There's A Clever Beetlejuice Easter Egg In Stranger Things & TikTok Can Prove It
If there's one thing Netflix's "Stranger Things" has consistently done well, it's honoring the hallmarks of the 1980s. From period-accurate clothing to era-appropriate home decor, the Duffer Brothers' hit series never shies away from giving nods to the influential decade. In this vein, "Stranger Things" is chock full of Easter eggs referencing '80s pop culture, with several classic films receiving shout-outs throughout the program. The show even features a clever blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to director Tim Burton's 1988 horror comedy "Beetlejuice," as pointed out by TikTok user @its_ivanmars in honor of "Stranger Things" Day 2023.
@its_ivanmars Happy Stranger Things day!! 🤯🤯🤯 #strangerthings #netflix #fyp #foryou #timburton #conspiracy #screammovie
The Easter egg appears during Joyce Byers' (Winona Ryder, who coincidentally played Lydia Deetz in "Beetlejuice") visit with Scott Clarke (Randy Havens). In his garage, he uses his model train setup to demonstrate how electromagnetic fields work. For a split second during his demonstration, a small gravestone with the words "Here Lies Beetlejuice" is shown as part of his diorama. In fact, it's identical to the Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) headstone that pops up in Adam Maitland's (Alec Baldwin) town diorama in the 1988 feature.
This may be a fun nod to one of Burton's most famous films, but it's yet another example of how the minds behind the "Stranger Things" timeline have failed to keep it consistent with the real world.
This Beetlejuice Easter egg doesn't fit the Stranger Things timeline
The "Stranger Things" timeline has been pretty well documented since the series arrived on Netflix in 2016. The first season kicks off in late 1983, with Season 2 taking place in late 1984 and Season 3 unfolding throughout the summer of 1985. Season 4 then occurs in early 1986, thus making this "Beetlejuice" Easter egg situation a bit confusing. The scene between Joyce Byers and Scott Clarke is in Season 3, meaning that, if we're to go by real-world dates, Clarke's diorama has a "Beetlejuice" tombstone in it a whole three years before the film reaches theaters.
Despite the Duffer Brothers' clear love for the '80s, their references haven't always fit the real-world timeline. The series is loaded with historical inaccuracies, from Joyce's use of Prozac long before the medication was released to the public to the periodic table in Clarke's classroom including elements that hadn't been charted at the time the series is set, among a host of others. In the grand scheme, these oversights don't totally destroy all that "Stranger Things" has accomplished, but they do result in some momentary head-scratching for those who notice the inconsistencies.
The presence of a Beetlejuice tombstone in Mr. Clarke's diorama doesn't make timeline sense — unless he came up with the idea for "Beetlejuice" before Tim Burton, or the conniving bio-exorcist actually exists in the "Stranger Things" universe, which are both highly unlikely yet interesting scenarios. Still, it's a fun nod to one of the most iconic films of the '80s.