Stranger Things 3: The movies that inspired the new season

Stranger Things type TV Show network Netflix

There’s top secret, and then there’s Stranger Things.

The third installment of Netflix’s phenomenon, which returns July 4, is under lock and key, but creators Ross and Matt Duffer did give EW some big clues as to ST3’s plot.

“We would say that this is our most unapologetically fun season,” says Ross. “Yet at the same time, it is also our most horrifying and intense season. It’s this wild mix of tones that we think really sets this season apart.”

Huge pop culture buffs, the Duffer brothers exclusively revealed to EW the films that inspired Stranger Things 3:

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The Thing

Romancing the Stone

Midnight Run

Indiana Jones

Jurassic Park

The films of David Cronenberg

Get to work, Stranger Things fans. You’ve got about six weeks.

For more Summer TV scoop, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday, or buy your choice of two different Game of Thrones covers — Daenerys or the Starks — now. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

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