There's been a lot of buzz about the Netflix summer thriller Stranger Things, and for good reason: nostalgia. From the score and the titles to the production design, the photography, and the direction, the series' unabashed homage to the 1980s and the era's great filmmakers is the perfect escape from an election season that's more terrifying than even John Carpenter could imagine.
The early 1980s was a curious and wonderful time to be alive. The middle class was robust, there was no 24-hour news, and nerds were still, well, nerds. Homes were messy, food wasn't “clean,” and, as we've all seen through relentless social media memes, kids ran loose all day with no adult supervision — and usually survived.
Setting their series in a middle-American suburb circa 1983, creators Ross and Matt Duffer (Wayward Pines) assemble a pastiche of the period's most iconic storytelling through their careful channeling of Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, and John Hughes. And with its near-perfect ratio of government conspiracy and scary monster to tract-home décor and awkward youth, Stranger Things has shown summer television who's boss.