Something Strange in the Neighbourhood.


This weekend has mostly involved binge watching the second series of the excellent Stranger Things, with a brief diversion via the film Halloween, which I always watch with my wife at this time of year as a slightly dark tradition.

We’d actually intended on going to watch the film at the Prince Charles Cinema today, but decided not to, as my labyrinthitis made the thought of travelling on the Underground or walking through Central London wholly unappealing; in the end, we opted for watching the DVD at home with a bowl of popcorn and a cat (we didn’t eat the latter).

The film was fun, as it always is - though why Jamie Lee Curtis kept leaving knives lying around a briefly unconscious Michael Myers I’ll never know - but the first six episode of Stranger Things (that’s as far as we’ve got at time of writing) is something else, managing to truly rival the first series, with lots of room for character development with no-one wasted, and a great mix of humour and fear. The early-1980s design and soundtrack are immaculate, with plenty of gentle references to the likes of Stephen King thrown in for the fan of horror literature and film. It’s something I know my friend Steve would enjoy, if it weren’t for the fact it was a Netflix production and therefore a little too internetty for his gently self-professed Luddite taste; perhaps I could somehow get him a copy on VHS.

What’s so striking about the series is how exceptionally good it’s predominantly child-led cast is; there’s not a hint of Sylvia Young here. The kids carry it excellently. I’d highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it, if only to marvel at all the young talent and wonder how they’ve got such an impressive acting range at such a tender age; the kids in Byker Grove were never as good as this.

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