Netflix’s sci-fi romantic comedy “Stranger Things” is about monsters and experiments and love. Three seasons in, you’re still hooked on the show’s funny dialogue and captivating story. But other shows on TV are just as scary as ‘Stranger Things.’
Additionally, it included a whole new generation of youngsters as well as famous persons like Kate Bush and Metallica. Stranger Things Season 4 broke all prior US records for an English-language show and was the most-viewed Netflix series in the US this year.
The famous sci-fi series Stranger Things is set in the 1980s and stars Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven and her companions as they fight alien invaders from the Upside Down. The show has been likened to several other widely-watched television shows and films while having a distinctive flair.
Shows Like Stranger Things To Watch
If you enjoy Stranger Things, you presumably also enjoy some of the more traditional sci-fi fare. Of course, Mike and the rest of the cast like long-running programs like BTVS, TWDL, and the X-Files. It’s understandable why they all frequently giggle at how plausible the villains and schemes are. It distinguishes itself from other series like Stranger Things thanks to its distinctive themes and a certain amount of familiarity.
It’s like going back in time to see Stranger Things if you grew up in the 1980s since you are familiar with all the timeless horror films from that era. Stranger Things is a sci-fi horror series that allows you to get a glimpse of the 1980s even if you weren’t around then. It was a success with viewers of all ages when Stranger Things debuted in 2016 and was dripping with 80s nostalgia.
At the conclusion of the season, however, shocked viewers were confined to their seats, forced to analyze what had happened, come up with ideas, and beg for time on Reddit. We can assist if you’re a die-hard Stranger Things fan and believe that June will be the most bizarre month of your life. The top 46 television programs that are comparable to Stranger Things are listed below.
1. The X-Files
A lot of the Stranger Things episodes sound a lot like The X-Files back in the ‘90s. There are a few major sci-fi series from the ‘80s that influenced the show. Stranger Things fans first meet Eleven in Season 1, but she didn’t get her powers until years later when she was being tested in Hawkins Labs. When it comes to the show’s origins, I think the Duffer Brothers got a few ideas from The X-Files.
It’s not hard to conclude that Stranger Things shares a lot of similarities with The X-Files. It follows two FBI agents, Fox and Dana Scully, as they investigate weird stuff that doesn’t make any sense. As they investigate, their investigations take on a whole new meaning as they figure out what’s going on. In Hawkins, Indiana, Eleven and her pals are trying to figure out what’s going on.
- Released Date: 1993
- IMDB: 8.6
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 11: 217 Episodes
- Director: Chris Carter
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
2. Twin Peaks
Not to be confused with Hawkins, Indiana, but Twin Peaks, Washington, is also a place where weird things happen when there’s a crack in the dimensional barrier. Black Lodge in Twin Peaks is, of course, a lot like the Black Lodge in The Outsiders. It’s also a lot like Nancy and Jonathan in Charlie Heaton’s The Outsiders, and it’s a lot like Lara Flynn Boyle’s Donna and James Marshall in Stranger Things.
A privileged girl falls in love with a loner from the bad side of town while they’re investigating her best friend’s disappearance. You can also see Twin Peaks’ unique sense of humor in Stranger Things.
- Released Date: 1990
- IMDB: 8.8
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 30 Episodes
- Director: David Lynch
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Jio Cinema
3. I Am Not Okay With This
If you loved Stranger Things, you’ll love this show too. It’s made by the same folks who made it, and it’s about the same super-strong telekinetic character as the show: Sydney. Sophie Lillis plays Sydney, and it’s a high school drama that takes place in the Midwest. It follows Sydney’s journey through high school as she deals with her dad passing away, her sexuality, and her new abilities.
The show is based on a comic book by Charles Forsman, and it’s a lot funnier than the book it’s based on. It’s much more accessible to viewers, and the episodes are only 30 minutes long. Plus, the soundtrack is amazing!
- Released Date: 2020
- IMDB: 7.5
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi
- Episodes: Season 1: 7 Episodes
- Director: Entwistle
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
Also Read: How To Watch Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2? Is Netflix Exclusive?
4. Silverpoint
Silverpoint is the soft underbelly of Stranger Things. The show, so clearly inspired by Stranger Things that it might as well have been named Britisher Things, revolves around a group of teenagers attending a summer camp who investigate the mysterious disappearance of four young children in 1997, over 20 years ago.
Stranger Things won’t be as violent or sweary, and it won’t have as many expensive special effects, but it’ll still have a lot of things that make it stand out. It’ll have a secret research center, a portal to other worlds, and some cool, vintage music. Plus, it’s so popular that there are so many imitators out there that they don’t even bother trying to copy it!
- Released Date: 2020
- IMDB: 7.0
- Genre: Family, Mystery, and Sci-Fi
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 26 Episodes
- Director: Oliver Cunliffe
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Hulu
5. Outer Range
Outer Range isn’t just a Western show about the supernatural. It’s also a Western TV series about the supernatural. Josh Brolin stars as a Wyoming cattleman who finds a perfectly round hole about 30 feet deep in the depths of his ranch. When he goes into the hole (spoilers coming!), he comes out somewhere else. Even though there aren’t any monsters (yet!) in the Outer Range, the fact that there are so many scientists trying to find out what this hole is going to be means that it’s going to make you think about the “Upside Down.”
Outer Range has invested heavily in small-town family comedies, similar to Stranger Things. However, be aware that the content is intended for adults rather than adolescents.
- Released Date: 2022
- IMDB: 7.1
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 10 Episodes
- Director: Charles MurraIt’sy
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
6. Paradise (Paraiso)
The popularity of Stranger Things has already affected the development of new projects that were commonly referred to by streaming executives as “it’s Stranger Things… except for this”. The phrase “this” in the context of Paradise’s situation is a reference to the fact that the supernaturally entwined teenagers are in Spain.
I won’t go into too much detail because it’s all a bit of a spoiler, but suffice it to say that Paradise (pronounced Paraiso in Spanish) has a ton of similarities to Stranger Things. There’s the curly-haired comedic helper, the bully-turned-Allie Billy, the massive mystery, the kids on bikes, the ‘90s, and another dimension. While it’s not as great as Stranger Things (not by a long shot), Paradise wouldn’t exist without Stranger Things. It’s that simple.
- Released Date: 2021
- IMDB: 5.7
- Genre: Adventure, Drama, and Mystery
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 15 Episodes
- Director: Mariana Chenillo
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
7. Fear Street: 1994
Since the 1994 release of the first film in the Fear Street trilogy, the films have been wildly popular on Netflix, proving once again that nostalgia always wins. The Fear Street trilogy is based on the novel series by R. L. Stine, and all three films take place in the fictional town of Shadyside in Ohio, where a notorious evil spirit has been terrorizing people for centuries. It’s always, always, it’s up to the children to find the evil spirit and end the reign of fear. All three Fear Street films take place in different years but weave their timelines together.
Weirdly, the Fear Street movies are even darker and grittier than Stranger Things. But they’re also rooted in the world of historical horror. The first two movies, which came out in 1994 and 1978, respectively, are like slasher movies from the ’80s and ’90s, which movie nerds will point out to anyone watching them.
The character of Sadie Sink, played by Max Mayfield in Stranger Things, also appears in the period 1666 to 1978. Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer is also a family man, as his wife, Fear Street trilogy writer and di, rector Leigh Janiak, is married to him. Given their similar taste in films, they must have seen a lot of them together.
- Released Date: 2021
- IMDB: 6.2
- Genre: Horror, Drama, and Mystery
- Director: Leigh Janiak
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
8. Black Spot
The portal that leads to the alternate dimension where all the monsters that have kept our protagonists in peak physical condition for the past three seasons are situated in Hawkins, thus making it an essential component of the Stranger Things narrative. Similarly, the secluded small town that serves as the central focus of the Franco-Belgian supernatural drama Black Spot (in France, it is also referred to as Zone Blanche) is equally essential to the narrative of the series, albeit in a much more sinister manner.
The narrative revolves around a prosecutor who is dispatched to the town to investigate the cause of the numerous homicides. However, the prosecutor and the audience quickly discover that the forest encircles the town and holds a multitude of mysterious secrets. All of these are inextricably linked to the local police chief, who is still perplexed as to what happened to her the night she was kidnapped and bound in the forest. Black Spot combines the intensity of a classic crime drama with the intensity of a mythical tale to create a suspenseful yet binge-able series.
- Released Date: 2017
- IMDB: 7.4
- Genre: Horror, Drama, and Mystery
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 16 Episodes
- Director: Thierry Poiraud Julien
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Like Stranger Things, The Scooby Gang is a popular supernatural adolescent series created by Joss Whedon. The show follows teenagers as they come of age while fighting monsters. Like Stranger Things, the show is popular with people 12 and up. While the Stranger Things youngsters are a bit older than the Scooby Gang (the majority of the cast were about 30 years old playing high schoolers), they share the same unbreakable bond of friendship.
The title character is played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, and, like Eleven, she wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But, thanks to their town having an interdimensional portal, Eleven, and her friends have to deal with vampires, ghouls, and demons, as well as other strange creatures. Even though the show was made in the 90s, watching it now makes you think of the late 90s/early 2000s, just as watching Stranger Things will make you think of the 1980s.
- Released Date: 1997
- IMDB: 8.3
- Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, and Romance
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 7: 145 Episodes
- Director: Joss Whedon
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Hulu
Also Read: What Episode Of Stranger Things Came Out Recently? Explaining the Finale
10. Dark
Many comparisons were drawn between the two series, as Dark began with the theme of missing children, while Stranger Things focused more on creatures and the supernatural. Ultimately, however, Dark veered into the realm of hard science fiction and temporal travel. If you enjoyed Stranger Things, this does not necessarily mean that you should not watch Dark.
The time travel program looks at how different generations behave in different periods as it follows four connected families in a small village. Dark has a great story, and it lives up to its promises. It tackles tough questions about what’s possible and what’s not, and it’s got religious overtones. You might have to read the subtitles first, but it’ll be worth it.
- Released Date: 2017
- IMDB: 8.7
- Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, and Romance
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 3: 26 Episodes
- Director: Baran bo Odar
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
11. Eerie, Indiana
When Stranger Things first came out, a lot of people compared it to NBC’s Eerie, Indiana, which had been around for a while but hadn’t been as successful as Stranger Things. The show follows a guy named Marshall Teller, played by Hocus Pocus alum Omri Katz, who moves to the fictional town of Eerie, Indiana, with his best friend, Simon. Along the way, they come across some pretty strange stuff, like a cult that looks a lot like the Kids of the Corn and a real-life Elvis Presley.
The Other Dimension is a spin-off of Eerie, Indiana, from the late 90s. It follows Mitchell and Stanley (played by Bill Switzer and Daniel Clark, respectively) as they stumble across a cult that looks a lot like Stepford wives, a skin care product that makes people look like they’re made of plastic, and even a Sandman character who gives the whole town really bad dreams.
- Released Date: 2016
- IMDB: 7.8
- Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 3: 26 Episodes
- Director: Joe Dante
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
12. The OA
It may not be the most popular show on the planet, but Brit Marling’s new Netflix series The OA shares some similarities with Stranger Things. The OA centers around a young blind woman, Prairie, who miraculously appears with her sight intact after being lost for seven years. Once she starts engaging in transdimensional and trans universal movement, performing interpretive dances, and performing DIY science experiments, things quickly get out of control.
In the first season of the show, Prairie works with a group of high school students to share her story and encourage them to realize that there is more to the world than meets the eye, just as the children in Stranger Things did when they first noticed the upside-down. The OA, on the other hand, explores the concepts of faith and fate while also taking a closer look at people. It is significantly more philosophical than Stranger Things. It is a genuine journey, and while some people may find it amazing, others may feel that it is too much.
- Released Date: 2016
- IMDB: 7.8
- Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, and Sci-Fi
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 16 Episodes
- Director: Zal Batmanglij
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
Also Read: Top 5 Stranger Things Season 5 Theories: The Series & Final Season Explored!
13. The Twilight Zone
Stranger Things’ “kind of spooky but not too spooky” atmosphere is likely the driving force behind this revival of the long-running anthology series. The irony of this is that all four directors of the acclaimed 1983 Twilight Zone film – Steven Spielberg (the director of Spielberg and Company), John Landis (the director of Landis and Company), Joe Dante (the director of Dante and Company) and George Miller (the director of Miller and Company) – contributed to the success of this revival.
Stranger Things has a lot of similarities to The Twilight Zone. It’s got science-fiction elements in a setting that’s recognizable as real life. It has a light terror phobia. It has a sense of the past. It has an alternate universe. Brett Gelman looks like he could easily step into the Twilight Zone. So it’s a bit weird that there’s no cast crossover between the two.
- Released Date: 2019
- IMDB: 6.0
- Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 20 Episodes
- Director: Wes Craven
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
14. Wormwood
Project MKUltra is the CIA’s mind control program that led to the creation of Eleven. The show only uses the name as an inspiration, but it’s based on real-life events. Frank Olson, a CIA employee, and biowarfare scientist, died in 1953 after taking an LSD dose and falling out of a hotel window nine days later. This limited series, directed by Errol Morris, tells the story of how the program got started.
Despite his suicide being ruled a suicide, many unresolved questions remain decades later. In the highly acclaimed reenactments, Peter Sarsgaard plays Olson, while Morris investigates with his signature tenacity. It is a unique project that combines character-driven conspiracy drama with documentary-style storytelling. If watching Stranger Things has whetted your appetite for something a little more mysterious, this is a must-watch.
- Released Date: 2017
- IMDB: 7.0
- Genre: Documentary, Biography, and Drama
- Episodes: Season 1: 6 Episodes
- Director: Errol Morris
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
15. GLOW
GLOW is based on the 1980s women’s wrestling business known as Gorgeous Ladies of W.O.W. and stars Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin. It’s another fun show made in the late ’90s about the mid-’80s, but it’s different from Stranger Things in terms of tone and style.
- Released Date: 2017
- IMDB: 8
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, and Sport
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 3: 30 Episodes
- Director: Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
16. Riverdale
Just like in the first season of “Stranger Things,” the young people of the small town have to solve a mysterious mystery in “Riverdale.” When they aren’t solving murder mysteries or dealing with Riverdale’s latest scandal, KJ Apa, Cole Sprouse, and the other gang members hang out at the local diner instead of playing “Dungeons & Dragons” (although later on, you’ll get to see the show’s take on the game, “Gryphons and Gargoyles”). The difference between the two shows is that “Riverdale” has a bit more of a twist and doesn’t go as deep into the supernatural stuff as ‘Stranger Things.’
- Released Date: 2017
- IMDB: 6.6
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, and Romance
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 7: 135 Episodes
- Director: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
17. Severance
One of the most thrilling and suspenseful films is Severance. Ben Stiller is the director of this film, which excels at both witty writing and top-notch acting. The lives of four workers of Lumon, a sizable but mysterious business, are the subject of the first chapter of the tale. Adam Scott, who also appeared with John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette, is the film’s main character.
The four employees work in a small room and spend most of their time staring at computer screens. Each employee has a specific task to do, and the environment might change quickly. You must watch the Apple TV series to see what is so enigmatic about this organization. To know what is so mysterious about this organization, you have to binge the series on Apple TV.
- Released Date: 2022
- IMDB: 8.7
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 19 Episodes
- Director: Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Apple TV
18. The Order
The Order is a Netflix original series set in the world of witchcraft and witchcraft mythology of the 19th century. Werewolves are a recurring theme throughout the series and other Western esoteric practices and mythology. The Order is set at the fictional University of Belvedere, home to a branch of the hermetic Order of the blue rose, a cult of magic practitioners. Despite the presence of werewolves and darker magic in the series, The Order is still as compelling as Stranger Things.
- Released Date: 2019
- IMDB: 6.7
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 20 Episodes
- Director: Justin Kurzel
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
Also Read: How Satanic Worship Sodomy & Murder Are Shown In Stranger Things
19. The Society
This Netflix teen drama follows a bunch of high schoolers who come back from a camping trip only to find that all the grown-ups in their town have disappeared, and there are miles of forest all over town. The kids have to figure out how to keep Order, keep an eye out for each other, and figure out what happened to the grown-ups. It’s like a more suburban version of the classic fairytale Yellowjackets or Return of the Flies.
- Released Date: 2019
- IMDB: 7.1
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1: 10 Episodes
- Director: Marc Webb
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
20. Slasher
After her parents were murdered by a serial killer in Waterbury almost 30 years ago, Sarah Bennett returns to the crime scene. But when she finds herself at the center of a series of murders fueled by the Seven Deadly Sins, she quickly realizes that nothing’s changed. And yes, the main character is based on Joyce Byers.
Slasher- The Executioner (season 1, 2016) begins with Sarah Bennett (played by Katie McGrath) returning to the village in which her parents were murdered the night before her birth, at the same time as a copycat executioner is perpetrating a series of horrendous murders.
In the second season of the show (2017), the camp counselors return to the scene of a homicide they committed, only to find that the body they had hidden has gone missing. One by one, they are hunted down by an unknown killer.
In the third season, Solstice, a group of neighbors, is haunted by the mysterious killer “The Druid.” They are being haunted because of their alleged involvement in saving a murder victim the year before.
- Released Date: 2016
- IMDB: 6.7
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 5: 40 Episodes
- Director: Aaron Martin
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
21. The Leftovers
The inhabitants of the small New York town of Mapleton are struggling to re-establish a sense of normality after 140 million people mysteriously disappear. This series promises to be a binge-worthy experience, with many of the same surprises as the Netflix original series Stranger Things and a star-studded cast.
- Released Date: 2014
- IMDB: 8.3
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 3: 28 Episodes
- Director: Mimi Leder
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Jio Cinema
22. Sense8
The series is an essential viewing experience due to its exploration of the relationships between a diverse group of individuals from various countries around the world. The situation escalates into a dangerous situation as a mysterious organization attempts to locate them, leading the individuals to unite in an attempt to protect themselves, similar to the Stranger Things cast versus Hawkins Laboratory.
The protagonist of Stranger Things, Eleven, can access the memories of other people, similar to the phenomenon described in the movie, but in a more extreme form. Eight strangers from various corners of the globe come to terms with the fact that their thoughts and actions are linked, and they are perplexed as to how and why this occurs. As they search for answers, a mysterious force pursues them with the intent of exterminating them all.
- Released Date: 2015
- IMDB: 8.2
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 24 Episodes
- Director: J. Michael Straczynski, Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
23. The Umbrella Academy
If you think the connection between the experiments Dr. Brenner did as a kid was weird, just wait till you sign up for the Umbrella Academy. It’s about six brothers who got back together after their dad died and tried to uncover family secrets while also working together to save the world.
- Released Date: 2019
- IMDB: 7.9
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy and Sci-Fi
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 4: 36 Episodes
- Director: Jeremy Slater
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
24. Raising Dion
Stranger Things is a two-season series that focuses on a grieving mother trying to uncover the secrets of her son’s abilities (while keeping them hidden from those who may wish to exploit them). However, the story also involves the development of a young child’s superpowers. Those who appreciate how Stranger Things shifts between adult stories and Hawkins’ children’s stories will enjoy this intergenerational story.
- Released Date: 2019
- IMDB: 7.1
- Genre: Drama and Sci-Fi
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 17 Episodes
- Director: DENNIS A. LIU
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
25. Daybreak
The Hawkins kids face a lot of challenges alone, and they take on a lot of responsibilities as they try to save the world on multiple occasions without any help from adults. (Unless you count super-mom Steve Harrington, which you should.) Teenagers are left to fend for themselves in Daybreak’s dystopian world when all the adults turn into zombie-like creatures, and a bunch of gangs go all Mad Max on each other while trying to protect their turf.
- Released Date: 2019
- IMDB: 6.7
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1: 10 Episodes
- Director: Aron Eli Coleite and Brad Peyton
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
26. Mortel
Due to the interconnections between the three children, Garcia finds it difficult to get to the crux of the story in the first episode. The aim of the play Mortel is to demonstrate how a heterogeneous group of adolescents can work together to confront a supernatural threat.
It is curious, however, that Luisa is given an extended scene in which she smacks a client suffering from something that appears they possessed by demons, whereas the first two main characters had only a few brief scenes to establish their narratives (the chase in which Sofiana was involved at the start of the episode being one exception). This discrepancy makes it challenging to comprehend how the three characters’ personalities differ from each other.
- Released Date: 2019
- IMDB: 6.5
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, and Sci-Fi
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 12 Episodes
- Director: Frédéric Garcia
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
27. All Of Us Are Dead
High school is tough enough as it is without having to go through a zombie outbreak. The government has cut off all food, water, and communications, so what do they do next? They form a team and get creative. They steal archery equipment from the archery team and arm themselves with bows and arrows, and they play music over the intercom system to keep the zombies away. There’s also a cute hamster in the research lab that gets infected with the zombie virus and becomes a zombie hamster – I think that’s pretty cool!
- Released Date: 2022
- IMDB: 7.5
- Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1: 12 Episodes
- Director: Lee Jae-kyoo
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
28. Archive 81
Dan Turner was the voice of The Getdown. He’s an archivist who’s been hired by some mysterious company to help them restore a bunch of burned tapes from 1994. They’re in a creepy, remote lab that looks a bit like Hawkins’s lab. It’s been said that the show is like a mix of Rosemary’s Baby and The Blair Witch Project, and the tapes are from a documentary Melody Pendras made about an apartment building that burned to the ground.
Dan is getting more and more involved with Melody’s story, and there’s no turning back. He remembers things from his past, a scary hybrid demon monster and this place called The Otherworld, which is kind of like the upside down. Some people on Reddit have even said that the Netflix show Stranger Things might have been inspired by Archive 81 and that a Stranger Things crossover might have happened if the original show hadn’t been canceled.
- Released Date: 2022
- IMDB: 7.3
- Genre: Drama, Action, and Sci-Fi
- Episodes: Season 1: 8 Episodes
- Director: Rebecca Thomas
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
29. Marvel’s Runaways
The parents in the series Stranger Things are blissfully unaware of the creatures of Upside Down. But what if they are the true villains of the story? Runaways is a comic book adaptation about a group of superpowered teenagers who discover their parents performing a human sacrifice. They band together to unearth the secrets of the adults. If you’ve ever wanted the O.C. vibe with superheroes, the Runaways is for you. It’s also written by Josh Schwartz and produced by Stephanie Savage.
- Released Date: 2017
- IMDB: 6.9
- Genre: Drama, Action, and Sci-Fi
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 3: 33 Episodes
- Director: Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
30. Castle Rock
Writer Sam Shaw and his partner, writer Dustin Thomason, came up with the idea to make new characters based on the characters in some of Stephen King’s best-known books. They then wanted to make them live in a big, fancy place in Maine where they’d have to hang out with each other.
Just like her Uncle, Jane Levy plays Jack Torrance’s niece, who dreams of becoming a writer. In the second season of the show, we’ll get a glimpse of a prisoner held in secret at Shawshank state penitentiary, played by Bill Skarsgard. We’ll also see Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan from Mean Girls) making an appearance as a nurse in Salem’s Lot. Jusra Warsama plays a young Somali doctor who works as the medical director of the hospital.
- Released Date: 2018
- IMDB: 7.5
- Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 20 Episodes
- Director: Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
31. The Zack Files
The Zack Files follows three friends, Cam, Spence, and Gwen, as they go on a supernatural journey to Horace Hyde-White School for Boys. It’s based on Dan Greenberg’s books, so you know it’s gonna be a wild ride! Just like Eerie in Indiana, the boys run into some scary stuff, like ghosts and alien creatures. But they also travel back in time to 1912 and get sucked into a vacuum cleaner while cleaning up Zack’s room. Plus, they end up changing bodies with a bully at school.
The characters in the group, including Mike and Will, as well as Dustin and Max, have a strong sense of friendship despite the few scenes of pals riding in on bikes to rescue the day. The film’s title also alludes to Spence’s notebook, The Zack Files, where he documents his encounters to get a Nobel Prize by demonstrating the reality of paranormal events.
- Released Date: 2000
- IMDB: 7.4
- Genre: Family, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 52 Episodes
- Director: Kathy Slevin
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
Also Read: What Happened To Max In Stranger Things: Is She Dead?
32. The Outer Limits
The 1960s sci-fi show The Twilight Zone influenced the 1990s sci-fi series The Outer Limits. The show’s first episode said, “There’s nothing wrong with your television set.” Depending on which episode you’re watching, there might be a different director, cast, and story. Some of the ideas are from George R.R. Martin or Stephen King, while others are from Harlan Ellison.
While the 1995 series (which lasted for seven seasons) is still worth watching, it seems a touch more like Stranger Things. In several of the episodes, a laboratory serves as the setting, somewhat resembling the hidden lab in Hawkins, where Eleven spent most of her early years. Experiments are carried out occasionally by dishonest government officials, and they frequently have terrible outcomes.
- Released Date: 1995
- IMDB: 7.7
- Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 7: 152 Episodes
- Director: Leslie Stevens
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
33. Under the Dome
As you go about your regular activities in your quaint little town, imagine that all of a sudden, you are walled off from the outside world by a huge, translucent dome. The dome’s defenses can withstand no nuclear weapon. Nobody understands what’s happening, you’re running low on supplies, and your town is in a chaotic state. Furthermore, they are aliens in origin!
The fact that the entire town is enclosed in a bizarre glass dome-like structure reminds me of the “Upside Down” episodes from the first season, though it may be wishing too much. When they learn that they are being kept captive by “Upside Down” specks that are slowly rotting and decomposing the town, Hawkins citizens’ reactions are yet unknown. In my opinion, the responses will be comparable to those in Under the Dome, when the town’s residents split into several groups and cooperate to solve the riddle.
- Released Date: 2013
- IMDB: 6.5
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 3: 39 Episodes
- Director: Brian K. Vaughan
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
34. So Weird
So Weird was the follow-up to the X-Files on Disney Channel. The first couple of seasons revolved around a young girl named Fiona, played by Cara Delizia, who ran into ghosts a lot while on tour with her mom, played by Mackenzie Phillips, who was a rock star. After her husband and her dad passed away, she decided to get back into the music business.
In the first season, it’s all about Bigfoot and alien sightings, but then things get weird later on, especially for a kids’ show. When Fiona is trying to find out why her dad was killed, she runs into a three-headed demon. Then, in season three, there’s a Wicker Man episode where the locals are trying to bury Erika Von Detten, an early 2000s star, alive with beeswax.
- Released Date: 1999
- IMDB: 8.4
- Genre: Adventure, Family, Mystery, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 3: 65 Episodes
- Director: Flanagan
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Disney plus
35. The Haunting of Hill House
The novel, which is based on the 1959 novel by Shirley Jackson, follows the lives of five adult siblings who are haunted by their experiences growing up in Hill House, including Victoria (Pederretti), Oliver (Jackson-Cohen), Elizabeth (Reaser), Michael (Huisman), and Kate (Siegal). The 1992 night when the family leaves Hill House for the last time is presented through flashbacks that contrast with the present day, as the siblings struggle with feelings of guilt and greed, addiction, and trauma.
This series is for you if you liked the first season of Creel House and have ever considered how Eleven and the other characters might require assistance as they age. It’s an emotional journey that won’t be suitable for the weak of the heart, and you’ll cry after each episode. This program is exclusively available to stream on Netflix, just like Stranger Things.
- Released Date: 2018
- IMDB: 8.6
- Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, and Horror
- Episodes: Season 1: 10 Episodes
- Director: Flanagan
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
36. The Goonies
The plot of the show centers on four endearing teenagers who are looking for a pirate treasure they think is in the Pacific Northwest. They all enter a perilous and exciting world under their parents’ noses. Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, and Corey Feldman, a young actor, are the main actors. It is a family-friendly comedy movie that you simply must see.
- Released Date: 1985
- IMDB: 7.7
- Genre: Adventure, Comedy, and Family
- Director: Richard Donner
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
37. Poltergeist
Stranger Things is a modern-day supernatural drama that follows the lives of three affluent young parents in a suburban area. The plot centers around their teenage daughter, Carol Anne, who is being pursued by a powerful evil spirit. The main characters are played by Craig T. Nelson (The Walking Dead’s Mr. Fix-It) and JoeBeth Williams, who are both affluent young parents. The concept of Stranger Things draws heavily on the ideas of its predecessor, including the mother’s search for her missing child and the use of a computer-generated medium to communicate with the other side.
Poltergeist is similar to Stranger Things, and it directly blames the greedy real estate developer who built the family home. It’s full of mother-daughter stuff, especially when you get to see older investigators like Beatrice Straight or Zelda Rubinstein.
- Released Date: 1982
- IMDB: 7.3
- Genre: Horror and Thriller
- Director: Tobe Hooper
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
38. Stand by Me
While there is no doubt that the macabre stories of the master of horror had a major influence on the program, likely, the dialogue between the adolescent male characters was most directly influenced by Rob Reiner’s adaptation of his earnestly realistic coming-of-age story “The Body.”
The movie follows a group of friends who come across a dead body and learn a lot about life. It’s set in 1959 and stars Corey Feldman and River Phoenix, plus Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connell. The story of the gang’s journey along the tracks in Stranger Things looks a lot like the popular show.
- Released Date: 1986
- IMDB: 8.1
- Genre: Adventure and Drama
- Director: Rob Reiner
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
39. Firestarter
The similarities between Firestarter and Stranger Things run deep, from the character of the superpowered teenage female protagonist, played by Drew Barrymore, to her origins in questionable government experiments. Firestarter is not one of King’s finest works, nor is it one of his most acclaimed film adaptations. It is hard to imagine Eleven without her pyrokinetic predecessor.
- Released Date: 1984
- IMDB: 6.0
- Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Director: Mark L. Lester
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
40. A Nightmare On Elm Street
Robert Englund’s iconic portrayal of the knife-wielding killer in the first Wes Craven slasher film has been said to have inspired a considerable number of sequels and spin-offs. (For the record, the character is much less peculiar in the original film than it is in subsequent films.) However, it is when the film’s lack of polish comes to the forefront that it is most effective.
Wow, what a huge, nasty cesspool of teen horror Craven and Co. found themselves in. The most iconic part of the movie is Johnny Depp getting sucked up by a bed and coughing up blood in a giant geyser, but there’s also a scene where Freddy’s hand is all over Nancy, the last girl in the movie. It’s like a membrane finally makes it into Stranger Things, and it’s got the heroine’s name.
- Released Date: 1984
- IMDB: 7.4
- Genre: Drama and Horror
- Director: Wes Craven
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
41. The Monster Squad
The Goonies meets Universal’s Dark Universe in this fast-paced and thrilling action-thriller, co-written and directed by a cult favorite (and future screenwriter) and scriptwriter-in-training, future Iron Man 3 screenwriter and director-in-the-making, Shane Black.
It has a really bad mouth and a really good heart. It used to be popular in the 80s and 90s, but then it didn’t have to go out of style like it did in Stranger Things or It. It’s got a bunch of old-school horror movie designs from Stan Winston, the makeup artist and creature designer who did the thing, the Terminator, the primate, the alien, and so much more. He did the redesigns of Dracula and Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the mummy, and the creature from the black lagoon.
- Released Date: 1987
- IMDB: 6.9
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, and Horror
- Director: Fred Dekker
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
42. The Breakfast Club
Despite the lack of supernatural elements (apart from Weird Science) in Stranger Things, John Hughes’ iconic 1980s high school drama The Breakfast Club remains an essential element of the series. It is one of several 1980s high school comedies that make up the list of John Hughes’ most notable works, alongside Ferris Bueller, sixteen candles, and Pretty in Pink.
It relies on some of the most reliable teen stereotypes, like the jock, the geek, the princess, the burnout, etc., and turns their day in jail into a movie moment thanks to a great Brat Pack cast. The Hawkins gang would probably look a bit like some of the characters in Hughes’ books.
- Released Date: 1985
- IMDB: 7.8
- Genre: Comedy and Drama
- Director: John Hughes
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
43. Ghostbusters
The plot revolves around four young characters that dress pretty weirdly, similar to the original series, and they all share the same level of craziness. The movie is filled with a lot of adventure and thrill for the viewers. Thus the similarities between Stranger Things 2 and Ghostbusters are evident.
Even though the movie’s director Dan Aukroyd had a very low budget for the movie, he still tried to make sure that the movie seamlessly integrated the show with the massive sci-fi film.
- Released Date: 1984
- IMDB: 7.8
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi
- Director: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
44. Lost
Lost is a pre-binge sci-fi television series that dominated the small screen before Stranger Things and before Game of Thrones. As the first mystery-box television series, Lost is a fast-paced and exciting adventure that combines the classic survival story of being stranded on a deserted island with a time and space-warping narrative that frequently twists and turns and raises new questions.
Fans have been waiting for answers week after week in a pre-binge TV era. Despite the controversial finale, Hollywood superstars J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof continued to dominate the small screen. This series has a great deal to do with the expanding scope of Stranger Things.
- Released Date: 2004
- IMDB: 8.3
- Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 6: 121 Episodes
- Director: J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber and Damon Lindelof
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Amazon Prime
45. Gravity Falls
After watching Stranger Things, do you want more fun for the whole family? Look no further than Disney’s cartoon Gravity Falls. It was created by Alex Hirsch and features a young cast of characters; the show delves into the bizarre macabre supernatural mysteries of the titular town over two short seasons. It is one of the best kid-friendly animated series of the modern era, which you can watch with your family.
- Released Date: 2012
- IMDB: 8.9
- Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, and Horror
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 2: 41 Episodes
- Director: Alex Hirsch
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Hotstar
46. Black Mirror
Even though there aren’t a lot of similarities between Stranger Things and Black Mirror, the overall dark vibe that many of its episodes have created makes it likely that Stranger Things fans will be drawn to Black Mirror as well. Black Mirror isn’t like American Horror Story in that it’s an anthology series, so every episode has a different cast of characters and a different story. The main themes of the show are dystopian society, tech, and sci-fi.
- Released Date: 2011
- IMDB: 8.8
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller
- Episodes: Season 1 to Season 6: 27 Episodes
- Director: Charlie Brooker
- Status: Finished
- Where To Watch: Netflix
Also Read: Stranger Things Season 4: All Deaths In Part 1 & Part 2
