#26. Team Member 1
Throughout the third season of Stranger Things, there are several close-ups of different journals that cover some parts of the storyline of the new season, such as when the Mayor of Hawkins is fired from his office.
Most of the people that are credited as having written or taken the photographs for those newspaper articles are members of the filming crew of the series! Take for example Andrea Knoll and Caleb Heymann, who are the visual effects co-producer and director of photography respectively.
#25. Team Member 2
Continuing with another easter egg of a member of the filming crew, this time the newspaper article refers to the corruption inside the government of Hawkins, Indiana, obviously linked once again to the mayor of the town.
In this case, the writer of the article is Brad Tobler, who is in charge of making sure that the series’ amazing visual effects look good, as he is the VFX editor of the team! Who would’ve thought that these newspapers hid so many easter eggs!
#24. Team Member 3
If you have not seen the third season of Stranger Things, we should warn you that this slide has a very big spoiler! At the end of the last season, it seems that Hopper gets killed in the explosion and they show a newspaper headline.
According to the article, it was written by Caitlin Schneiderhan, and even though she does not comprise any team of the crew, she is actually the assistant of the directors, the Duffer Brothers.
#23. Team Member 4
The last of the crew members to be featured in the newspaper clippings that appear throughout the season is none other than Dean Zimmerman, who, in case you didn’t know, is the show’s editor!
Nonetheless, he does not appear as the writer of the article, but he is featured as a local resident of Hawkins who had seen, not only the Mindflayer, but also the Starcourt mall getting destroyed! Let’s face it, it’s impossible for anyone to notice this!
#22. Stranger Things on Elm Street
This season has been heavy not only on movie references but also with references to several moments of world pop culture. One of the recurring characters in this season in Tom Holloway and his family. Tom is the chief editor of the Hawkins Post.
If you are really keen on getting all the references in this season, this one may have slipped your mind. The red door in the front of the house and the sign with the numbers 1438 are a clear reference to the film A Nightmare on Elm Street, which features the house on 1428 Elm Street.
#21. Halloween
In episode five of the third season, named The Flayed, Nancy goes to the Hawkings Memorial Hospital to visit the old lady that was possessed by the Mindflayer. The logo of the hospital is a pretty clear reference to Halloween II.
Most of the action scenes in Halloween II happens in a medical facility with little to no staff, and the logo of the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital is almost the same as that on Stranger Things 3. It may be considered plagiarism rather than an easter egg!
#20. Shirt
In the second season of Stranger Things, when Eleven runs away from Hawkins and gets reunited with the other experiments of Dr. Martin Brenner, she starts to feel lonely after a while with the gang.
At the beginning of the second season, Hopper, acting as the adoptive father of Eleven, gifts her with one of his shirts, the one she takes from a box when she is with Kali’s gang and makes her go back to Hawkins. At the end of season 3, she is seen wearing the same shirt, remembering Hopper!
#19. Alien-Flayer
Another very clear reference to pop-culture and action/horror films occurs when Nancy is trying to fight alone against the Mindflayer in the hospital rooms. The scene where Nancy gets ambushed by the Mindfllayer in a small room is a clear reference to Alien 3.
In this iconic sci-fi and horror film, the main character Ellen Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, is also ambushed by the monster, which comes close to her face while saliva is dripping from its open mouth, just like the Mindflayer with Nancy!
#18. Dustin’s Cap
During the third season of Stranger Things, Dustin refers to his girlfriend, Suzie, who he met at the Summer Camp for Smart Kids. Most of his friends, including Steve and Robin, do not believe he is dating Suzie.
In the last episode of this season, Dustin communicates with Suzie through a giant radio antenna that he created at the camp, in order to get some help in obtaining Planck’s constant. At the background, on top of Suzie’s nightstand, you can see Dustin’s old cap!
#17. Erica Hard
The last movie reference homage that we found is located in one of the first episodes of the season when Steve and Robin convince Erica to infiltrate the Russian secret base. Do you know which scene we’re talking about?
In order to infiltrate the base, Erica enters the vents behind Scoops Ahoy and follows them until the end, where they end above the base. While crawling through the vents, we will see a very clear reference to the iconic film Die Hard!
#16. My Bologna
One of the main arcs of the third season revolves around Joyce and her search for information about her magnets, as they fall down on their own and cannot stay in the fridge without falling down. That search brings her to Mr. Clarke, the kids’ science teacher at Hawkings School.
When she finally finds him, he is listening and singing the song My Bologna by “Weird Al” Yankovic, which is a parody of the song My Sharona from the Knacks. My Sharona was used in the gas scene in the film Reality Bites, in which Winona Ryder plays one of the main characters!
#15. 39 Missing
The “39 Still in Beirut, awaiting Release” headline in the Hawkins Post is actually a piece of real-world news regarding a hijacked flight. Can you guess when this incident took place?
The flight that the article talks about is flight TWA 847 that was hijacked in 1985. The passengers were taken hostage and released in groups. It was only after the intervention of President Reagan that the last group was released!
#14. Pretzels
One of the most important events of the third season was the construction of the Starcourt Mall in Hawkins, which was enjoyed by many residents, as it brought new jobs and stores to the town.
Nonetheless, not everyone was happy, as many stores in the town had to close down due to the unfair competition. In one of the strikes against the mall, you can see that one sign reads “the pretzels aren’t even that good!”. What a curious way of expressing dissatisfaction!
#13. E02
During the first episodes of the season, we get to know more about Lucas’ sister, Erica, and how she became one of the most prominent clients of the ice cream store, Scoops Ahoy.
In the second episode, while Erica is ordering ice cream for her and her friends, the cash register reads the code E02, a clear reference to that being the second episode. However, it may also simply be an error code, which would be a great coincidence!
#12. Steve Swing
We all love Steve and I even consider him to be one of my favorite characters in the show. He began as one of the bad kids in the first season and then grew up to be one of the main characters and protector of the young ones.
In the third season, he gets a job in the recently opened Starcourt Mall, in the ice cream shop Scoops Ahoy. He is seen several times swinging his ice serving spoon to sheath it, and it reminded us of the time when he swung his bat to attack the Demogorgon!
#11. Blue Hairband
Also in the last episode of the third season, when the whole team is in the Starcourt Mall, including Hopper and Joyce, there are several sentimental scenes among the main characters. Can you remember them?
One of the most emotional moments of the last episode is the chat between Hopper and Eleven, in which he promises her that he will be safe. If you take a closer look at their hands, you will see that they are entwined with a blue hairband, the one that Hopper gave her in Season 2.
#10. Hairspray
Another wink to the previous season of the show occurs in the first episode of the new season. When Dustin gets back from the Summer Camp his friends are waiting to give him a welcome back surprise.
Apart from referencing several horror movies when the toys start moving on their own, Dustin gets hold of one particular weapon: the Farrah Fawcett hairspray that Steve gifts him in Season 2!
#9. Gremlin Clown
There are two references in this season to the small monsters called Gremlins, who by the way have their own horror movie. One of these references occur in episode 7, can any of you remember?
The first occurs during the Fair scene where the adult team is escaping from Grigori and the evil Russians. When Smirnoff is left alone, one Clown passes with a Gremlin toy in his hand, moments before he is shot by the Russian.
#8. Gremlin Hammer
Another Gremlin reference also occurs during the first episodes of season 3. Dustin is showing the “weapon” or tool that he created in the Summer Camp, which consists of a hammer and various mechanical parts.
That same hammer, or one that looks very similar, can be seen in the Gremlins film. In a scene where the whole family is sitting at the table, the father is showing the weapon that he made to fight against the evil critters.
#7. Back To Season 2
If you thought that there were no more references to movies or pop culture, you were definitely mistaken! In the scene after they escape from the evil Russian base, Erica and Dustin take Robin and Steve to the cinema to hide.
The film they are playing in the movies is Back to the Future, and the camcorder that Marty is holding in his hand is the same that is given to Jonathan in season 2!
#6. Back To Work
The first episode of the third season introduced many characters to their first jobs, and Nancy and Jonathan were no exception. They got their job as interns in The Hawkins Post, Nancy as a secretary and Jonathan as a photographer.
The first scene that shows them together is the time when they oversleep and get ready to go to work. Jonathan is trying to put in his pants and falls down while trying. This is a clear reference to a very similar scene in Back to The Future.
#5. Posters
Let’s go back to the first season for a moment. Do you remember the time when Eleven was staying in Mike’s basement to avoid any suspicion from his family and the people that were trying to capture her?
In the basement, Mike had a poster that resembled a giant monster similar to Godzilla. On season three, the poster is seen on the wall above Eleven’s bed in Hopper’s house!
#4. Babyface
In season two, after running away from Hawkins, Eleven is reunited with several other experiments that have similar powers than hers, and she becomes part of their gang.
While spending time with Kali’s gang, who were only creating havoc and mischief, Eleven used a mask that resembled that of a porcelain baby. That same mask is seen in her bedroom in Season 3!
#3. Memorabilia
It seems that one of the directors’ main objectives this season was to focus on the coming of age story and the teenagers’ relationships.
This is seen with the many pictures of Mike that are located all around Eleven’s bedroom. The last one of these pictures is located in the tall mirror that rests against the wall!
#2. Ghost Busters
That same picture we referred to before is seen in Eleven’s bedroom on different locations and different scenes. Can you guess where?
During the scene after Eleven breaks up with Mike, Max and her are in Eleven’s bedroom playing and joking, and, guess what? Right on top of Eleven’s nightstand is another picture of Mike!
#1. Mike Buster
For last we are saving another Season 2 flashback. During Halloween festivities, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will decide to dress up like the Ghostbusters, remember?
Mike’s mother could not help it and decided to take several pictures of his son wearing the Ghostbusters uniform. That same photo is also seen in Eleven’s bedroom!