Stranger Things Fans Spot Eerie Link To 80s Horror Film

**Spoilers for Stranger Things season 4 ahead**

Stranger Things fans breathed a sigh of relief when the first batch of episodes of season four dropped on Friday.

Now, horror movie obsessives are discovering references in the new season to a classic scary movie from the 1980s.

Each season of the hit Netflix sci-fi series contains endless pop culture references and the new series is no exception.

Fans have now taken to social media to discuss all the references to Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street and there are some you might have missed.

The first connection Matt and Ross Duffer created between the 1984 film and their Netflix series is the casting of actor Robert Englund, who famously portrayed Freddy Krueger.

Englund returned to the film franchise on several occasions to play the terrifying killer but he has since ventured into the Stranger Things universe to portray Vecna’s first victim, Victor Creel.

Vecna, the villain in season four, terrorises the group of friends in their dreams, just like Freddy Krueger. However, the Stranger Things villain is able to attack the teens while they’re awake, unlike Krueger.

Both characters started out as humans. Vecna is revealed to be Victor Creel’s telekinetic son in the seventh episode. At Hawkins Lab, Eleven sent him into the Upside Down which led to his transformation into his current form. 

Freddy was once a human who killed children, and after being burned alive by the families of his victims, he was left with permanent scars.

Fans have jokingly dubbed the new season 'the best Nightmare on Elm Street reboot ever' on social media.

One viewer quipped: "Stranger things season 4? More like a Nightmare on Elm street reboot so far and I’m loooooving it".

Another fan gushed: "Only two episodes in, but I would like to thank The Duffer Brothers for making STRANGER THINGS even more for me by turning it into A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET".

A third horror fanatic tweeted: "Stranger Things 4 isn't just the best season of the show it's the best remake of Nightmare on Elm Street we've never gotten. Its a masterpiece and I will hear no slander towards it".

While a fourth shared: "The new Stranger Things is giving Nightmare on Elm Street vibes and I love it".

Stranger Things is available to watch on Netflix now.