Investigating Stranger Things : Upside Down in the World of Mainstream Cult Entertainment

This book explores the narrative, genre, nostalgia and fandoms of the phenomenally successful Netflix original series Stranger Things. It considers the different ways in which the show both challenges and confirms our pre-conceived notions of cult media texts by examining the series’ textual features, contextual criticism and forms of audience engagement. The chapters examine all aspects of the show’s presence in popular culture, engaging with debates surrounding cult horror, teen drama and contemporary anxieties in the age of Trump. The book also touches upon relatively neglected areas of scholarship in the realm of cult media, such as set design, fashion and the textual complexities of the Secret Cinema experience. Discussions within the book also serve to demonstrate how cult texts are facilitated by the new age of television, where notions of medium specificity are fundamentally transformed and streaming platforms open shows to the extensive analysis expected from (now mainstream) cult fandoms.