Why you should be watching the Netflix Original show even the "King" of horror loves.
The title may make you think of the expression, “Stranger things have happened,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth in the small, fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. Stranger Things incorporates old school horror in a way even Stephen King approves of—and why wouldn’t he? The show isn’t unlike his tales of a monster wreaking havoc on town that’s relatively quiet, everyone knows each other, and nothing bad ever happens.
Part of what makes this show so scary is the suspense, the unseen, and the brief flashes of what lurks in the dark. For fans of Supernatural, episodes begin with similar, mysterious cold opens. Viewers don’t always get to see what snatches you out of the dark, but there are dark parallels and foreshadowing—especially in the first episode, “Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers.” It seems to be no coincidence that just before Will disappears, he and his friends face a Demogorgon while playing Dungeons & Dragons. The two-headed creature, otherwise known as the “Prince of Demons” and “Lord of All That Swims in Darkness” and comes from the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, might as well be a crow, squawking a warning in the dark.
If you like 80s music, that alone might be reason enough to add Stranger Things to your queue. Netflix has already added a list on Spotify that includes tracks by The Clash, Jefferson Airplane, Toto, The Bangles, Foreigner, and more.
What’s even more interesting are the composers of the 80s synth music that ups the creepy factor in Stranger Things (title card and opening music above). There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, other than that they’re part of a four-man group out of Texas called Survive, and that the Netflix show is their only IMDB credit. Survive’s work can be found on Bandcamp.
Every episode of Stranger Things may bring you back to the 80s, or simply remind you of your favorite movies from the horror genre. Not only does the décor in the kids’ rooms pay homage to 80s via tent forts, as well as Jaws and Tom Cruise posters, but the plot and cinematography remind me of movies like: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, Star Wars, Stand By Me, Poltergeist, White Noise, The Neverending Story, and Firestarter. There’s an more extensive list called “A StrangerThings Glossary: Every Major Film Reference in the Show, From A–Z” here.
If you've already binge-watched the show and all of those films, Barnes & Noble has already posted "9 Books to Read After You’ve Binged on the 1980s Nostalgia of Netflix’s Stranger Things."
If you loved Winona Ryder in the days of Beetlejuice, Bram Stroker’s Dracula, Edward Scissorhands, and Heathers, you’ll enjoy her performance as Joyce Byers, the mother of the missing boy, Will. While you get the impression Will and his older brother, Jonathan, have spent some time as latchkey kids (seemingly due to Joyce working all the time since the kids have a deadbeat dad), she fiercely loves her sons.
In the first few episodes alone, Ryder shows off her knack for bringing her character from moments of almost-hysterical panic over her missing boy to an axe-wielding (literally) resolve to bring Will home safely, no matter what it takes. Joyce Byers doesn’t care what people think about her, and is definitely the type of mom who would fight a monster—whether it be supernatural or the kind who would grab a kid in the grocery store—to protect her sons.
Get to know the names Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), and Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), because their careers are just getting started. These highly-talented young actors draw you in right away. Like any 80s movie portraying a band of friends, these misfits form a tight-knit group who bravely take on adult tasks—finding their friend Will and protecting a strange girl who barely speaks. Find out more about these young actors on Movie Pilot or IMDB.
Mike – Group leader, often called“Frog Face” by bullies.
Eleven – A strange girl with the dark past who barely speaks.
Dustin – The foodie with the lisp due to cleidocranial dysplasia.
Lucas –A bit of a cynic and not afraid to say what’s on his mind.
Will- The most mild-mannered who's great at hiding.