It’s hard to believe, but after five seasons, Stranger Things is no more. Created by the Duffer Brothers in 2016, the Netflix series took over pop culture with its mix of 80s nostalgia, compelling characters, and scary monsters. However, what first hooked audiences was the initial premise of a child going missing in a small town. That’s the hook of the very first episode, “The Vanishing of Will Byers,” as young Will (Noah Schnapp) disappears while riding his bike in Hawkins, Indiana. Did you know the most popular series of the last decade would have never happened had the Duffers not watched Denis Villeneuve‘s Prisoners? They were so floored by the terrifying plot of a missing child that they decided to develop a TV series around it, this time with monsters.
‘Stranger Things’ Was Influenced by ‘Prisoners’
In 2016, to promote their new series, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about how they came up with the concept for Stranger Things. As it turns out, the light bulb came to life after watching Prisoners. Matt Duffer said, “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t that movie have been even better in eight hours on HBO or Netflix?’” They then got to work on their own missing child story, except with one very significant added detail.
Ross Duffer told Rolling Stone they thought their similar plot would need something more to set itself apart from Denis Villeneuve’s film. “It was taking that idea of a missing child and combining it with the more childlike sensibilities that we have. You know, can we put a monster in there that eats people?”
In a 2025 interview with Variety to promote Stranger Things‘ final season, the twin brothers went into more detail about how they had just walked out of the movie theater after seeing Prisoners. Ross Duffer said he could clearly remember walking down the street with his sibling the next day and talking about how to expand the idea. “We combined those discussions with an old idea we had which involves monsters, and the supernatural, and government experiments.” Thinking Netflix wouldn’t be interested though, the Duffers went to HBO and 15-20 other studios, only to be rejected by every single one of them. It’s then that they finally tried their first choice, and Netflix signed on.
‘Prisoners’ Is Dennis Vilenue’s Most Terrifying Film
Denis Villeneuve is one of our most gifted filmmakers, rising up from making small Canadian films to the massive Dune franchise. He has conquered every type of genre, from thrillers, to dramas, to science fiction. His movies leave a deep emotional impact, such as the underseen Polytechnique from 2009, a frightening glimpse into a real-life massacre. Still, none are more jarring than Prisoners.
Villeneuve was already established with certain audiences, but it was Prisoners that put him on the map with the mainstream moviegoer, thanks to its top-notch cast, which includes Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Paul Dano. Set in Conyers, Pennsylvania, a small town not all that different from Hawkins, Prisoners involves two little girls who go missing while playing outside around a strange RV one day. It’s then up to the parents, including a father, Keller Dover (Jackman), and Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) to find the girls before it’s too late.
Denis Villeneuve Directed a Sci-Fi Bomb in the Same Year as ‘Prisoners,’ and Now It’s Streaming for Free
The cult classic flopped massively, grossing just $3 million.
Prisoners was nominated for an Oscar for Roger A. Deakins‘ cinematography, with his bleak colors pulling us into the despair. However, it’s Aaron Guzikowski‘s tight script that makes Prisoners memorable because every second of its two-and-a-half-hour runtime matters. There is no time to stop or even slow down when every second counts.
‘Stranger Things’ Works by Not Copying ‘Prisoners’
Prisoners works for its format. It could have possibly been spread out over eight episodes, taking the audience into a few more twists and turns, or adding more characterization, but then what? There’s only so long that can be drawn out without a finale, and there’s certainly no way to do more than one season unless it’s to follow the detective on another case.
What Stranger Things had going for it is the unconventional mystery behind Will’s disappearance. He wasn’t taken by a human, with the only outcome being that he lives or dies, and his captor is caught or not. There is so much more going on in this expansive world. Who is this strange little girl with the shaved head? What is the facility she came from? What is this world Will is now trapped in? And what are these horrifying monsters?!
Each episode of Stranger Things, especially in the early days, is not one more step toward solving a typical detective mystery set in a familiar reality. Instead, every episode only adds to the complex mystery, creating more layers and intrigue. Rather than wrapping up, Stranger Things grows with time. This choice would have failed badly for Prisoners. At the same time, Stranger Things could not have worked as one compressed story inside of a feature film. The Duffer Brothers realized this and created an idea which could be sustained for years. However, it wouldn’t have happened without the genius of Denis Villeneuve and company.
Prisoners is available to rent or buy on VOD services in the U.S.
- Release Date
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September 20, 2013
- Runtime
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153 minutes
- Director
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Denis Villeneuve
- Writers
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Aaron Guzikowski
