The first season of Stranger Things is an ominous and endearing homage to the 1980s pop culture, fusing supernatural horror, the most touching friendship, and a small-town drama. The book starts by providing a mysterious disappearance of Will Byers in Hawkins, Indiana, which has triggered a sequence of strange events. People of the town such as his mother Joyce, his brother Jonathan, and his friends Mike, Dustin and Lucas are drawn into an undercover government experiment at Hawkins Laboratory which releases a horrifying creature of a parallel universe known as the Upside Down. The series is a masterful mixture of suspense and poignancy that is slowly revealing the evil roots of the enigma of Will disappearance without losing the feeling of wonder and curiosity.
The vulnerability and strength of the story are given an interesting twist by the introduction of Eleven, a young girl with psychokinetic powers who runs off the lab. Her friendship with the children, in particular, Mike, creates warmth and innocence in the chaos that is occurring. The acting is real and captivating as well, as the role of Winona Ryder as Joyce is filled with pure emotion and Eleven played by Millie Bobby Brown is filled with an intriguing combination of innocence and strength. The series is aesthetically outstanding with its retro-futurist production design, an olden-day electronics, and the creepy, worn-out nature of the Upside Down, accompanied by a gothicizing synth soundtrack that adds to the tension and the feeling of marvel.
The theme of friendship, fear, and strength against supernatural wickedness stood out the most in the series. It is nostalgic and at the same time brings a sense of universality to childhood innocence in the midst of disorder. Direction, pacing, and special effects make a spellbinding atmosphere and kept me engaged all the way through. On the whole, “Stranger Things” Season 1 is a fascinating blend of horror, emotion, and nostalgia that is unforgettable and highlights the strength of bonding when faced with the unfamiliar.
