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As we approach the end of Netflix's scifi phenomenon Stranger Things, it's worth taking the time to look back at its beginnings. We've talked about the D&D character David Harbour created to promote season 1, and the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice clause written into Winona Ryder's contract before the show started filming. But today, let's go even further back to discuss one of Hawkins inspirations long before it appeared in our homes.

That is, Stephen King's 1980 novel, Firestarter.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Stephen King's storytelling DNA was in even the earliest mutations of the show that would eventually become Stranger Things. The Duffer Brothers have been very vocal about how much the Carrie, It, and The Shining author influenced their work. But do some digging and you'll find that Firestarter has left arguably the largest mark on the show, particularly in the case of its main character, Charlie McGee.

Just like Stranger Things lead Eleven, Charlie is a girl with gifts, ripped away from her childhood by a secretive and power-hungry government organization. That organization is called The Shop, and just like the shady government types in Netflix's nostalgia-fest, they have no reservations running cruel experiments on psychically gifted children. In the above photo of the film version of Charlie (played by Drew Barrymore), you can see what we mean.

But Matt and Ross didn't just leave their Firestarter inspiration on the page as they were beginning work on Stranger Things. Actually, they included it in the pitch process.

"When we were selling it," Matt Duffer told the Daily Beast in 2016, "we made a fake Stephen King paperback cover for the show. We actually used the Firestarter paperback and put our title and an image of a fallen bike on top of it."

Unfortunately, we couldn't find an image of that faux-King cover to include in this article. However, the Duffer brothers never forgot their Firestarter roots, which is probably why the Stranger Things marketing team whip up a Firestarter-inspired, Netflix-approved poster released ahead of season 2. Check it out below.

Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are streaming on Netflix now; season 5 is expected 2025.

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

• How to watch Stranger Things in chronological or release order
• Getting to know the Stranger Things season 5 cast
• There needs to be more death in Stranger Things, says co-star Gaten Matarazzo
• The Stranger Things time jump between season 4 and 5 has been confirmed by Netflix - and it raises some serious questions
• "They land the plane," David Harbour describes the Stranger Things finale, which he calls its "best episode"