Stranger Things 2
Netflix, from Friday 27 November
When I first clapped eyes on Stranger Things, it felt as if it had been made specially for me. As a teenage geek in the ’80s, I spent much of my time watching the sci-fi and horror movies from which it clearly takes inspiration. So, when it turned out that gazillions of younger, less geeky types loved this saga of ’80s high-school kids searching for their missing buddy, Will, who happened to have entered another dimension, it came as a wonderful surprise. Now the sequel, set in 1984, is upon us and, having watched all nine episodes, and bathed in the glorious references to Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, Gremlins and Poltergeist, it feels more than ever like it’s been created for fans of those movies. But it’s way more than just the greatest-ever ’80s nerd nostalgia-fest. As well as being spectacular and scary, it is a magnificent celebration of the outsider. This season, we get to see much more of Will (superbly played by 13-year-old Noah Schnapp), who not only has to cope with terrifying visions of a gigantic monster, but also the morons at school calling him a freak. But in a beautiful scene, his sensitive older brother (Charlie Heaton) assures him that David Bowie is a freak, and who wouldn’t want to be like him? Meanwhile, Will’s gang of dweeby mates are more loveable, funny and smart than ever. His mum (Winona Ryder), who spent all of series one in a state of distress, actually gets to be quite happy, with a bf and everything. And I won’t spoil what’s going on with superpowered Eleven, except to say she’s brilliantly and endlessly fascinating. As is the whole new season. It feels as if it’s been made specially for all of us.