Stranger Things

A TV series rarely makes such a cultural impact that you see T-shirts and other merchandise cropping up regularly when leaving the house. While there are many notable examples, one of the most famous recent hits has been the Duffer Brothers’ science fiction horror series, Stranger Things. Something of a surprise hit, it has become a flagship series for streaming giant Netflix since it debuted in 2016.

The show is set in the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, with The Cold War and the neoliberal economic boom as the backdrop. It tells the story of a group of residents plagued by the terrifying alternate dimension, ‘The Upside Down’, which gradually encroaches on their world after a secret government facility opens a gateway to it. It unleashes a string of horrors that the unlikely band of protagonists fight against. This has an indelible impact on all of their lives.

Boasting an ensemble cast, the likes of Winona Ryder and David Harbour feature, with other familiar faces including Matthew Modine, Sean Astin, Brett Gelman, Paul Reiser and Cara Buono. More importantly, it made stars out the younger prominent cast members, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, Natalie Dyer, and Charlie Heaton.

A pop culture leviathan, the Duffer Brothers developed Stranger Things out of a host of fictional and real elements. Stylistically, it mixes investigative drama with supernatural horror, with many familiar references to the 1980s available, as well as anime and modern video games.

Great inspiration was taken from prominent worldbuilders who were around in the 1980s, including Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, David Lynch and Wes Craven. Stylistically, there’s also a heavy essence of H.P. Lovecraft contained, with the Duffer Brothers effectively creating their own mythos, albeit it is nowhere near as extensive as the author’s. Elsewhere, conspiracy theories and Cold War experiments are blended in, creating a compelling tale that fans have been immersed in for the best part of a decade.