Why is the series Stranger Things called Stranger Things?

The Duffers tell us, among other things, the origins of the funny name of the Netflix series. To read in the Special Edition First dedicated to the end of Stranger Things.

You’ve probably already asked yourself the question: but what does the title Stranger Things refer to?

Maybe it’s time to have an answer, now that the series is ending!

So Première asked the Duffer Brothers the question directly. Inside the Hors-Série magazine entirely dedicated to Hawkins and the upside-down world – a special issue already on newsstands and on our online store – the creators tell us everything about the conception of their work and its origin. And so, for example, they tell us the story behind this title.

You should know that Stranger Things was originally going to be called Montauk. In 2015, it was even its official development title when production began.

“Yes, it’s true! It’s crazy that you remember that” smiles Matt Duffer when asked about the subject. He explains why the Montauk title was quickly abandoned:

“We had done some scouting in the area around Montauk, south of Long Island. But logistically, it was just impossible to do. Because it was too far from New York, a three-hour drive. And we would have had to accommodate the team there. Except that the Hamptons is a very expensive place and it blew the budget. Then, we thought about going to Wilmington, in North Carolina, because we’re from the area. But it didn’t look like really not in Long Island at all. So at one point, we said to ourselves that we just had to choose an ordinary American city. And we chose to set the action in Indiana, to pay homage to two of our favorite films: The Gang of Four (1979) and Close Encounters (1977), which take place in this state. But, in reality, we film the series in Atlanta (in Georgia), for practical reasons…”

And so the name Stranger Things?

In truth, it doesn’t refer to… anything in particular.

Matt Duffer explains simply:

“As we could no longer call our series Montauk, we needed a new name. We thought about it and then I had this idea. I talked to Ross who didn’t really like it (laughs). But hey, it’s hard to come up with a new title. We had really gotten used to calling the series Montauk and it takes time to get used to it. For everyone. David Harbor sent us a three-page email to tell us how bad the title Stranger Things was !”

The Duffers remember that what finally decided the title Stranger Things was an email from Ted Sarandos, the boss of Netflix: