Anybody who has ever picked up a Stephen king novel or watched an episode of the Goosebumps series will be familiar with 80’s inspired horror that had equal amounts of spine-tingling chills and queasy gore. Stranger Things, a Netflix original is a sci-fi/horror series for those who love this particular genre. Created by the Duffer brothers, the show pays tribute to many pop culture phenomena like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas among others.
Set in 1983, in a small town of Hawkins, Indiana, the series focuses on the disappearance of 12-year old Will Byers and his mother, Joyce Byers,’ attempt to find him. But what is thought of initially as a simple missing person’s case soon turns into an adventure involving parallel dimensions and…well, stranger things.
The best part of the series is the complete commitment shown towards the story. Everything from the sets to the costumes to the writing embraces all of the good things from beloved classics like ET and star wars which is what really makes the whole setup work. By having 8 episodes only, the show never drags and runs at a brisk pace, which is what is required for a show like this where suspense is key.
At it’s core, the story is about the friendship between the kids and all of the actors do a fantastic job with their characters. A special mention has to be made about Millie Bobby Brown, who managed to portray an extremely difficult character like Eleven, which would challenge grown actors. She makes you laugh and she makes you cry with her critically-acclaimed performance. Winona Ryder, as Will’s distraught mother Joyce, gives a superb performance with Christmas lights (yes, I’m not kidding).
One aspect I would like to expand on is the awesome way in which this shows touches the common tropes that are found in their reference material and the subtle way in which they subvert them. From the often-overused trope of flickering lights to Nancy’s entire character where she starts off as your typical high-schooler and grows into an awesome butt-kicker,the usage of these tropes never detracts from the experience.
Stranger Things is like a monster that sinks it’s claws into you and demands to be watched as soon as you possibly can, a rare quality in a TV show these days. So if you’re looking for something spooky for Halloween, or something fun, snappy and just the right kind of scary, don’t miss out on this show.
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