If you haven't seen Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the Cold War parable follows an alien invasion fueled by mysterious seeds that replicate humans and use the copies to take over the world. Throughout the film, whenever the "pod people" spot a human who has yet to be copied, they shriek and point dramatically in the direction of the outlier. While the context is different in Stranger Things, the moment is no less unnerving, and played to utterly eerie perfection by Miley.
Of course, that chilling reach is hardly the only nod to Invasion of the Body Snatchers in season 3 of Stranger Things. Truth be told, the season's overarching narrative — in which the Mind Flayer takes control of Hawkins's citizens with parasitic slugs – is basically a riff on Body Snatchers (itself inspired by a classic 1956 film, and a beloved novel by Jack Finney). As it happens, the name Driscoll is also a likely nod to the 1978 film, in which Brooke Adams starred as a character named Elizabeth Driscoll.
One might even view the Mind Flayer-controlled Ms. Driscoll eating fertilizer as another winking nod toward Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as the invaders are essentially birthed from plant-based pods. That being said, one of the series' most clever odes to the the chilling 1978 film is actually hidden among the shop names in Starcourt Mall.
As a reminder, it's discovered late in season 3 that the mall is a front for a massive underground Russian compound, and that the stores in the mall are being used to get materials safely into said compound. One of the stores mentioned is Kaufman Shoes, and if you wondering how exactly that ties to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, you should know that 1978 classic was directed by the great Philip Kaufman. Here's hoping The Duffers keep the Easter egg hits coming in Stranger Things season 4.
