From the first season, Stranger Things has reminded viewers of all the things they loved about the 80s, bringing many of the trends of the time back. Now, as the series is coming to a close, the 80s nostalgia is stronger than ever.
From going shopping and running into 80s fashion inspired clothing at the store, to hearing teenagers blare hits from the decade, Stranger Things has had a huge impact on society’s taste. Season four, Volume one’s biggest example is easily the recent rise in popularity of Kate Bush’s “Running Up that Hill”, but that’s just beginning to scrape the surface of what the show has brought to the spotlight.
The show hasn’t just influenced much of society’s current taste in music and fashion though. It has also influenced a lot of stylistic and story concepts in other stories from the same genres, horror and sci-fi . While the show itself was inspired by countless 80s sci-fi and horror films, it also did its share of inspiring.
The trend that Stranger Things has most encouraged in similar stories is the reflection on classic tropes of different time periods. In other words, Stranger Things has sort of brought the love of vintage film back to Hollywood, especially in terms of horror and sci-fi. The series has already been credited with being what has pulled Netflix to the top of the list among streaming companies, but it also inspired several unrelated storylines that followed it. For instance, many sci-fi/horror films that have come out since Stranger Things that feature alien creatures seem to have faces that resemble the demogorgons. It has also proven that longer episodes can work in certain series structures, especially catering to more serious genres like sci-fi and horror.
What has made the series, so historically notable is not the influence it has had on pop culture, but the genre-blending structure it followed. Not only did Stranger Things contribute to the current trends in horror and sci-fi films, but it also successfully incorporated elements of other genres, as well. The show involved comedy, romance, and mystery story components, on top of following primarily horror and sci-fi story structures. It proved that both genres, which traditionally don’t blend with other genres, could, in fact, successfully do so.
So much of what makes genre blending an art form of its own, is the difficulty of finding the balance between genres– knowing when it’s appropriate to use elements of certain genres. For example, it wouldn’t be appropriate to have a big, dramatic character death and then have someone make a joke. When crossing over genres, timing is everything.
However, it does seem that Stranger Things makers had a trick up their sleeves in terms of this, because they chose to follow a cast with such diversity in age. By having characters that were kids, as well as characters that are adults, the story was more easily able to jump between different tones. The greatest perk to this method is the depth and complexity that it offers the story. Rather than just following the mood set up by one genre, the story can adjust the tone and structural tropes to meet the needs of a scene, instead of the scene meeting the needs of a genre.
Another way that the balance between child and adult actors have impacted other genres, especially with sci-fi, is through broadening the accessibility of the story to a younger audience. Featuring young characters gives kids something to connect to in the story. Stranger Things proved through doing this that even darker, more complex genres like sci-fi can handle having kid characters take the lead. This has encouraged several other sci-fi shows in the past year to pursue more kid-friendly storylines.
No matter how influential Stranger Things’ story and series structure has been on pop culture and Hollywood both, viewers wonder if it will be enough to spare Netflix. Given the year that the streaming giant has experienced, in terms of losing subscribers and struggling with budgets, many are convinced that the success of Stranger Things will not leave enough of an impact to carry the company to its next hit. As more companies are joining the streaming game, the competition– both in terms of content and deals– becomes tougher and tougher.
Looking back on how far Stranger Things has come, and how far it’s carried Netflix, it’s safe to say that it’s been the star of the streaming network’s selections, but it’s definitely too soon to say if it will be the last or not. Regardless of what the far future looks like for the streaming network, the company seems confident their upcoming release of Stranger Things’ season 4 volume 2 will impress subscribers and display their capability for creating enthralling storylines. Although fans won’t know if the second chapter was worth the hype or not until they watch it, based on what we’ve seen so far, we can count on this next chapter at least being big, bold, and unforgettable. However, the future of Netflix’s legacy looks, the impact of Stranger Things’ storyline and structure is sure to continue inspiring other horror and sci-fi works for years to come.
Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2 will hit Netflix July 1st.