Our full review can be read here, but if you want more of a teaser, here are five reasons why Stranger Things might just become your next Netflix obsession…
1. The Story Is Gripping From Beginning to End
Set in 1983 in a small Indiana town, Stranger Things criss-crosses genres to combine horror, science-fiction and coming-of-age drama, with a few laughs thrown in for good measure. Following an intense game of Dungeons & Dragons with friends, a young boy disappears on his way home. At much the same time, a mysterious girl with a shaved head arrives in town. The two incidents appear to be linked, but the adults don’t have much success solving the mystery at the heart of the show, so it’s left to the kids to figure out what’s going on. To say more would be to spoil the show’s many surprises, but there are conspiracies, supernatural horrors, and twists and turns that pack a genuine emotional punch. Seriously – if you don’t cry when Peter Gabriel’s cover of Heroes plays mid-way through proceedings, there’s something wrong with you.2. It Pays Homage to the Best
You know those Amblin films that captivated audiences in the 1980s, and more recently inspired a generation of filmmakers to ape them, with varying degrees of success? Well this show has NAILED it. There was something magical about movies like ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future and The Goonies, and Stranger Things has tapped into that magic, the kids going on the kind of adventure that all children long for – one that’s filled with danger, suspense and excitement. It’s not just Amblin either. I made a list of films and TV shows that came to mind while watching, and it included Stand By Me, Species, The Twilight Zone, Day of the Triffids, The Monster Squad, Flight of the Navigator, Amazing Stories, Starman, Escape to Witch Mountain, Scanners, Twin Peaks, Explorers, The Terminator, The X-Files, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Pan's Labyrinth, D.A.R.Y.L., Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Carrie, Eerie Indiana, Under the Skin, Firestarter, Super 8, The Last Starfighter, and did I say ET? Because there’s a lot of ET here. The work of Stephen King – most notably It – is clearly an inspiration, as are the horrors of H.P. Lovecraft and the pluck and ingenuity of The Famous Five. If you like John Carpenter’s scores you’re going to LOVE the music. Yet while Stranger Things proudly wears its influences on its sleeve, the show never feels trite or derivative, carving out its own intriguing mythology in gripping fashion.3. The Characters Are Wonderful
It’s very easy to get kids in shows or films like this wrong – cute and funny can quickly morph into obnoxious. But the young characters in Stranger Things are spot on – real, honest, genuine children saying things that you can imagine kids from 1983 actually uttering. Masterfully fleshed out within the show’s first few minutes, you believe in them, fear for them, laugh with them, and root for them throughout. As for the adults, there’s a villain who is pretty terrifying, but you’re better off finding out about him in the show. And in Chief Hopper, the show has a complicated hero who becomes more interesting at the series progresses, his back story as powerful as what’s happening in the present. Ultimately however, Stranger Things’ secret weapon – both literally and metaphorically – is Eleven, the girl who shows up in episode one. With that shaved head, little in the way of dialogue, and powers both mysterious and terrifying, Eleven is captivating from the moment she walks onscreen, and the main reason I found myself powering through all eight episodes as fast as I could.4. References Aplenty for Nostalgia Junkies
If you grew up in the 1980s, or are simply a fan of the fashion, music and trends of the decade, Stranger Things is chock-full of details and references that will make you smile. The heroic geeks at the centre of the story love Dungeons and Dragons, and the game plays a big part in proceedings. But they’re also into comics, a love of X-Men informing their appreciation of Eleven. Star Wars also rears its head, the figures and toys being put to good use as the kids come to terms with their own version of The Force. Fans of He-Man will get a kick out of a certain scene. And check out the posters plastered on bedroom walls, with the likes of The Thing and The Evil Dead making an appearance, and maybe hinting at the horrors to come…5. The Cast Is Perfect
The biggest name in Stranger Things is Winona Ryder, which is cool because she’s a 1980s star appearing in a throwback to that decade. But the show also features some of Ryder’s finest work, her performance as the missing boy’s mother at times painful to watch as she experiences the many stages of grief. The character is on edge for pretty much the duration of the series, and Ryder captures both her fragility and humanity. David Harbour, meanwhile, is something of a revelation as Chief Hopper. A character actor that you’ll recognise from the likes of Black Mass, The Equalizer and End of Watch, he delivers a complex, multi-layered performance that has you changing your mind about Hopper throughout the series, making him one of the most interesting heroes to hit TV in a long time. Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp are all terrific as the central kids, so-much-so that they seem less like children acting and more like friends hanging out. Millie Bobby Brown meanwhile, delivers a phenomenal turn as Eleven, a character of few words, but one that you can't take your eyes off. It’s a magnetic performance that truly brings the show to life, she steals every scene in which she appears, and it’s quite something watching a star being born before your eyes.All eight episodes of Stranger Things debut on Netflix July 15, so once you’ve had a chance to check them out, watch our review below and let us know what you think in the comments. Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN in the UK and will be watching this whole series again very soon. He can be found talking nonsense on The Superhero Show and Twitter.