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If you liked Stranger Things…

by manz

The most talked about television show of the summer has been Stranger Things, a Netflix original that premiered on July 15. If you have not watched it yet, stop reading this and go watch it immediately.

Okay, you’re back. The 8-episode sci-fi horror series hit children of the 80s in the face like a bag of nostalgia that they didn’t know they needed so badly in 2016. Created by the Duffer brothers, it’s filled with enough suspenseful fright to keep you up at night (grab a buddy to watch with), but also adorned with well intended, adorable, adventurous kids to keep you smiling.

Set in 1983 the story follows four 12 year old boys who geek out over Dungeons and Dragons and the AV club. One of them goes missing and the others try to find him once his disappearance turns suspicious. Enter a small town police chief, a frantic mother of the boy gone missing (played effortlessly by Winona Ryder), a government lab, a mysterious alien creature, and a psychokinetic 12 year old girl… and well, you’ve got quite a story.

The show references so many 70s and 80s films it almost seems unreal. It’s an homage to Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. It’s Stand By Me meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It’s Cujo meets The Goonies. It’s Firestarter meets E.T. It’s IT meets Cloak and Dagger. It goes so far. And the music? Yes. An 80s soundtrack paired with eerie electronic music and John Carpenter-ish synth twangs, which fills another void you didn’t know existed. The first volume of a soundtrack will be released digitally this Friday, with a CD to follow.

As a fan of what I call “little boy adventure stories,” I was hooked immediately, and the nostalgia and soundtrack sealed the deal and created many late nights of watching the show.

Here is a list of books and movies that might be of interest to you if you finished season 1 and are jonesing for season 2 to begin, and yes, the Duffer brothers have claimed there are more seasons to follow.

Comments

I've been hearing about this! Alas, I don't have Netflix.

I love the 80s, but .... Let's not bring back crimped hair and bangs that STICK UP, okay? And the clothes. Ugh.

Judeyblu , "Getting" the references or not doesn't come in to play with the storyline at all. It's more about the viewer having a sense of nostalgia while watching a show set in 1983 and having some of the visuals looks SO much like films of the 80s.

Whether or not you're into shows that are a bit spooky or suspenseful is more the question.

Here is a reallllly cool side-by-side of old films and Stranger Things: http://nerdist.com/stranger-things-visual-references-supercut/
I'd watch the show before watching it. I don't recall if there are direct spoilers.

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