BMX bikes, arcade games, walkie-talkies, nods to Stephen King and films such as Jaws and E.T., a playlist featuring the likes of Cyndi Lauper and The Clash. Then there are the likeable kids who bear a close resemblance to The Goonies. It’s little wonder people have been getting all wistful over the 1980s pop-culture phenomenon Stranger Things.
The Netflix original series first aired in 2016; its stunning success surprised even the streaming giant and turned its young cast into global stars. More than 40 million households tuned in to watch the first episode of Stranger Things 3 within days of its release earlier this month, a Netflix record.
There are many facets to the appeal of Stranger Things. Alongside the wonderful nostalgia, the show features an endearing set of relationships, a haunting synth-led score, compelling character development, sacrificial acts of love, geeky bits of science, and an imaginative, if sometimes confusing, plot line. Then there is the stranger side to Stranger Things, the supernatural, which leads to get-behind-your-sofa moments. It is here that the show bears a surprising likeness to the eschatological world view of the Bible.
Christian author Michael S Heiser, whose new book The World Turned Upside Down: Finding the Gospel in Stranger Things (Lexham Press) is released in October, writes: “Stranger Things taps into spiritual questions and crises and addresses them the way the gospel story does – with mystery and transcendent power, justice, and love.”
This article appears in the Culture column of the August 2019 edition of Premier Christianity. To read the full piece please contact subscriptions@premier.org.uk to get a copy of the magazine.