'Stranger Things': Netflix teases season 3 with bizarre retro advert about a mall
You've seen them roam the streets of Hawkins at night looking for their best friend, and you've seen them wander into the upside down fearlessly trying to defeat the Shadow Monster. If you thought the snowball dance at their school was the height of cuteness, this teaser from the Netflix original Stranger Things is going to hit your hard.
Season three of the widely popular suspense thriller takes the plunge and says hello to the most quintessential '80s thing ever - a mall! That's right, the Starcourt Mall is the latest up-and-coming attraction of Hawkins.
Fans of the show think they have an idea what this could possibly mean. Is the Shadow Monster hiding underneath the glitz and glamour of the mall? Quite possible, but let's not jump the gun.
In the '80s, malls were touted to be the place to be. The teaser glamorizes the mall just like it was done by the media in the '80s. The teaser is shot as an advertisement for the state-of-the-art establishment. The minute and a half video shows off the mall's many retail outlets — all filmed to reflect the '80s nostalgia.
We're talking star wipes, cheesy '80s synth-pop background music, and, of course - an outdated voiceover overselling the many, many perks of the mall. While none of the clips show any of the main characters in action, relief does come in the form of fan-favourite Steve Harrington making a very awkward and extremely out-of-character appearance.
At least we now know that Mama Steve (played by Joe Keery) will be returning. Also seen is a new character called Robin (played by Maya Hawke). The two are seen working at an ice-cream parlor called 'Scoops Ahoy!' and engaging in some extremely forced acting.
The Stranger Things Twitter account released the official teaser earlier on Monday with the caption: "Ahoy! Something is coming... to Hawkins, Indiana!" And that's really all we know about what's coming to Hawkins.
We are pretty sure that the mall is not the only thing the town's inhabitants need to worry about.
Fans will just have to wait till 2019 to really find out what goes on inside, or beneath, the Starcourt Mall.
For the impatient, Chief Hopper aka David Harbour will have you know that everything coming will be very a la mode for the year 1985. Think along the lines of classic films like The Goonies, The Breakfast Club, and Back to the Future. The mall's advert makes so much more sense now, doesn't it?
Harbour explained to Deadline: "If you're a real fan of Stranger Things and you really want to know, I would go look at the great films that were released in '85, of which there were many, and just go down that list and think of the possibilities that we could be going with. I think it is a specific season to 1985, and so you'll see references to that."
He also added: "We're experimenting a lot this season, and we're taking risks, and I hope that they pay off, but they are risks. We're going into territories we've never been to before, and it's exciting."
That, right there, is all the assurance one needs.