Netflix's 'Stranger Things' Isn't '80s Nostalgia Paint-By-Numbers

"Watching 'Stranger Things' is [like] watching Steve King's Greatest Hits. I mean that in a good way," author Stephen King wrote on Twitter in mid July.

By now, you've probably heard of "Stranger Things," the unexpected breakout sci-fi/horror Netflix series that appeared on the streaming service earlier this month. By word-of-month, the eight-part first season captured the zeitgeist in the few weeks since its debut.

"Stranger Things" is set in any town U.S.A. (Hawkins, Indiana). The year is 1983. Its main cast consists mostly of pre-teens many would describe as nerds. They love "Dungeons & Dragons," trade "X-Men" comics, love horror films, ride bikes late at night and sleep over each other's houses. They're members of their school's A.V. Club and enjoy their simple life until a member of their clique, Will Byers, vanishes under otherworldly circumstances.

The rest of the crew is hell-bent on finding him, including Will's frantic chain-smoking mother (a la Laura Palmer's mother in "Twin Peaks") Joyce, played by the marvelous Winona Ryder, and hard-edged police chief Jim Hopper (the excellent David Harbour). Later on, a strange girl named Eleven appears and shakes things up. Throw in a government conspiracy theory and you have the basic premise of "Stranger Things."

What separates "Stranger Things," created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, from similar shows - "Broadchurch" or "Wayward Pines" (the latter of which the Duffers worked) for example - is its DNA is infused with '80s nostalgia. Its core is a mystery we've seen on TV time and time again, but the show dressed up in the most thrilling and fun '80s-inspired cosplay.

That King recognizes his own work in "Stranger Things" is no coincidence - the show not only takes the best of King's bone-chilling stories but melds it together with the highlights from the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, and other iconic touchstones from the '80s. "Stranger Things" is not ashamed of wearing its biggest influences on its sleeve but it also peppers winks and nods to the decade throughout the series, allowing '80s buffs to spot their favorite childhood films.

"Stranger Things" is an utter joyride but the series' creators show their skill with their restraint and editing. It's easy to go overboard with the hyper-real retro Reagan administration-era references, but the Duffer Bros. do an impeccable job at incorporating just the right amount of '80s odes without becoming a televised clich�. "Stranger Things" isn't the Girl Talk of TV.

Just before "Stranger Things" debuted on Netflix, the A.V. Club interviewed the Duffers:

To sell their new Netflix series "Stranger Things," Matt and Ross Duffer cut together a fake trailer using images from approximately 26 different movies. The likes of "Poltergeist," "Halloween," "A Nightmare On Elm Street," "Super 8," "Altered States" "The Mothman Prophecies" and "Looper "were all included. Even some, in the words of Matt, "not-so-great movies that had great images." But what the brothers really wanted to do was pair the optimistic wonder of Steven Spielberg with a John Carpenter-esque sense of dread. "When you put John Carpenter over E.T. it was really fucking cool," Matt told The A.V. Club. "It was scary."

For all its homages to "E.T.," "It," "Stand By Me," "The Goonies," "Akira," and John Carpenter's iconic film scores, "Stranger Things" is a very modern show. The '80s are a vibe here; an exercise in showcasing nostalgia. The show's technique is completely of today, however. "Stranger Things" has a slick sense of direction and a streamlined aesthetic; its special effects aren't borrowed from cheesy '80s B-horror flicks but rather high-definition computer creations (a PG13's "Pan's Labyrinth"). At times, its references go far beyond the '80s - like the wink to Guillermo del Toro, there's a clear nod to the Scarlett Johansson alien movie "Under the Skin," which came out in 2013, for example. "Stranger Things" also happens to exist on one of the most innovative services of the last decade: Netflix.

Being on Netflix is a double-edged sword for "Stranger Things." Like "Making A Murderer" (albeit to a lesser extent), "Stranger Things" came out of the gate like a bolt of lightening, dominating social media and press since its July 15 debut. That "Stranger Things" is on Netflix and is centers on missing person mystery presents the only major problem for the series. Unlike "The Night Of" - a very different show but one that is also a mystery - "Stranger Things" does not have the advantage of unfolding week-to-week. "The Night Of" can capture the same attention in its eight week run by requesting viewers to make an appointment with their living room sofas every Sunday night so they can be part of the national conversation, which starts as soon as the show ends. In the time between episodes, fans can clamor with their online theories, dissecting episodes and figuring out if Naz is a killer. When reading about "Stranger Things" the only theories presented question where the show will go if it gets a second season.

Whether you binge watch all eight hours in one sitting, or parse it over eight weeks, "Stranger Things" is a lot of fun. It's pure joy and, unlike some prestige television, it does not feel like a commitment. There is no sense of obligation when watching "Stranger Things," thanks to the fully realized performances by Ryder and Hopper, as well as the show's core group of kids, who are all astounding. Had they been subpar or even passable, "Stranger Things" would greatly suffer. You can feel the pre-teens (Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Lucas Sinclair) and older teens (Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton) having fun when they're chewing up the scenery; their excitement to be part of this series glows like the TV that hypnotized Carol Anne Freeling in "Poltergeist."

A crop of new directors and creators who grew up with Spielberg films is currently on the rise: J.J. Abrams has always toyed with Spielberg tropes but really went for it , with varying results, with "Super 8" in 2011. Earlier this year director Jeff Nichols made a splash with his E.T.-inspired "Midnight Special" and will make more waves in the fall with "Loving" (about the 1967 Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia, which banned state laws prohibiting interracial marriage), his first stab at a historical period drama. It makes sense that the Duffer Bros.' latest creation is capturing audiences, while Spielberg is set to direct a retro '80s-inspired dystopian future film.

It was reported earlier this week that the world's last VRC would be manufactured this month. It's the end of an era for generations of kids who watched their VHS copy of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" over and over until the point of disintegration. But it's also the start of a new time in TV and film: "Stranger Things" isn't just a silly ode to the '80s, but a new way to experience and create modern media, hopefully sparking more series and movies to riff on nostalgic vibes; it's what the people want.

For now, audiences will not only discover "Stranger Things" in the upcoming sleepy summer weeks but they will also use the show as a jumping off point to go back in time with their family, discovering a treasure chest of forgotten classics.