Stranger Things, Pilot (The Disappearance of Will Byers)

Yep.

Now, this is actually a very good choice for two reasons. First off: The second season of Stranger Things is set to premiere only about a week from now, so this is very timely. Second, despite the popularity of the show and that my mom (who I'm writing this for) loves horror movies and the paranormal, she has not seen this show (though I hope to show her it during midterm break). So, mom, if you're reading this, let me introduce you.

If you're not aware about the plot, it's kind of hard to simplify without proper context. But let's try it anyway. Essentially, it's 4 different plots over one another: A kid by the name of Will goes missing under "mysterious circumstances" in Hawkes, Indiana. So, three friends of the kid go out to try and find him, and they come across a "weird" girl named Eleven that could possibly help them get to Will, Will's mother having to deal with the increasing mental stress of her son being missing, leading to numerous hallucinations(?), one of the 3 kid's sister and Will's brother trying to piece together what happened to Will, and the town's police chief thoroughly investigating into the case, with it having to greatly involve a "questionable" facility located nearby the town. To say any more would be spoilers. Basically, it's E.T., The Goonies, and St. Elmo's Fire mixed with Super 8 and Splice (if you remember or even know that movie).

And for you having been in your 20's during the 1980's, you'll be pleased to hear that this show takes a LOT of influence and style from 80's culture, but with authenticity (as far as I can tell), rather than just a nostalgiafest solely to celebrate the 80's. Really, the time setting is just a way for the story to be told in a simpler time, which would make the idea of going up against a....threat like this wouldn't be as scary if it was set in modern time, where things are a bit more complicated. But otherwise, there's a lot of stuff in here you'd expect out of 1984 like Dungeons and Dragons, The Clash, the Evil Dead, etc., along with all the fashions and vehicles used throughout the show.

Now, as for the part I have to write for the class (specifically, the part where I acknowledge or even praise a certain aspect of the filmmaking into a Netflix original, such as the cinematography, sound, etc.), what I like about Stranger Things in comparison with other horror movies on Netflix (and I would say most modern horror films, but that's generalizing. Go see It Comes At Night. It's fantastic), is that it's actually shot and paced like an ACTUAL well-made horror film (for the opposite effect, go watch the abomination that is #Horror). There's no shaky cam, little-to-no stupid things done for the sake of a horror film (like hiding in an abandoned house), and there's only like one REAL jumpscare throughout the whole franchise, which is paced perfectly. In fact, all the scary moments (or at least the moments that are creepy for the ambience) in this show are paced brilliantly, like the credits of "The Bathtub" (which is incidentally after the one jumpscare in the show). The scenes are near-quiet, save for some small environmental noises and an ambient soundtrack to back it up. And that intro music is just sublime.

On the whole, I very much recommend the show. In fact, I've already gone through the whole season within 2 days before, and I intend to rewatch it in lieu of Season 2 coming out soon. And mom, if you're reading this, I want to show the show to you when I get home for midterm break. Trust me, if you liked Super 8, you're going to love this.