Stranger Things Meets High School Musical in Viral Fan Edit

Long before Stranger Things, Disney Channel original movie High School Musical became a viral sensation among teens and young adults. More than fifteen years later, a video comparing scenes from the latest season of Stranger Things with a musical number from High School Musical 2 has gone viral on Tiktok.

The video compares the Stranger Things scene in which Will (Noah Schnapp) confronts Mike (Finn Wolfhard) in the roller rink to a HSM scene of Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) singing "Gotta Go My Own Way" from the 2007 sequel. The scenes are nearly shot-for-shot identical and there are moments when the Stranger Things characters' mouths seem to move in sync with the High School Musical lyrics.

@amy_0.0 Never knew ST was high school musical ♬ original sound - Amy_0.0

Fans praised the fan edit and pointed out the jarring similarities in the clips. "Not the hairstyles low-key matching," wrote one user, a referring to Will's iconic bowl haircut matching Troy's signature style, and Mike's longer hairstyle being similar to Gabriella's shoulder-length locks.

Another fan noticed both scenes have a distinct blue hue to them, writing, "The Duffers get their inspiration from interesting places."

In High School Musical 2, "Gotta Go My Own Way" plays as Gabriella breaks up with Troy because he's been neglecting their relationship and their friends. Troy sings, "What about us?" to try to convince Gabriella to stay with him.

Similarly, Will's heated discussion with Mike begins with him asking, "What about us?" He then pushes Mike for answers about why he didn't keep in touch after his family moved to California. Later in the season, it's suggested that Will is gay and is in love with Mike, a fact Schnapp himself has confirmed.

Regardless of whether you ship Will and Mike, this High School Musical fan edit will have you in your feelings.

Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix.

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Kirstie Renae is a writer, blogger, and Austin-based actress with a penchant for binge-watching TV with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter @KirstieRenae.