Stranger Things Stars Confirm The Duffer Brothers Don’t Assign Movies As Homework Anymore

Stranger Things stars talk about what sort of prep work they did for the new season and whether they had any homework from the Duffer brothers.

It’s no secret that Stranger Things draws heavily on classic 80s films for style, shot inspiration, and even for plot themes. The show’s creators, the Duffer brothers, are very open about which movies inspire them most, and it’s been a fan-favorite tradition to call out iconic shots and scenes since the very first season.

Most of the stars of the show weren’t around in the 1980s, so there is some serious catching up to do. Some fans may assume that the Stranger Things cast is handed a big stack of 80s movies at the start of each season to study as homework, but that’s not really the case according to a handful of cast members.

Game Rant recently had the chance to sit down with most of the Stranger Things season 4 (volume 1) cast for a handful of interviews and the topic of “assigned viewings as homework” came up a handful of times, but the cast members seemed to suggest that isn’t something that really happens anymore…

Source: Dead by Daylight on YouTube

Finn, who plays Mike in Stranger Things, went on to explain that there was one specific scene the Duffer brothers asked him to watch to prepare for an intense season four shot, but it wasn’t even from an 80s movie. He explained that their inspiration really comes from all over.

Noah Schnapp, who plays Will, also responded to a question about movie homework and explained that it was something they did a lot while preparing for season one, but isn’t really necessary anymore now that the cast and the Duffer brothers all know each other (and the Stranger Things world) so well…

It makes sense that the young cast was asked to watch some specific films early on to understand the general vibe the Duffer brothers were trying to create in Hawkins, but it sounds like the world has taken on enough life of its own that it isn’t necessary anymore. Fans of Nightmare on Elm Street are likely in for some fun nods and references when season four arrives, but it doesn’t sound like it was an assigned viewing.

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