This new Netflix mini-series by the Duffer Brothers has captured the hearts of many classic horror movie and 80’s memorabilia fans with its stylistically antiquated setting and affably faulted characters. From the music to the plot, everything about Stranger Things harkens back to the days when science fiction was still new and the world was full of infinite possibilities. Here are some great things we love about  Netflix’s new scifi series.

The Setting

1984 Midwestern suburbia makes the perfect retro backdrop for this fresh new creature feature. All the small town characteristics are present from the local high school to the tiny police station and the setting is both kitschy and creepy. 

Wynona Ryder

Wynona creates a heroine that is all at once tragic, relatable and admirable. Pathologically devoted and blindly hopeful, this Mother will do anything to find her lost son, even if she has to do it alone. Reminiscent of a the classic Poltergeist heroine, Wynona is consumed by her maternal hysteria and frantic desperation to find the truth.

Eleven

A mystery wrapped in a riddle, this little girl dominates any scene she’s in with her enigmatic intensity and quiet power that brews beneath round, seeking eyes. As a  nameless telepathic child raised as a weapon in a government lab we both fear and pity her. And we love the strengthening bond between Eleven and her young motley companions.

The Heroes

This young ragtag group a la the Goonies gang will stop at nothing to find their friend, embodying the ultimate good guy archetype. Brave, goofy and wise beyond their years, these three characters, along with their new friend Eleven, make the perfect team and provide us with plenty of adventure and heart.

The Music

This originally scored soundtrack, both perfectly simple and beautifully nostalgic, makes the ideal accompaniment to an 80’s-inspired scifi feature.  Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of Austin band S U R V I V E use keyboards and synthesizers to create a stylized retro mystery mood that is haunting and catchy.

The plot

Much like the late great Lost series, Stranger Things masters the art of developing a plot in which the more you know, the less you know. But this time we get a decent conclusion and even better, a setup for a possible sequel. This plot contains everything from top secret government experiments to alien creatures who prey on unsuspecting teens.

The Sheriff

Magnificently complex and flawed, we’re rooting for this character from beginning to end. Haunted by his past, the sheriff seeks redemption in this new multi- layered mystery that has him chasing his own tail. We celebrate his epiphanies because we want to see him to succeed and we admire his humanity and self effacing courage.

Overall, Stranger Things satisfies our taste for blood, nostalgia and good old fashioned science fiction weirdness.