Stranger Things is basically E.T. on steroids. From the schweet fashion to the righteous music, it’s safe to say we’re all “running up that hill” to satisfy our ‘80s cravings. Binge-watching these ‘80s movies like Stranger Things is also the perfect way to connect with your kids and feed their appetite for this bitchin’ decade.
Warner Bros.
The Goonies is filled with controversial characters, but at its core, it’s a film about a group of scrappy kids who embark on an epic treasure hunt to save their town. It’s filled with teen romance and friendship, and has a kids-can-do-anything vibe that’s a lot like Stranger Things.
The ghosts of a recently deceased couple hire Beetlejuice, a strange spirit, to help them scare away a new family that has moved into their home. The new family’s daughter is played by Winona Ryder (aka Joyce Byers), who unwittingly becomes part of Beetlejuice's elaborate plan to rejoin the land of the living.
Think about it: Diana and Lloyd’s relationship is a lot like Eleven and Mike’s — a super-smart but socially awkward girl meets a charming loner who gives her a carefree experience she never knew existed. The pair eventually fall in love, but their individual plans and her father (cough, Hopper) threaten to tear them apart.
A group of 12-year-old boys go in search of a dead body one summer, but they run into a world of danger that sees them growing up far faster than they could have expected. Sound familiar? And, like Stranger Things, this classic was chock full of an all-star young Hollywood cast.
Ten-year-old social outcast Bastian Bux discovers a book at his local library that lands him in a dark and fantastical other world being plagued by a malevolent force, not unlike in The Upside Down. Besides, given the vocal stylings of Dusty Buns and Susie Poo in Season 3, this had to make the list.