by Drew Howerton, section editor
At first glance, Netflix’s newest show, Stranger Things pays homage to classic films of the 80s. But it does more than just reference pop culture; Stranger Things is a portal to a time that adults remember fondly and kids don’t really understand. It evokes the feeling of putting a VHS in, sitting on the floor, watching a movie and being taken to worlds quite unlike our own. In a sense, it’s nostalgia for a time we may or may not even remember.
Set in small town Hawkins, Indiana in 1983, Stranger Things follows three young, geeky boys, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin, in their search to find their friend Will, who has inexplicably gone missing. Throughout the eight episode season, the kids embark on a quest to find Will, discovering supernatural happenings, government conspiracies, and a lost little girl who can move things with her mind. Meanwhile, Will’s mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder) leads the frantic search for her son, aided by the roguish police chief Hopper (David Harbour), as the mysterious government scientist Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) leads his own investigation. A third teenage subplot is explored through Will’s punk older brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and his interest in suburban rebel Nancy (Natalia Dyer).
Written and directed by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, Stranger Things is a mashup of the best culture of the 80s, and it knows it, too. Every scene is meant to evoke a nostalgic feeling, from Joyce’s wall mounted rotary phone to a passing conversation between Hopper and another officer discussing fears of Russian spies. The Duffer Brothers recreate a world that is long gone, but still easy to relate to from our distant future, showing that experiences like worry for a loved one or fear of the unknown don’t really go away no matter how much time goes by. Stranger Things opts to craft nostalgia into an aesthetic rather than a gimmick, allowing it to feel fresh throughout it’s run rather than burn out early on. But easily the best aspect of the show is its fear factor and the amazing amount of effort was put into creating an eerie atmosphere from the very beginning, a feeling that perhaps something isn’t quite right in this world we see. The show manages to be scary and suspenseful without showing us grotesque scenery, instead making us afraid of what we can’t see by keeping us in the dark until just the right moment. It’s able to tap into real paranoia of the times, from alien invasions, to shadowy government agencies and the end of the world, making it spookier than any modern day horror movie could with gory effects.
The cast is what really makes Stranger Things shine, because each cast member is believable in their performance, both in look and personality. Kids like the pyschic girl Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) are excellent in their portrayal of kids dealing with more than they can handle, because they’re actually kids, and not teenagers or adults playing children. Squabbles between the kids over Dungeons & Dragons are funny and ridiculously cute because it’s easy to take seriously with age appropriate actors in the hot seat. Winona Ryder brings incredible passion to the determined Joyce, and some of the most heart wrenching and powerful scenes in the show come when she’s on screen, proving that she really is the perfect 80s TV mom that we even didn’t know we needed.
My only complaint with Stranger Things is that the first season is only eight episodes long, because at the end, it feels like it went by too fast. From hilarious dialogue to fights over teenage heartthrobs, to an amazing soundtrack that features artists like The Clash, Joy Division, and The Bangles, the show offers a new twist around every corner that makes it totally binge-worthy, and left me needing more immediately.
Now I really want to watch The Goonies again.
