Picture this:

It’s October 1984. The first true essences of fall have made landfall in the humble town of Hawkins, Indiana. Chilling winds whisper a-top dry corn fields, swaying the stalks ever so slightly. Pumpkin patches thrive as local farmers capitalize on the spookiest time of the year.

The leaves surrender their verdigris shade and don colors of warm brown and soft orange. Melvald’s General store is stocked with spooky halloween decorations, bombarding the shelves for all to partake, as the sheriff watches over the quiet town with a worrisome eye, and only the warmth of his cigarette to bear the cold. These are just a handful of the fall settings portrayed in the second season of Stranger Things, the hit Netflix series created by The Duffer Brothers. As autumn arrives in the real world, there’s no better time to watch (or rewatch) this Halloween-centric season of spooky television.

The first two episodes are the most Halloween centric episodes, as they take place before and on the holiday itself respectively, but the rest of the season still serves up spooky scares galore. The atmosphere of the entire season is doused with autumn energy, as our characters venture out into the world to discover clues to a dark unraveling mystery, warm coats in tow.

            Before The second season of the show even came out, the creators were capitalizing on the aesthetic ghoulishness October brings. The launch trailer features Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as a voice narrates over flashes of frightful 80s seasonal settings: “Darkness falls across the land, The midnight hour is close at hand.” Stranger Things 2 landed on Netflix on October 27 back in 2017, just in time for Halloween, and inspired countless costumes across the nation, including my friend Alex and I dressed as Joyce Byers and Dustin Henderson respectively.

            In the season’s second episode, aptly titled “Trick or Treat, Freak”, it’s Halloween in Hawkins, as Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will dress up as the Ghostbusters; their new friend, Max, joins them later in the episode as Michael Myers. Will the childhood innocence of going door to door in search of sweets ensues, Nancy and Steve are growing up too fast partying hard at Tina’s Halloween Bash, dressed up in costumes from the movie “Risky Business”, which in this universe, was released the year prior in 1983.

No matter where you live, while watching Stranger Things 2, you’ll feel the fall energy exuding off of the screen at all times. Whether it’s the foggy exhales or the sheet ghosts abound, it never lets up its aesthetic. While the same can certainly be said about the show’s second season, which takes place in November, Stranger Things 2 is the epitome of everything a fall show should be and beyond. It takes its seasonal setting in stride with its costume design, music, and production design to create an unforgettable atmosphere that keeps me coming back yearly for its offerings of autumn delight!

Written and Art by Christopher Robertson