'Stranger Things' and 'It' rumors: Fan theories keep establishing a connection between the two franchises

Screenshot from the "Stranger Things 2" trailer. Netflix's YouTube Channel

"Stranger Things" season 2 becomes even more eerie, as fans propose new theories that connect the show with the hit horror movie "It," which is set in the same time period.

Bob Newby (Sean Astin), a new character for the season and the franchise, has been explicitly tied to the murderous clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) from "It." Bob explains that his parents were from Maine, which is the setting for "It" and apparently, he was also haunted by an evil clown ever since he was a kid.

Some could chalk it up as a homage, but more suspicious and persistent fans have discovered that since "Stranger Things" actually took place during the '80s, Bob as a child would've been haunted by his evil clown during the '50s since Bob was shown to be a middle-aged man in the series. Fans also noticed that Bob defeated his evil clown by not fearing him anymore, the same way the kids from "It" also defeated Pennywise.

Still, the theories are in no way canon, and the Duffer brothers, the show's writers, are known for spicing up the show with countless homages to movies directed by Steven Spielberg and novels written by Stephen King. Ross Duffer even admitted that the most significant influence that "Stranger Things" had was from King's "It" novel.

"That's probably the biggest. I think just because we're the age of those characters when we're reading it, so it's not that his other books aren't amazing, they were," the creator said.

This could be the reason for several parallels in the show, such as the kids from "It" and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the gang being social outcasts of the same age. Other than that, there's the fact that the show and the horror movie shared the same time period, in the 1980s.

More theories abound as fans try to decode the mysteries in "Stranger Things" season 2, which is now available on Netflix.

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