This may sound strange, but although I consider myself a horror fan, I do not like most modern horror movies. In fact, I refuse to even watch them. There is something about the massive amount of gore and lack of plot of modern “butcher” horror films and “my house is possessed by a demon” ghost movies that just bores me. I have never watched a “horror TV show” before, but after watching the eight-episode series “Stranger Things” on Netflix, my opinion has changed. To be honest, this show redeemed my faith in modern “horror” productions, and I believe it may for a lot of other disillusioned enthusiasts.
These are the top reasons why I loved “Stranger Things,” and you should too:
[Note: Contains some character development spoilers, very mild plot spoilers]
1. The mini-sized Heroes (and Heroine) are very realistic.
Although this show has a lot of main characters, five of the most important ones are only 12 years old. The plot would not have been able to exist without very real childlike qualities that the four friends — Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin — share. They are open-minded, creative, are willing to believe things adults would consider crazy, do not have a reasonable concept of danger (a.k.a. brave and stupid), lose their temper easily, do not know how to properly talk to someone that has been traumatized and they do things typical 80’s kids would do — like play with walkie-talkies and ride their bikes everywhere.
Usually shows with child protagonists are meant for children or are “family” shows, so I really like how “Stranger Things” rejects the idea that adults cannot relate to children and are better mystery solvers. The show recognizes that the bravery, loyalty and creativity that children possess are extremely valuable during crises and sometimes lost during the transition to adulthood.
2. It does not shame or “dumb down” its female characters.
Let’s be honest, most classical horror movies were pretty sexist, and the modern ones have not come as far as they should. We have all seen the cliches where the “dumb blonde” or the couple that makes out in the woods die gruesome deaths, yet the modest girl in the turtleneck lives to the end. For example, in one of the first famous horror movies, Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” the beautiful female lead is murdered because the man who killed her could not handle the fact that she was physically alluring. Her death also symbolizes a punishment for having premarital affair, yet her equally “promiscuous” boyfriend lives to the end and and is even seen as the hero figure by the audience. In “Night of the Living Dead,” the sister does not do anything “wrong” to warrant her death, but she is just so useless and that you almost hope she is the next one to die because she is just dead weight to the competent, male protagonist who keeps saving her life. Classic, right?
“Stranger Things” breaks the “lame woman” horror stereotype through its naturally strong and relatable female characters (something most horror movies do not have), specifically Nancy. She fits into the “good girl” trope in the beginning, but we observe how she is testing her freedom as a young adult by disobeying her parents and dating a “bad boy.” Instead of punishing her for these acts of rebellion, the show covers her relationship with “boyfriend” Steve quite extensively, and without the cliche judgement. The show treats Nancy’s experimentation with relationships and her future as an important part of the plot and her character development instead of brushing feelings off as “typical teen drama” — and for that, “Stranger Things” earns some applause.
3. It breaks stereotypical character death patterns.
Besides not killing it’s “promiscuous” characters, “Stranger Things” also uses our expectations about who is going to die against us. I do not want spoil too much, but after a certain representative kills a character, we are almost sure that she is going to get the next person whose door she knocks on. But she does not. We think Lucas might die when he is separated from the main squad considering horror films love to kill our only minority characters, but he does not. And lastly, in many horror or suspense shows, one character figures out everything early on, but is tragically killed before he or she has the chance to tell anyone. The rest of the show follows the hero trying to pick up the pieces left behind and will slowly come to the same conclusion while the audience watches in suspense. The way the mystery is solved in this show is unconventional, and I like it.
4. Nerds run the show.
When the second scene brought us to a bunch of kids playing "Dungeons & Dragons" on a school night, I was both excited and wary. In general, “nerdy” or “genius” characters are given the short end of the stick in popular media. They are minor characters that usually do all of the hard work but are made fun of or receive little credit. I was pleasantly surprised to see that their “geeky stuff” was not used as comic relief and was actually incorporated smoothly into the group’s character development. This theme of respect for all that is dorky continues when the other characters were introduced. Nancy prioritized school over all else and did not back down when Steve suggested they skip studying and hang out. Will’s brother Jonathan is an aspiring photographer with an interest in psychology. Chief Hopper says how proud he is of his daughter’s intellect and curiosity. And finally, the nerdy middle school science teacher is a really cool and likable guy, and he is even shown going on a date.
It is not all fun and games though — as you will see, there are characters that try to bully our heroes into thinking they are “weirdos,” just like in real life. But as someone who has watched the smart, capable character get turned down for protagonist in favor of the brave, reckless hero-type in almost every action show, it feels really good to see this positive representation of “nerds.”
5. It is absolutely terrifying.
Little gore, no psychopaths with chainsaws or body pile-ups, and no post-apocalyptic dystopia. Yet I could not sleep after watching the first two episodes of “Stranger Things” at night. Overall, I think that the choice to create the show as an eight episode series allowed the creators to add a lot of details that would have been cut out in your typical two hour, CGI-heavy horror movie.
These details are what make the show super creepy and very realistic, which allowed us to get attached to the characters and made us keep guessing after every episode (and season 2 is confirmed!).
