Are you as obsessed with Stranger Things as we are? Netflix’s latest original series has been taking the world by storm as fans binge-watch the entire 8-episode nostalgia-driven hit.
Haven’t watched? You really should… It’s one of the best Netflix originals so far. Here’s the deal. The series is set in the 1980s, following the supernatural happenings in the small of Hawkins, Indiana. When 12-year-old Will Byers vanishes mysteriously, the entire town gets caught up in the mystery involving a telekinetic girl, otherworldly dimensions and a terrifying monster.
Although the series has yet to be officially renewed by Netflix, the overwhelmingly positive reception means we more than likely we haven’t seen the last of Stranger Things.
While you wait patiently for season 2 (and re-watch season 1) here are 20 fun facts about the series you probably didn’t know.
*Spoiler warning if you haven’t finished watching the series yet*
1. Stranger Things was created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer who have previously written some episodes of the sci-fi series Wayward Pines.
2. The Duffer brothers created a ‘look book’ in the style of vintage Stephen King novels to help sell the show.
3. The brother’s also edited a mock ‘trailer’ combining clips from over 25 feature films, including E.T., Nightmare on Elm Street, Super 8 and Halloween to help sell the show.
4. The main titles were inspired by the work of Richard Greenberg, the designer behind classic 80s title sequences like: Alien, Altered States, Superman, The Goonies, and The Dead Zone.
5. Before starting the show, the writers all watched (or re-watched) a large list of films, including E.T., Stand By Me, The Goonies, The Thing and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
6. 906 boys and 307 girls auditioned to play the young leads.
7. The Duffers had all the boys audition with classic scenes from the 1986 classic film, Stand By Me.
8. Gaten Matarazoo, who plays Dustin Henderson, went through such dramatic changes during filming that by the time production ended the sound team was unable to use him for additional dialogue recordings.
9. Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, was (understandably) anxious about shaving her head for the role. The Duffers showed her how cool Charlize Theron looked in Mad Max: Fury Road and Millie agreed to the buzz.
10. Millie Brown and Charlie Heaton, who plays Will’s older brother Jonathan Byers, are both from the UK.
11. Caleb McClaughlin, who plays Lucas Sinclair, requested to wear a camouflage bandana during the show. He’s seen wearing the bandana in the final three episodes.
12. Winona Ryder, who plays frazzled single mother Joyce Byers, wanted her hairstyle to be modelled after Meryl Streep’s character Karen in Silkwood.
13. This wasn’t the first time Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine, who plays Dr. Martin Brenner, have appeared onscreen together. Both actors appeared in Roy Orbison’s music video for “A Love So Beautiful”.
14. Stranger Things was the first acting role for Shannon Purser, who plays fan-favourite Barb Holland. (insert tears here)
15. There were no original plans for Steve Harrington, played by Joe Keery, and Nancy Wheeler, played by Natalia Dyer, to reconcile at the end of the series, but Keery was so likeable and charming in reality, the showrunners decided to change the direction of the character.
16. The Duffer brothers have a 30-page document that maps out exactly what the Upside Down is, and the nature of the monster.
17. The monster was created through a combination of prosthetics, animatronics, performance and CG.
18. To get Millie (Eleven) to float in a kiddie pool in episode 7, they dissolved twelve hundred pounds of Epsom salt into the water.
19. David Harbour, who plays Chief Jim Hopper, memorably lives in a pretty tragic trailer. The trailer reportedly only cost the art department $1 to buy.
20. The entire series was shot on a digital cinema camera, but to achieve that 80s vintage look, the production team added a layer of scanned film grain to the colouring process.
