9) The Goonies
While the carefree vibe and basic group dynamics of Stand By Me have been transferred over to Stranger Things, The Goonies probably had more of an impact on the creation of the schoolboy characters in the show than Reiner’s film did. The kids in Stranger Things are more like archetypes, closer to the main child characters in Richard Donner’s family adventure movie (story by Spielberg, funded by Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment).
The Stranger Things gang is also more resourceful than the Stand By Me crew, like The Goonies evading dangerous weapon-toting adults and embarking on their mission without any outside help (though the mission of the kids in Stranger Things is very different to that of those in The Goonies).