Stranger Things

Another Netflix series, but more importantly, it's a series that really examines the history of science fiction and horror created for home viewing. Stranger Things is all about the VHS experience, about the kind of storytelling that is designed to be watched on the CRT television sitting in that hutch in your 1985 living room. It's personal, small-scale, but ambitious and endlessly entertaining. We're really presented with two stories that are tied together, but also held apart – the disappearance of Will Byers and the appearance of a young girl we call Eleven. There's all the classic straight-to-VHS markers – a governmental conspiracy, a mid-list actor looking to turn their career around, a monster, and general strangeness. What Stranger Things manages to do with all that is far beyond anything that happened in those movies, with rich characters, strong story movement, incredible timing, and the kind of acting that defines the best of what a genre film is supposed to give you. Even the masterful theme song is equal parts John Carpenter and free-to-license 1980s perfection! Why it's on the list: Not merely a nostalgic trip into science fiction horror, but a well-written and acted series that left fans screaming for more.