ride bikes and hide someone with communication problems just like in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). The girl with superpowers who run from secret military project is an homage to Firestarter by Stephen King. Communicating through lights is a hat tip to classic sci-fi movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) in which the aliens also use lights and sounds to communicate.

In the scene (episode 7 The Bathtub) where Hopper burst into the bus to rescue the kids, the shot was made to resemble Indiana Jones.

When the kids try to kill the monster near the end of episode 8 they use a slingshot and seem to be aiming for the creature's open mouth. This is very similar to the ending of Stephen King's IT, a clear source of inspiration for the writers, where the adults attempt to kill the monstrous spider version of IT with a slingshot and pieces of silver and aim for the head (the kids had also tried earlier in the story with the same method against Pennywise). It is also a clear reference to the story of David and Goliath.

In the scene where Joyce and Jim are walking through the Upside-down in containment suits, Jim examines what appears to be a large egg that has cracked open and is glowing yellow. This is a clear homage to the same scene in Alien.

The character of Nancy, is an homage to "Nightmare on Elm Street." She dresses similar, even down to her hair at times. She also arranges (with Jonathan) to set traps for the creature. This is reminiscent of the finale showdown of Nancy with Freddy Kruger.

The episode titles are homages to old horror classics.

Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street, is a clear reference to Rod Serling's Twilight Zone classic, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," Season 1, episode 22. In the episode, a group of neighbors descend into paranoia and murder after they gradually become convinced that aliens/monsters are invading their neighborhood during a power outage. The irony of course is that they themselves are the monsters on Maple Street. The final reveal is of two actual aliens nearby, manipulating the power on the street and commenting that that alone was enough to cause humans to turn against each other, and that to conquer the planet all they needed to do was allow humans to turn on themselves. The title may also be a reference to Stephen King's short story "The House On Maple Street."

Chapter Four: The Body. One of the most straight out references in the series. This is the name of the Stephen King novella on which the movie Stand by Me was based. It is the story of four friends who set out in search of a dead boy the same age as them, just as the four here go in search of Will. Many scenes in the episode parallel Stand by Me. Of special note is when the children walk along the railroad tracks talking together (the two in front engaged in lighthearted bickering, the two in rear much more serious and somber, just as in the movie), and also when they hide out in the local junk yard.

Chapter Seven: The Bathtub, reminisces of the famous bathtub sequence in The Shining. The plot device of a sensory deprivation tank was also used in 80's horror classic, Altered States--Drew Barrymore's (Firestarter's) film debut, the character Eleven is lovingly based on. Also, the water scenes are reminiscent of some of the scenes in early episodes of the Fox television series Fringe, when actress Ana Torv's character goes in the "tub" to try and channel info.

Not only does Stephen King's Firestarter have a similar plot, it features a soundtrack by German electronica band Tangerine Dream. Stranger Things uses a short excerpt from a Tangerine Dream piece called "Horizon" in episode 8 during the hospital flashback scene.

In the flash back scene at Castle Byers Joyce surprises Will with tickets to see Poltergeist. The manner in which Joyce communicates with Will when he is trapped in the upside down realm is very similar to how Carol Anne and her mother spoke to each other in the film. Will uses the lights in the house while Carol Anne talked through the television.

More than once we are shown a movie poster for John Carpenter's the Thing on a wall in Mike's basement. We also see a scene of that same movie being watched by Mike's science teacher at his home in a later episode. The creature's head in Stranger Things has similarities to the creature in the Thing.

The acronym for Hawkins Power and Light, the cover name for the secret government agency that unlocked a gateway to another dimension and unleashed the creature with no face, is HPL. The author H.P. Lovecraft wrote many works exploring mysterious sinister creatures from other dimensions, including the Cthulhu stories. The character design of the creature, the Upside Down, and the gates all seem influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

Dustin, one of the three young protagonists, makes remarks about Star Wars throughout the show. He repeatedly says: "Lando!" as in Star Wars' Lando Calrissian while hinting at betrayal by someone who you think is on your side. Eleven (El) is seen levitating the millennium falcon toy in Mike's basement, she is also compared to Yoda because of her abilities.

When Mike and his friends dress up Eleven in a blonde wig and pink dress, her appearance is almost identical to Paula, a girl from the video game Earthbound on the Super NES who has psychokinetic powers and travels through podunk American towns on bicycles with boys to fight otherworldly evil.

The main plot point is heavily influenced by the classic Twilight Zone episode "Little Girl Lost", where a young girl falls through a rift into another dimension and must be rescued by her parents.

There are several references to The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit, one is the forest in which the characters think that Will got lost, it's called Mirkwood, one of the main places in the Lord Of The Rings universe.

Aside from being set in the 80's, this show, in all of its entirety, is one big homage to 80's pop culture. From the cinematography to the soundtrack, the Sci-fi and Horror culture of the 80's lives in both the narrative and the formal aspects of the series. Many 80's films' influences can be seen throughout; dialogue references to Star Wars, costume and set design inspiration from Alien, and narrative similarities to E.T. flourish throughout the series, but the most prominent two films to have likely influenced The Duffer Brothers were posters hanging on the walls, Jaws and The Thing( a motif brought to light by John when he points out the Evil Dead poster). The films' marks can be seen in the narrative and formal creature design of the Demogorgon. The head and overall look of the creature can be attributed to the monster in The Thing, while Jaws's influence is noted when a few of the protagonists compare the Demogorgon's behavior to that of a shark. The outfits of the local police department are also the exact same as the ones in Jaws, and The Thing is watched in an episode of the series with the boys' teacher commenting on the practical effects of the film. There are many other minute details that the series shares with these two films.

When Barbara is abducted, The Bangles' "Hazy Shade of Winter" begins to play "Time time time, see what's become of me?" A hint to the opening of the next episode and her outcome, which reveals she has been pulled into the upside down. A world created in a rip of time and space, with the look of a hazy shade of winter.

The "upside down" world where the monster lives shares similarities with the video game Silent Hill(1999). You can see similarities in how the upside down looks like our world but decayed and the appearance of fog and ash in the air.

In the fight scene between Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Steve (Joe Keery), Joe Keery was accidentally punched in the face. Twice.

The Duffer Brothers wanted to direct the "It" reboot, so they used many Stephen King references, one being a slingshot is used to bring down the monster in both stories.

The song playing during Will's funeral in Chapter Five is "Elegia" by New Order.

When Jonathan and Nancy set the trap for the demogorgon, they use a yellow yo-yo imprinted with a smiley face as a trap signal. While certainly a popular (and ubiquitous) symbol in general, in the context of this 80's reference-heavy series, this is most likely a nod to its usage (as a "signal" of sorts) in the horror classic, "The Howling (1981)

The plot strongly resembles the plot of the movie Altered States (1980-William Hurt) in which a main character uses sensory deprivation to travel interdimensionally and defeat a monster.

In Season 6, Episode 2 of "The Sopranos", entitled "Join the Club", Tony Soprano is stuck in a parallel world as "Kevin Finnerty". He is partially communicating with Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco).l through the two worlds. The song playing is Mobys "When it's Cold, I'd like to Die". Same song is playing as Hopper and Joyce are attempting to revive Will in the parallel ( upside down world.)

In Season 1, Episode 3, "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly," while in the library looking for news articles about the government agency, one of the officers shows the Chief one about an experiment involving LSD and a patient. This is an homage to Stephen King's novel Firestarter.

Fields of Coral track by Vangelis can be heard twice in episode seven (creating the sensory deprivation tank) . It comes from the album Oceanic released in 1996.

Another nod to the 80s: The music playing during the funeral scene was also in the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink.

In the fight scene between Jonathan and Steve (episode 1x06), the Tangerine Deam's song "Exit" from their album "Exit", 1981 can be heard. Rolling Stone magazine reports that the band Tangerine Dream was a huge influence on the main soundtrack's band, "Survive" from Austin Texas. (Rolling Stone - August 1, 2016)

The scientist in a hazard suit who is the first person to enter the portal to the Upside Down is referred to as "Shepherd" - probably a nod to the Mass Effect video games. EDIT: Could also be a reference to Alan Shepard, the first American in space, as the character is the first we see venturing into the unknown (the upside down).

Not including Lonnie, Jonathan is the only member of the Byers family to never enter the Upside Down. In contrast, Nancy is the only member of the Wheeler family to enter it.

Along with being set in the 1980's the show incorporates several typical motifs found in movies of the 1980's: Benevolent main characters plans thwarted, seemingly without motivation, by one dimensional bullies. Ruthless corporations/government agencies acting as antagonists. Adolescents/teenagers in dangerous, life threatening situations sans the aid of their parents or responsible adults. Protagonist in danger in rural setting, isolated setting.