Regardless of whether you have been with Hawkins since the very first episode or you are only getting to know the Upside Down, Stranger Things Season 5 had more than just scares and spectacle. In addition to its huge emotional scenes and action-packed ending, the last season is filled with interesting backstage stories that viewers cannot stop discussing.
The creators took an additional effort, from clever costume choices to awesome visual effects, to ensure that the finale struck a chord with the fans. Here are five behind-the-scenes fun facts that show some of the work that was involved in bringing the biggest sci-fi series on Netflix to a close.
Costumes with a secret life of their own
You may believe that Eleven’s sweatpants or the D&D shirt worn by Dustin were merely wardrobe choices; however, in Stranger Things Season 5, the costume choices subtly narrated a tale of growth and continuity. The design team made multiple variants of each primary outfit, including clean and casual as well as dirty and battle-worn, allowing characters to transition between an ordinary morning and a battle in the Upside Down without disrupting the realism.
All the stitches, cloths, and colors remained authentic to the 1980s, with familiar styles being used to ground the characters. Meanwhile, those nostalgic clothes were loaded with the pressure of impending danger, a sense of childhood comfort, as well as the threat of the world at an end, all at the same time.
Classic ’80s hair and makeup got a modern upgrade
Crimped hair and mullets were not quite famous in the 80s, but Stranger Things Season 5 took the art of hairstyling quite seriously and to a whole new level. The appearances of the characters were inspired by popular stars and films of the 80s, from the tough Alien hairstyle of Sigourney Weaver to fun pigtails, which remind us of classic kid movies.
Blow brushes and vintage tools were employed by stylists in order to make the characters look very much at home in Hawkins, combining classic period style with some hints concerning the personality of each of the characters.
The Upside Down portrayed in Stranger Things Season 5 was a VFX beast
Numerous episodes in Stranger Things Season 5 are set in a parallel world, called the Upside Down, and creating it was an immense challenge. The visual effects team constructed complete landscapes of creepy vines and twisting tendrils with nearly 28 miles of pool noodles and over 80 miles of rope to create physical set pieces that were further augmented with digital effects. It was not merely about creating monsters but about meticulously creating a fantastically terrifying world, put together step by step.
Props were full of ’80s easter eggs
Soda cans, satellite antennas, and all the other props stayed true to their time. The designers did not simply imitate old objects but would hunt down actual vintage objects in estate sales or create exact replicas where they could not find the original. In a monster-infested world, one can still see details, such as old UHF radio boxes redesigned into tracking devices and big van antennas that seem just out of 1987.
Every squawk and snack had a story
Stranger Things Season 5 wasn’t all about grand battles and scares; even the tiniest details were keenly taken note of, from small things, such as quirky food items like the retro chocolate bars Steve brings in, to familiar props accurately duplicated, even going so far as to work with original manufacturers in some cases. This is the kind of care that makes even a snack on screen feel weighted in meaning and helps to further add depth and realism to the world of the show.
For more such insights on Stranger Things, keep following SoapCentral.
Edited by Sroban Ghosh