Stranger Things—an eight-part Netflix series that debuts July 15—is set in the 1980s and is heavily influenced by Stephen King and Steven Spielberg works of the era, including E.T., Firestarter, It, Stand By Me, and Poltergeist. Heavily, heavily influenced. Is that a bad thing? Certainly not when it’s this much fun to watch.
This familiarity is a deliberate choice. The Duffer Brothers (whose previous credits include writing episodes of Wayward Pines) wrote and directed nearly every episode with the goal of crafting “a love letter to the cult classics of the ’80s,” according to Netflix’s official description. The nostalgia factor is huge: the retro theme music and soundtrack choices, carefully-chosen props and decor, nerdy pop-culture references—even the casting of 1980s and 1990s icon Winona Ryder as Will’s frantic mother has throwback appeal.
The biggest reason is that Stranger Things is so entertaining that it’s totally worth the time commitment, because believe me you will be mainlining the whole thing once it hooks you in. The characters are especially well-drawn, no small feat when most of them are around 12 years old. Will’s buddies, especially Finn Wolfhard (who’ll next be seen in the new It adaptation) as sensitive Mike, feel like real kids. They talk shit, they worry about when to go to the police or their parents, and they make plenty of stupid mistakes and naively dangerous decisions.
