Season 3 shows that several children—the eldest being the teenaged Heather and the youngest clearly preteens—are shown to be among the people the Mind Flayer liquefies to create its new body, with Heather's body dissolving on screen. Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. December 31, 2016. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017 . Retrieved April 9, 2017. Winners & Nominees". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015 . Retrieved February 16, 2017. The first season consisted of hour long episodes which were released worldwide on Netflix on July 15, 2016, [55] in Ultra HD 4K and HDR. [56] Home media [ edit ]

Stranger Things was created by Matt and Ross Duffer, known professionally as The Duffer Brothers. [13] The two had completed writing and producing their 2015 film Hidden, which they had tried to emulate the style of M. Night Shyamalan, however, due to changes at Warner Bros., its distributor, the film did not see a wide release and the Duffers were unsure of their future. [14] To their surprise, television producer Donald De Line approached them, impressed with Hidden 's script, and offered them the opportunity to work on episodes of Wayward Pines alongside Shyamalan. The brothers were mentored by Shyamalan during the episode's production so that when they finished, they felt they were ready to produce their own television series. [15] Winona Ryder (left) was nominated for a Golden Globe, Satellite and Screen Actors Guild Award. Millie Bobby Brown (right) was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Emmy Award. Audience viewership [ edit ] a b c Petski, Denise (October 14, 2016). " 'Stranger Things' Netflix Series Adds Two New Regulars, Promotes Two For Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016 . Retrieved October 14, 2016. Regarding writing for the children characters of the series, The Duffer Brothers considered themselves as outcasts from other students while in high school and thus found it easy to write for Mike and his friends, and particularly for Barb. [22] Joyce was fashioned after Richard Dreyfuss's character Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as she appears "absolutely bonkers" to everyone else as she tries to find Will. [34] Other characters, such as Billy in the second season, have more villainous attributes that are not necessarily obvious from the onset; Matt explained that they took further inspiration from Stephen King for these characters, as King "always has really great human villains" that may be more malicious than the supernatural evil. [35] Casting [ edit ] The Duffers cast David Harbour as Sheriff Hopper believing this was his opportunity to play a lead character in a work. Nancy and Jonathan buying gasoline, bear traps, nails, sledgehammers, and revolver ammunition doesn't get much more than a weird look from the hardware store clerk, and Nancy can even get away with snarking ( or not) about going "monster hunting" with it all. Post- Columbine, he'd most likely jump to the conclusion that they were planning to terrorize their school. Nancy's comment would make it a one-way trip to juvi hall!The finalists were flown to Los Angeles, where they read together to test their chemistry. The kids that were selected to be the main roles were the only ones the Duffers felt could hold up the show on their own: Noah Schnapp ( Will), Gaten Matarazzo ( Dustin), and Caleb McLaughlin ( Lucas) from New York, Finn Wolfhard ( Mike) from Canada, and Millie Bobby Brown ( Eleven) from the United Kingdom. Over the summer, the kids formed a group and began incessantly texting each other. They were a close-knit group by the time they arrived in Atlanta for filming. [4] Wilstein, Matt (August 9, 2016). " 'Stranger Things' Star David Harbour's Long, Dark Road to Leading Man". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017 . Retrieved February 10, 2017. Will's mother Joyce becomes transfixed by supernatural events affecting the house electricity - she's convinced Will is communicating with her. As these strange events continue, she witnesses the same monster that took Will, which threatens her on numerous occasions. Meanwhile, police chief Jim Hopper grows suspicious of the nearby national laboratory after he finds a torn piece of hospital gown outside the lab grounds. Mike's older sister Nancy attends a pool party hosted by her new boyfriend Steve, begrudgingly accompanied by her best friend Barb. Jonathan, Will's brother, witnesses the events of the party, taking photos. While alone, Barb is abducted by the Monster. Pedersen, Erik (December 8, 2016). "AFI Awards: TV Honorees Heavy On Freshmen; 'This Is Us' Lone Network Show". Archived from the original on October 4, 2017 . Retrieved April 17, 2020. Giardina, Carolyn (February 18, 2017). " 'La La Land' Wins Cinema Audio Society Award for Sound Mixing". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017 . Retrieved February 19, 2017.

Netflix was the first buyer they pitched to, because it fit the Duffers' vision of the show as an eight-hour movie and gave them creative freedom. The company bought the season the morning after the pitch. [3] Casting [ ] Subverted twice with preteen Will in Season 1. At the end of Episode 3, it appears that his body has been discovered and that he drowned after falling into the quarry, but the next episode reveals that the body was fake and Will is still alive. Then when Joyce and Hopper finally find him in the season finale, he isn't breathing and very likely was clinically dead, but Hopper is able to resuscitate him. On a more general level, The Power of Love, friendship, and family, along with growing-up and maturity. Hunt, Bill (November 18, 2017). "Stranger Things: Season 1 (4K UHD Review)". The Digital Bits. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023 . Retrieved January 19, 2023. La La Land' Camera Operator Tops SOC Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. February 11, 2017. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019 . Retrieved February 16, 2017.The Upside Down was created through a mix of practical and visual effects. Many of the vine props were actually moving and pulsating on-set. Visual effects were applied to enhance the look. [15] McNary, Dave (March 2, 2017). "Saturn Awards Nominations 2017: 'Rogue One,' 'Walking Dead' Lead". Variety. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017 . Retrieved March 2, 2017. Initially planning to direct all of the season’s episodes, the Duffer Brothers found themselves overwhelmed by the time production wrapped on the first two chapters; they were editing the first two episodes, prepping episodes five and six, while at the same time writing scripts for episodes seven and eight. That is when producer Shawn Levy was brought in to take the directing reins for episodes three and four. [11] Stamp, –Elizabeth (August 4, 2015). "Stranger Things's Filming Locations Are Just as Spooky in Real Life". ArchitecturalDigest. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016 . Retrieved September 15, 2016.

Eleven struggles to reach Will, while Lucas warns that "the bad men are coming." Nancy and Jonathan show the police what Jonathan caught on camera.The "Rule of Law" is very important to the Party, referenced frequently in Season 1. Its principles, especially "friends don't lie," are present in Season 2, and it's mentioned again in "The Spy". Butler, Bethoine (September 23, 2016). " 'Stranger Things' won over most viewers in just two episodes, according to Netflix". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017 . Retrieved February 6, 2017. Nassbaum, Emily (August 22, 2016). "On Television: "Stranger Things" and "The Get Down" ". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017 . Retrieved February 14, 2017. The rifle used in Season 2 is briefly seen in the pilot, while Will is looking for a place to hide in the shed.