Where did this come from?

Several days ago I logged onto Netflix, not sure what to watch. As I scrolled through the seemingly endless menus, the image for Stranger Things caught my eye. The gorgeous image(above), designed like a movie poster, is a hand painted collage of the main cast. It provides a glimpse of the mysterious tone, the character's relationships, and their emotional states. It is purposely very reminiscent of the works of art from the brilliantly talented Drew Struzman, in order to evoke a sense of nostalgia. If you don't know the name you should still know Drew Struzman's work. He has hand drawn and airbrushed movie poster masterpieces just as classic and memorable as the films themselves. A favorite of Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas, and others, Struzman is often called upon to produce posters for an entire franchise of films. He has worked on the Star Wars saga (including the prequels), Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Back to the Future, Harry Potter, Big Trouble in Little China, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, The Thing and many others.

Other than the artwork, the font used for the title of Stranger Things reminded me the dust jackets of Stephen King novels, particularly the author's name. King was another source of inspiration for the spooky series. In fact, a synopsis of the Netflix series reads like a review of a King novel or a Spielberg movie.

On November 6, 1983, in the city of Hawkins, Indiana, 12-year-old Will Byers vanishes mysteriously. Will's mother, Joyce, becomes frantic and tries to find Will, while Police Chief Hopper begins his own investigation. The very next day a mysterious girl with strange abilities appears who knows the whereabouts of Will. But as they get closer to the truth, they will have to face not only a sinister government agency but a more insidious force who plans on devouring them all. - Wikipedia

Cujo even made an appearance in the series. The novel did that is.

It is clear, Stranger Things pays homage to coming-of-age classics from the 80's like; E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, Stand by Me as well as sci-fi and horror classics like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and John Carpenter's The Thing, but where did it come from. I read several nerd websites every day and never saw a single article. I never watched a sneak peek or trailer on YouTube. Nor did I see any advertisements on Netflix. Doing a search on the nerd websites I frequent I did find several articles. However, the articles I must have overlooked only go back to early June. A trailer had been uploaded to the official Netflix YouTube page, but only one month ago. There was almost no promotion for the series. Stranger Things appeared as mysteriously as the telekinetic young girl, Eleven appeared.

Stranger Things is not an adaptation of a novel or comic book, it is not a reboot of an old television show or movie. Stranger Things is an original concept created by the relatively untested newcomers, Matt and Ross Duffer. Even though interviews indicate that the series producers, as well as Netflix executives, were impressed, they were apparently doubtful. This is my theory of why there was no costly advertising campaign. Regardless of the lack of fanfare, Netflix subscribers found the series. Stranger Things was well reviewed and a bonafide success for the Duffer Brothers, Netflix, and all those involved. The series has been renewed for a second season and the Duffers have plans beyond that. I anticipate more promotion for the second season. 

I would say Stranger Things has its flaws. Some of the adults are unessential and cliched, but the series is about the kids, not their parents. Except in the case of Joyce Byers the distressed mother of missing twelve-year-old son, Will. Winona Ryder convincingly spirals into madness as Joyce, desperate for answers as the search continues. Other well written and developed adult characters include the antagonistic, heartless Dr. Brenner played by Matthew Modine and virtuous Sheriff Hopper(David Harbour) who is haunted by a tragic past. The young cast is great and full of up-and-comers. Particularly Mike(Finn Wolfhard) the loyal best friend determined to find Will and Milly Bobby Brown, who is exceptional as the enigmatic Eleven.

If you haven't watched Stranger Things I highly recommend it. The acting can be superb and the writing terrorizing and suspenseful. The short eight-episode series gets to the point of the story without being burdened with meaningless drivel. Visual effects for the frightening alternative dimension and its demonic inhabitant are well done. Contributing to the ever-present, creepy atmosphere is the soundtrack. From its opening title sequence and eerie techno score, that strangely fits in with the 1980's setting, to the haunting renditions of classic hits. Stranger Things is a ghastly love letter to the childhood favorites mentioned above.

While surfing YouTube for music from the series I was Introduced to a new, fascinating genre of music that sounds like H.P Lovecraft and Daft Punk mated while watching a documentary about spiders.