Stranger influences. 

Netflix hit “Stranger Things” is a melting pot of ‘80s pop culture. Ever since the retro series premiered in 2016 – following the small town ‘80s supernatural adventures of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Steve (Joe Keery), Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Harbour) and more – the show has worn its influences on its sleeve.

In Season 1, Eleven donned a blonde wig to hide her shaved head, just like E.T. did in the 1982 Steven Spielberg movie “E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial.”

Robert MacNaughton, who played Elliott (Henry Thomas) and Gertie’s (Drew Barrymore) brother Michael in “E.T.,”  has watched the first two seasons of “Stranger Things.” 

When Eleven wears a blonde wig, she didn’t just look like the alien in the movie — she also resembled Spielberg. 

“We were filming on the set on the actual day of Halloween in 1981, and the cast and crew dressed up,” MacNaughton, 58, exclusively told The Post. 

“Steven just raided the prop department, and dressed in the exact clothes,” complete with the blonde wig, he recalled. “He looked more like a bag lady, and he directed the whole day dressed like that. That was a fun day.” 

The “E.T.” actor has met many of the cast members through the years. 

“I have twin stepsons, and one of them is a huge fan. I did a convention in London and he got to meet Joseph Quinn.” 

Quinn played Eddie in “Stranger Things” Season 4, and MacNaughton’s 17-year-old stepson was “over the moon” to meet the actor.

He also crossed paths with “Stranger Things” stars Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo.

“They both said they were big fans of ‘E.T.’ And I told them I was a fan of their work on the show.” 

MacNaughton, who is married to actress Bianca Hunter, said that his wife immediately noticed the “similarities” between “Stranger Things” and the beloved Spielberg classic.

“They’re kind of harboring an alien,” he said, referring to how, early in “Stranger Things,” the boys are harboring Eleven. He noted another scene when the boys show off a Yoda toy to Eleven, and, “the other kid does the Yoda voice, which I do [in ‘ET’].”

He also detailed “minor touches” that “might go unnoticed by some.”

“Allen Daviau, who was our cinematographer, employed warm lighting…And I noticed that throughout the ‘Stranger Things’ show.” 

Many references have been obvious, such as when the boys wore “Ghostbusters” costumes, or Steve and Robin (Maya Hawke) discuss “Back to the Future.” Other references are more subtle homages, such as scenes nodding to “Poltergeist.” 

Not to mention — the cast. The Duffer Brothers enlisted Hawke, who is the daughter of Hollywood vets Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Series star Winona Ryder rose to fame in the ’80s with 1988 hits “Beetlejuice” and “Heathers,” and “The Goonies” actor Sean Astin came onboard as Joyce’s ill-fated boyfriend, Bob, in Season 2.

The horror elements of “Stranger Things” borrow from John Carpenter’s work like “Halloween” and “The Thing,” too, as well as the adventures featured in “The Goonies” and “Stand by Me.”

The latter movie is a 1986 classic based on a Stephen King story, starring River Phoenix and Jerry O’Connell. The plot follows a group of young boys on an adventure to find a body. 

Bruce. A. Evans, 79, the screenwriter of “Stand By Me,” watched the first three seasons of “Stranger Things.” 

“The kids out on their own with absentee parents evoked memories of ‘Stand By Me,” he told The Post. “It’s a great honor to any creator when someone references your work as an inspiration for theirs.” 

Over the course of five seasons, “Stranger Things” has made references to numerous other movies based on King’s stories, including “Carrie,” “The Shining,” “It,” and 1984’s “Firestarter.” 

The latter stars David Keith and Drew Barrymore. Similar to Eleven’s plot on the show, “Firestarter” follows Barrymore’s character, a young girl with supernatural powers. 

Keith, 71, isn’t an “aficionado” on the series, but he understands that it’s “wildly popular.” His daughter Presley, 23, is a fan and has informed him of similarities such as Eleven getting “experimented on by a secret government agency” much like Barrymore’s character, Charlie.

“I think it’s super cool to have a movie I did over 40 years ago still being talked about and compared to a hit show like ‘Stranger Things,'” he said.

MacNaughton believes that the way the show keeps ‘80s nostalgia alive is “great.” 

“It keeps it fresh for a new generation. It’s crazy. I never thought the ‘80s would be what the ‘50s were in the 80s,” he told The Post. “Also, the music in ‘Stranger Things’ is really what took me back. There was the use of an Echo & the Bunnymen song [‘Nocturnal Me’], but they didn’t just use one of the hits. They used a deeper cut.”

He even noticed Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) listening to the punk rock band Reagan Youth. 

The “E.T.” actor said that was a “crazy” coincidence, because his wife was married to one of the members of Reagan Youth — guitarist Paul Bakija. He got a kick out of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” getting a resurgence thanks to Season 4, too.

MacNaughton hasn’t directly discussed “Stranger Things” with Spielberg, but he saw the director in 2022 at a 40th anniversary red carpet for “E.T.” 

“He didn’t have kids at the time, but he said working with us on it was what made him realize he he wanted to have kids….he said that ‘ET’ is the favorite of his pictures,” he said of Spielberg. “It’s why he’s never allowed it to become a sequel or a remake.”

Although MacNaughton isn’t caught up on “Stranger Things” he”definitely will” now partly because of Quinn. 

“He had a hard time at this convention in London that we did. It was like he was the Beatles,” he told The Post. “It was really impossible to get a picture with him until the very end…he was so kind and gracious.”

“I want to watch it based on that alone. I have to see the season that he’s in.”

“Stranger Things” Season 5 will have 8 episodes, dropping on Netflix in three volumes, releasing on Nov. 26, Dec. 25, and Dec. 31.