FULLY UPDATED AND REVISED FOR THE FINAL SEASON! What do E.T., Dungeons & Dragons, and The Clash have in common? They all live inside the world of Stranger Things—and the decade that inspired it. In Stranger Things and the ’80s: The Show, the Decade, and the World They Remixed , bestselling cultural historian Joseph Vogel dives deep into the series’ creative DNA—its cinematic roots in Spielberg and Stephen King, its neon-soaked soundtracks, its big fashion and pop myths. From Gremlins and The Goonies to A Nightmare on Elm Street and Ghostbusters , from mixtapes and malls to moral panics and mind flayers, this book explores how the Duffers transformed the anxieties and wonder of the 1980s into one of the most original stories of our time. Rich with insight, packed with Easter eggs, and pulsing with synth-fueled nostalgia, this is the essential companion for anyone who’s ever felt the thrill—and the terror—of the Upside Down. “A must-have for any fan of Stranger Things.” -Heroic Hollywood "Vogel does a masterful job of connecting every pop cultural dot, taking us back to the ‘80s at 88 mph in a book that’s just as nostalgic and fun as the show itself.” -Caseen Gaines, Author of We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy Rich with insight, packed with Easter eggs, and pulsing with synth-fueled nostalgia, this is the essential companion for anyone who’s ever felt the thrill—and the terror—of the Upside Down. Q&A with author Joseph Vogel What made you write  Stranger Things and the '80s ? To be honest, the show couldn't be more tailor-made to my interests. I'm obsessed with '80s culture, especially the music and movies. I'd written a few books connected to the decade and taught college courses focused on the '80s. I was also born in in 1981, so I grew up in that decade. So when Stranger Things came out it was like the perfect distillation of things that I love. I watched the first season in a few days. By the second season, my kids were on board, and possibly even bigger fans than me. That's when the idea for the book came to me. What is it about that period that fascinates people so much? That's a good question. I think it's a lot of things. Part of is the sense of freedom. Kids back then had much more leeway to just be out on their own without parents always knowing where they were. In the book, for example, I explore how bikes have kind of become a symbol of the era. Bikes are featured in some of the most iconic movies from the '80s, including E.T. and The Goonies, and of course, they also feature prominently in Stranger Things. I think they represent a sense of childhood freedom that we miss. I also think the fascination has to do with the pop culture explosion in the '80s. That was the decade that gave us so many blockbuster franchises, from Back to the Future, to Ghostbusters, to Indiana Jones.  Those blockbusters obviously have a big influence on Stranger Things. Which ones are most important to the show? Well, the biggest cinematic influence, I think, has to be Steven Spielberg. I dedicate an entire chapter to his presence in the show. E.T. is probably the one most obvious to people, but there are also a lot of homages and references to Jaws, Close Encounters, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park, as well as movies Spielberg didn't direct, but had a hand in, like Poltergeist and The Goonies. But I think one of the things that makes the show great is that it's not simply plagiarizing Spielberg. There are a ton of other influences, from Ghostbusters to Aliens to The Breakfast Club.  You also dedicate a chapter to Stephen King. What can you tell us about his influence on the show and has King said anything about Stranger Things? Yeah, I mean, I teach Stephen King in my classes, and students are sometimes surprised to learn how huge he was in the '80s. His books (and their movie adaptations) were everywhere. That was the decade that gave us It and The Body (which became the movie, Stand By Me) and Cujo and Firestarter. The Duffer Brothers have acknowledged how much these stories influenced them and that comes through in the show. As far as if Stephen King has said anything: yes, he has! He tweeted about both of the first two seasons and was very gracious about the homages to his work. In fact, he said in one tweet that it was like watching a mashup of his greatest hits. What's something in the book you think will surprise readers? Hmmm. I guess it depends on their level of familiarity with the '80s. But I'll mention a couple of things. One is that Stranger Things is driven, in its first season, by a missing child story and the '80s was the decade that really birthed the missing child movement and widespread fears about kidnapping. There were some really high profile cases early in the decade. In 1982, congress passed the Missing Children's Act; around that time, they also began putting pictures of missing kids on milk cartons and pizza boxes. So this fear w