Netflix has surprise-launched a retro, VHS version of Season 1 of Stranger Things to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the show.
As spotted by What’s On Netflix, the streamer shadow-dropped a brand new VHS Special Edition of the much-loved Stranger Things Season 1. Each of the 8-episode season is reuploaded with new retro visuals, as well as revised audio, to make it look like it’s playing via VHS.
Stranger Things is of course set in the 1980s, and was initially so popular that it sparked renewed interest in pop culture from the decade. The main characters’ love of Dungeons & Dragons, for example, fueled sales of the tabletop role-playing game.
Here’s the official blurb from Netflix itself:
Rewind and relive the first season with a video store vibe that’s glitchy, grainy and gloriously vintage — just like you’d have rented it in 1983.
To watch the new version of Season 1, just head to Netflix and search for Stranger Things: VHS Special Edition.
Stranger Things came to an end on New Year’s Eve with the Season 5 finale. Don’t expect a follow-up — The Duffer Brothers have ruled out a Stranger Things sequel that would check in on the characters years later, saying it would be “a gross cash grab.” But all is not lost for Stranger Things fansm, as an unnamed live-action spinoff is in the works.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.