Stranger Things is an American science fiction horror drama
television series. Set in the 1980s primarily in the fictional town of
Hawkins, Indiana, the series centers around numerous supernatural events
occurring around the town, specifically around their connection to a
hostile alternate reality called the Upside Down after a link between it
and Earth is made by a government child experimentation facility.
The Duffer Brothers developed Stranger Things as a mix of
investigative drama and supernatural elements portrayed with horror,
science fiction and childlike sensibilities. Setting the series in the
1980s, the Duffer Brothers infused references to the pop culture of that
decade while themes and directorial aspects were inspired by the works of
Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, David Lynch, Stephen King, Wes Craven
and H. P. Lovecraft. They also took inspiration from experiments conducted
during the Cold War and real-world conspiracy theories involving secret
government experiments.
Stranger Things has attracted record viewership on Netflix, and
has received critical acclaim for its characterization, atmosphere,
acting, soundtrack, directing, writing, and homages to 1980s films.