Uncovering Stranger Things


Book Description

The Duffer Brothers' award-winning Stranger Things exploded onto the pop culture scene in 2016. The Netflix original series revels in a nostalgic view of 1980s America while darkly portraying the cynical aspects of the period. This collection of 23 new essays explores how the show reduces, reuses and recycles '80s pop culture--from the films of Spielberg, Carpenter and Hughes to punk and synthwave music to Dungeons & Dragons--and how it shapes our understanding of the decade through distorted memory. Contributors discuss gender and sexual orientation; the politics, psychology and educational policies of the day; and how the ultimate upper-class teen idol of the Reagan era became Stranger Things' middle-aged blue-collar heroine.




1000 Stranger Things Quiz Questions - The Ultimate Stranger Things Trivia Challenge


Book Description

The book that follows contains one thousand questions all about the amazing Netflix show Stranger Things. Your knowledge on all aspects of the show will put to a severe test in the many questions which follow. The questions cover a range of subjects - from the cast, to plotlines, to characters, to pop culture references, and so on. So, put down that waffle and walkie-talkie, dim the lights, and prepare to take on the ultimate Stranger Things trivia challenge!




Investigating Stranger Things


Book Description

This edited collection explores the narrative, genre, nostalgia and fandoms of the phenomenally successful Netflix original series, Stranger Things. The book brings together scholars in the fields of media, humanities, communications and cultural studies to consider the various ways in which the Duffer Brothers’ show both challenges and confirms pre-conceived notions of cult media. Through its three sections on texts, contexts and receptions, the collection examines all aspects of the series’ presence in popular culture, engaging in debates surrounding cult horror, teen drama, fan practices, and contemporary anxieties in the era of Trump. Its chapters seek to address relatively neglected areas of scholarship in the realm of cult media, such as set design, fashion, and the immersive Secret Cinema Experience. These discussions also serve to demonstrate how cult texts are facilitated by the new age of television, where notions of medium specificity are fundamentally transformed and streaming platforms open up shows to extensive analysis in the now mainstream world of cult entertainment.




Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The official behind-the-scenes companion guide to the first two seasons and beyond, featuring exclusive photos and stunning concept art. Stranger things have happened. . . . When the first season of Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in the summer of 2016, the show struck a nerve with millions of viewers worldwide and received broad critical acclaim. The series has gone on to win six Emmy Awards, but the its success was driven more than anything by word of mouth, resonating across generations. Viewers feel personal connections to the characters. Now fans can immerse themselves in the world—or worlds—of Hawkins, Indiana, like never before. Inside you’ll find • original commentary and a foreword from creators Matt and Ross Duffer • exclusive interviews with the stars of the show, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and David Harbour • the show’s earliest drafts, pitches to Netflix, and casting calls • insights into the Duffers’ creative process from the entire crew—from costume and set designers to composers and visual-effects specialists • deep dives into the cultural artifacts and references that inspired the look and feel of the show • a map of everyday Hawkins—with clues charting the network of the Upside Down • a digital copy of the Morse code disk Eleven uses, so you can decipher secret messages embedded throughout the text • a look into the future of the series—including a sneak preview of season three! Adding whole new layers to enrich the viewing experience, this keepsake is essential reading for anyone and everyone who loves Stranger Things. Note: This ebook is best viewed on a color device with a larger screen.




The Unofficial Stranger Things Encyclopedia


Book Description

The unofficial encyclopedia to the amazingly popular Netflix show. Can't remember who is who? Don't know what a mouthbreather is? Need a guide to all the episodes? Want to know more about the comics, games, music, auditions, food, cast and crew, and much more? Confused by the more obscure pop culture easter eggs? The Unofficial Stranger Things Encyclopedia contains all you could ever wish to know about Stranger Things. Get ready for the ultimate Stranger Things crash course.




500 Things You Didn't Know About Stranger Things


Book Description

Do you want more arcane Stranger Things trivia than you can shake at a Demogorgon at? Well, you've come to the right place. 500 Things You Didn't Know About Stranger Things contains all manner of trivia relating to the blockbuster Netflix show. There are facts, among many other topics way too numerous to mention, about the origins of the show, the cast, special effects, monsters, Dungeons & Dragons, guns & weapons, Vecna, the Mind Flayer, episodes, easter eggs, and pop culture influences in both film and literature.




The Unofficial Stranger Things A-Z


Book Description

Were you among the estimated 15 million worldwide viewers that immersed themselves in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana during the first month of Stranger Things being released on Netflix? Or even a subsequent, self-confessed, super-fan? Yes? Well, good news! In anticipation of the second season of Stranger Things, premiering on Halloween 2017, Daniel Bettridge provides us with an ultimate fan guide on an A to Z journey from Atari to the Upside Down. So you can brush up on your knowledge and get ready for what's yet to come! Providing an all new insight into one of the world's most popular television programmes, Bettridge explores the show, its many themes and influences and so much more; giving you the inside information from an outsider's perspective. Pop-culture writer, (and Stranger Things super-fan) Daniel Bettridge, is the author of Travel Guide to Westeros and has written for publications including The Times, the Guardian, the Independent and Vulture.




Stranger Things and Philosophy


Book Description

Stranger Things and Philosophy is an important book, the first of its kind to examine the fantastical world of this award-winning, widely beloved, phenomenal show with a philosophical lens. This is important precisely because the show rests so heavily on a complex and thought-provoking mythos based around secretive government experiments and a parallel dimension that darkly reflects readers' own. The series as a whole has asked more questions than it has delivered answers, and the chapters in this volume will explore these topics. From the deepest recesses of the Upside Down, its tunnels snaking beneath the local bookstores of Hawkins, Indiana and who knows where else, this collection of philosophical musings on the world of Stranger Things promises to enlighten readers. This volume considers many of the philosophically related ideas that that come up in the show such as: What are the moral implications of secret government projects? What is the nature of friendship? Does scientific research need to be concerned with ethics? What might it be like to experience the world from the perspective of the Mind Flayer? Is it possible to understand the metaphysics of the Upside Down?




Ode to Gen X


Book Description

Even for the casual viewer, the Netflix series Stranger Things will likely feel familiar, reminiscent of popular 1980s coming-of-age movies such as The Goonies, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Stand by Me. Throughout the series, nods to each movie are abundant. While Stranger Things and these classic 1980s films are all tales of childhood friendship and shared adventures, they are also narratives that reflect and shape the burgeoning cynicism of the 1980s. In Ode to Gen X: Institutional Cynicism in "Stranger Things" and 1980s Film, author Melissa Vosen Callens explores the parallels between iconic films featuring children and teenagers and the first three seasons of Stranger Things, a series about a group of young friends set in 1980s Indiana. The text moves beyond the (at times) non-sequitur 1980s Easter eggs to a common underlying narrative: Generation X’s growing distrust in American institutions. Despite Gen X’s cynicism toward both informal and formal institutions, viewers also see a more positive characteristic of Gen X in these films and series: Gen X’s fierce independence and ability to rebuild and redefine the family unit despite continued economic hardships. Vosen Callens demonstrates how Stranger Things draws on popular 1980s popular culture to pay tribute to Gen X’s evolving outlook on three key and interwoven American institutions: family, economy, and government.




Stranger Things - The Unofficial Upside Down Companion - Updated Edition


Book Description

New revised and updated edition! The amazing story of the Netflix sci-fi horror phenomenon, season by season, from conception to the screen! Packed with fascinating trivia and incredible facts about all aspects of Stranger Things.