Beneath the quiet rural small town veneer of Hawkins, strange supernatural events start unfolding as the result of an illicit science experiments by the government at the Hawkins National Laboratory.
These experiments have torn open a gate to an Alternate Dimension called the Upside Down whose monstrous inhabitants have their own designs on our world.
Works include:
Series
- Stranger Things (2016-): After the disappearance of their friend, a group of of boys are drawn into a conspiracy involving experiments into Psychic Powers and a dark alien Alternate Dimension, the Upside Down.
- Beyond Stranger Things (2017): A Companion Show hosted by Jim Rash which discussed the various developments of the second season with the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy & various members of the cast.
- An untitled spin-off series based on an original idea by the Duffer Brothers
. - An animated series in the style of Saturday morning cartoons animated by Flying Bark Studios and showrun by Eric Robles (Glitch Techs)
- Dark Horse Comic Book series
- Stranger Things a.k.a. Stranger Things: The Other Side (2018-2019): A four-issue series following Will Byers after he is taken to the Upside Down by the Demogorgon.
- "The Game Master" (2019): A Free Comic Book Day one-shot set in the days after the final episode of Season 1.
- Stranger Things Six (2019): A Prequel series focused on a girl named Francine, also known as Six, who predated Eleven at Hawkins Laboratory.
- Stranger Things Into The Fire (2020): A four-issue series about two of Dr. Brenner’s former subjects searching for powerful pyrokinetic called Nine.
- Stranger Things Zombie Boys (2020): While dealing with the trauma from what happened during season one, the boys meet a new student, Joey Kim who convinces them to make a zombie movie based on Will's drawings.
- "Erica's Quest" (2020): A FCBD oneshot set after season 3, the Scoops Troop discover that Erica smuggled out a dangerous object from the Russian facility.
- Stranger Things The Bully (2020): Set during season 2, The Bullies Troy and James investigate Eleven’s Psychic Powers after she broke Troy's arm in season 1.
- Stranger Things Science Camp (2020): A four-issue series about Dustin attending Camp Know Where summer camp before the events of the third season.
- Stranger Things Halloween Special (2020): One-shot with the boys gathering on Halloween night days before the series’s events to scare each other with spooky stories.
- Stranger Things And Dungeons And Dragons (2020-2021): Co-published with IDW Publishing, this miniseries focuses on Dungeons and Dragons and how it factors into the lives of the main characters, before and during the series events.
- Stranger Things The Tomb Of Ybwen (2021-2022): Set after the second season, Will gathers the gang to investigate a mysterious map that Bob left in a box of old nerdy memorabilia.
- Stranger Things Kamchatka (2022): A Russian scientist is kidnapped by Soviet troops, leaving nothing for his two teenage children but a mysterious case and a whole lot of questions.
- Stranger Things Tales From Hawkins (2023): An anthology focusing on different characters;
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Stranger Things (2023): A Crossover with the original Mirage incarnations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In New York, the Party meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Literature
- Stranger Things Suspicious Minds (2019): A Prequel novel about Eleven's mother, Terry Ives, and her time as an MKUltra test subject.
- Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town (2019): Another novel delving into Jim Hopper's backstory. It mostly deals with a case he works on in the summer of 1977 in New York City, while his daughter Sarah was alive and marriage to Diane was happy.
- Stranger Things Runaway Max (2019): A novel about Max's life in San Diego before she moved to Hawkins in 1984 and retelling of events from the second season from her perspective.
- Stranger Things Rebel Robin (2021): A Prequel novel spotlighting Robin and her backstory. Also had a companion podcast, Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins.
- Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors (2022): An anthology of short scary stories told by the party during a blackout.
- Stranger Things Lucas On The Line (2022): A novel focusing on Lucas after the events of season 3.
- Stranger Things Flight Of Icarus (2023): An upcoming novel about Eddie Munson.
Pinball
- Stranger Things (December 2019): A pinball machine by Stern.
Theatre
- A theatrical adaptation in the form of a haunted house at the Universal Studios theme parks' Halloween Horror Nights event in 2018, 2019 and 2023.
- A Secret Cinema event in London in 2019-2020.
- A drive through show in Los Angeles called Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience from 2020-2021.
- Stranger Things: The First Shadow: A stage play prequel following young versions of Hopper, Joyce, Bob, and Victor Creel in 1959 Hawkins. Kate Trefry writes the script based on a story by herself, the Duffers, and Jack Thorne (Enola Holmes). Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) directs. Started at the Phoenix Theatre of London’s West End in late 2023 and is currently booking until August 2024.
- Stranger Things: The Experience (2022-2023), another immersive experience that involved pre-recorded appearances from the leads and live actors in other roles. This visited Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Paris, Toronto, Seattle and London.
- A special edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set released by Hasbro Gaming and Wizards of the Coast as advertisement for the third season, with official figurines and Fifth Edition stats for the Demogorgon and Demodogs, stats for the children's D&D campaign characters (like "Will the Wise"), and an adventure "written" by Mike Wheeler.
- Stranger Things Adventures Together (2021): A cooperative card game.
- Stranger Things: Attack of the Mind Flayer (2022): A themed version of GROWL.
- Stranger Things The Game (2017): A Retraux top-down Adventure Game that serves as a bridge between the first and second seasons by BonusXP, Inc.
- Stranger Things The VR Experience (2017): A short VR game.
- Telltale Games was working on a game but in September 2018, it was cancelled along with the rest of Telltale's projects as the studio shut down. Night School Studios was working on a companion mobile game with the working title of Kids Next Door that was left in "limbo" after the cancellation.
- Stranger Things 3 The Game (2019): A co-op Beat 'em Up based on the third season, also released by BonusXP, Inc.
- Stranger Things Puzzle Tales (2021) A free-to-play 80s cartoon-inspired location-based puzzle role-playing mobile game developed by Next Games.
Video Games with Stranger Things DLC
- Face Your Fears: DLC set in Hawkins was released for Halloween, 2017.
- Fortnite Battle Royale: To tie in with the premiere of the third season, Scoops Ahoy! Ice Cream Parlors and Upside Down portals were added to the map and skins of Chief Hopper and the Demogorgon were made available.
- Dead by Daylight: A Stranger Things DLC was released in September 2019, adding The Demogorgon, Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler as playable characters.
- Rocket League: Themed vehicles and cosmetics were added for the 2019 Halloween event.
- The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross (JP:2019, EN:2020): A crossover event began May 11th, 2021.
- Smite: A crossover event was announced in June 2021 to be released in July, featuring skins of Eleven, Hopper, the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer, as well as a new Upside-Down-based game mode.
- Far Cry 6: "The Vanishing" free DLC has the PC drawn into Russian experiments into the Upside Down.
Tropes include:
- Bait-and-Switch: In “Science Camp”, when we see the various camp counselors, a girl named Stephanie has the hallmarks of being a classic Final Girl: virginal, bookish and more committed to her job. She’s actually the first victim.
- Big Bad: The Mind Flayer serves as this for the franchise as a whole, being the ruler of the Upside Down, the mastermind behind the events of the series, and even the main antagonist of some crossovers.
- Big Storm Episode: A blizzard strikes Hawkins during "The Tomb Of Ybwen".
- Dark World: The Upside-Down is a reflection of our world which is always cold and dark, and which is filled with toxic fog and predatory creatures.
- A Day in the Limelight: The main purpose of the comics and books:
- “Suspicious Minds” is one for Terry Ives and Dr. Brenner, “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” is one for Hopper, and “Runaway Max” is one for Max herself, alongside Billy, her mother Susan and her stepfather/Billy’s father Neil. “Rebel Robin” is one for Robin Buckley and "Lucas On The Line" is one for Lucas.
- “The Game Master” is from Will’s POV during Season 1, “Six” and its sequel “Into The Fire” are from the perspectives of other kids in Dr. Brenner’s experiments, “Zombie Boys” is from Lucas’s POV, “The Bully” spotlights on Troy and James from the first season, and “Science Camp” is about Dustin and Suzie in Camp Know-Where.
- Formula-Breaking Episode: "Kamchatka" takes place in Russia and introduces a brand new set of characters.
- Genre Throwback: The franchise is a love letter to The '80s output of Steven Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment (particularly E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Stephen King (particularly It). In fact, the Duffer brothers originally intended to do a remake of It, but were turned down by Warner Bros., the rights holders.
- Interquel: Most of the comics take place between seasons, save for “The Game Master”, “Six”, “The Bully”, and the 2020 Halloween special.
- Out-of-Genre Experience:
- In a predominantly Sci-Fi Horror series, “Science Camp”’s main foe is a Friday The 13th style slasher. It gets Lamp Shaded by Dustin.
- The novel Rebel Robin is a fairly mundane Coming-Out Story with no supernatural elements.
- Lucas On The Line is a Coming of Age Story where Lucas works to discover himself as a black teenager and interests outside of DnD.
- Prequel: Many of the tie in comics and books are this, focusing on certain characters or events either before the series or between seasons:
- Books: “Suspicious Minds” and “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” are both straight prequels, with the former focused on the origins of Eleven’s mother and Dr. Brenner, and the latter is a story about Hopper’s time as a NYPD detective in The 70’s. “Runaway Max” is partly this, as some chapters show her time in San Diego and shows her relationship with Billy, what happened to her dad and the events that led to the family moving to Hawkins. “Rebel Robin” is one to Season 3 from Robin’s point of view. "Lucas On The Line" shows how Lucas got to where he is when Season 4 begins.
- Comics: “Six” focuses on a fellow powered girl who lived at the lab alongside Eleven, and the Halloween special takes place days before the start of Season 1.
