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The Stranger Things season 5 trailer is here... am I the only one picking up Jurassic Park vibes?

I don't doubt that Jurassic World Rebirth (in theaters now), is shaping how I'm watching the Stranger Things season 5 trailer, but still, I have to believe this is intentional

Stranger Things season 5 trailer Jurassic Park
Image credit: Netflix

Alright, look: I've been spending quite a bit of time in the Jurassic Park world lately, due to the fact that Jurassic World Rebirth just hit theaters this month. So when I tell you that I felt a major influence from Steven Spielberg's classic dino-thriller while watching the Stranger Things season 5 trailer, please understand that I understand my own cognitive bias. And yet... I still feel like it was possibly intentional? I'll explain why in a sec, but first, check out the trailer here:

Anyone familiar with the Jurassic franchise will hopefully see what I mean at about the 1:25 mark of the trailer. Pictured above, it's the moment when Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) is holding a tough-to-identify character close to him, hiding behind a table from a demogorgon on the prowl. This pretty closely mirrors a scene in the 1993 movie that kicked off the Jurassic franchise, in which plucky young Tim and Lex find themselves cowering behind a kitchen table as an ever-more-clever velociraptor searches for them.

But even beyond that, the whole trailer hinges on what appears to be a containment breach, which is the very core of the horror in the original Jurassic Park. The same kind of military-industrial types that encounter a raging dinosaur in the opening moments of Jurassic Park seem to be at work in several of the shots in the trailer above. And we fear that, similarly, the violence of the film will come from "what they've let out." Sure, this is an extradimensional demon and not monsters of a bygone age, but still.

If you've gotten this far and think that I've gone full "Charlie Kelly conspiracy theorist," well, I won't be offended. I've been called that before and I will be again. I will remind you, though, that Steven Spielberg is huge influence on the Brothers Duffer, and that when it comes to landing the final season of their massive show, it would make sense that they turn to the master for inspiration. 

Stranger Things season 5, volume one debuts November 26 on Netflix, followed by volume 2 on December 25, and the ultimate finale of the series on December 31. 


 

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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