As a horror script writer for hire I loved every second of Stranger Things even down to the font used for the title sequence. And its details like the font that were so well observed in this eight part series.
Yes, it was a throwback geeks delight, with elements of The Goonies ,The Explorers and early Spielberg, mashed in with Stephen King and just about every major VHS horror staple of the 80s. The scripts and storyline for the series were sharply engrossing and generally well paced. The direction by the freshly hot Duffer Brothers (who also acted as showrunners) was perfect.
The lovely Winona Ryder turned in her best and most heartfelt performance in years and David Harbour really nailed the main role of Jim Hopper. All the kids are great, with Millie Bobby Brown standout as Eleven.
What I really want to focus on is the amazing soundtrack, both the score and the incidental music which became pivotal to the plot. There’s great use of The Clash and Joy Division in the incidental music but the score itself hits (literally) all the right notes with a retro synth sound that would make John Carpenter smile.
I’m seeing the series is a really big hit with horror fans on social media and we’re hopefully set up for more instalments. I haven’t been this excited about a series since The Wire and The Sopranos. Is retro horror making a comeback? Fingers crossed.
The series one trailer is below…
Matthew Cooper has been a script writer for hire for over 20 years. He’s written for most of the UK soaps, including writing award winning episodes of Emmerdale, Eastenders, Hollyoaks and Family Affairs. Matthew was winner of the first ever Lloyds Bank Channel Four Film Challenge, the Oscar Moore Screenplay Prize and has been BAFTA shortlisted and Royal Television Society nominated as a script writer. You can find some of his broadcast credits on the IMDb. You can get in touch with Matthew on matcoop23@yahoo.co.uk