“Stranger Things” Season One Thoughts

As my friends on Facebook have no doubt reminded me, I am way late in watching this show.  I must say that I agree.

This hands down is one of the greatest shows that I have ever seen.  It it so fascinating these days that great shows can come from sources other than broadcast or cable television.

Let’s get into what’s great about Stranger Things:

The cast.  No matter what group of characters we are spending any given moment with, you can bet that I was constantly engaged and fascinated with every last point of plot development.  Most people have been drawn towards the kids on the show, Mike, Dustin, Lucas and El (short for Eleven.)  I can see why.  They are the focal point in the search for their lost friend Will Byers.

It’s great seeing Winona Ryder back in a great role, along with Matthew Modine (who I first saw in Vision Quest many years ago).

One of the greatest things I like about this show is that I feel like I am immersed in the creepy vibe that was very prevalent in early 1980s horror fare.  The one thing that really drives this home is the music score by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein.  I have always had a penchant for moody electronic-style synth music.  Creepier it is, the better it sounds to me.  If it can put me in a certain vibe, it’s effective and I appreciate it.  Most film and TV music does this rather well, and the music of this show does that to great effect.

If you want a sample, just listen to the main title theme:

That right there will just make your skin crawl listening to it.  Even if you haven’t seen the show, if you don’t understand the mood from just the music alone, then I can’t help you.

As of this writing, I still have two more episodes to watch.  I won’t give any spoilers on the plot here, but I already can’t wait for Season Two to come out!  In case you don’t know, it will be released October 31st, 2017.

Let’s go find the Upside Down.