A poster for <The Thing> stands guard over Mike's basement hideout, the spiritual home of <Stranger Things>. That isn't decoration. It's a declaration. From the first frame of <Stranger Things> to its last, John Carpenter's masterpiece looms over the boys' hideout like a patron saint. It is the very DNA of this series. In fact, <The Thing> was one of the very first films the Duffer Brothers screened for their cast. From the Mind Flayer’s parasitic MO—hijacking minds, seizing bodies, mimicking hosts—to the tactile terror of the Demogorgon, brought to life through old-school practical effects: prosthetics, animatronics, and models. This isn't homage. This is inheritance.