When Isla turned 12, she asked if we could watch Stranger Things together since most of her friends had already seen it. She didn’t want to watch it alone, and I was happy to share it with her, so we started an epic journey. I’m really glad we did, because not only is it nice to have that snuggle time, I actually really enjoy the show. We cried our eyes out at the end of Season 3 (which is where we’ve got to). This post contains spoilers if you haven’t watched it yet.
Stranger Things is a sci‑fi series on Netflix about a group of pre-teens and teens in the 1980s, and a story involving scientific experiments and alternate dimensions. Season 1 starts with Will going missing, and his friends and family search for him. They befriend a psychokinetic girl named Eleven, and watching their relationships develop is really nice.
In Season 1 the storyline centers on the Upside Down, the alternate dimension, and a humanoid monster called the Demogorgon. The creature looks like a slimey humanoid with a toothy plant‑like head, which some find scary. Isla and I didn’t think the monster itself was terrifying, but some jump scares did make us jump.
Season 2 introduces bigger monsters and a Mind Flayer—this seems to be a smoky entity that possesses Will and controls his mind and body. There are scenes where you see the Mind Flayer enter and leave his body, and it looks a bit creepy when his veins go black through his body.
Season 3 takes the Mind Flayer in a creepier direction: it’s described as being made up of crushed bones and muscles from other creatures, and it’s a bit gross to look at. Isla didn’t find it scary, more disgusting. There are scenes where bodies break down into a pool of blood, muscles and bones, then it slides into the Mind Flayer to make him bigger and stronger.
We’ve just started Season 4, with a monster called Vecna, a scary humanoid figure. We also see a girl held to the ceiling and bones breaking (by Vecna, we assume) and her eyes explode. Isla closed her eyes at that part and said Vecna looked a little scarier than the others.
There are some gruesome deaths throughout the seasons, too—some aren’t graphic and leave things to your imagination, while others are a bit more graphic (for example Billy’s death in Season 3).
So far there aren’t any sex scenes. The closest is when Nancy sneaks to her new boyfriend Steve’s house; it’s implied as she unbuttons and you see her bra, and they kiss. Across all three seasons there are a lot of kissing scenes between adults or teens, but it’s mostly just kissing. Isla finds it embarrassing and often looks away.
Season 3 has a scene where Mrs Wheeler (Mike’s Mum) and Billy flirt and say slightly inappropriate things as they plan to meet up later that evening. Isla thought that was odd, but it’s mostly skimmed over since you don’t see anything.
I did a lot of reading before watching, and some people compare it to Nightmare on Elm Street. It isn’t. As of episode 1 of Season 4, we’ve been managing OK. We both love watching the friendships and relationships unfold; we were rooting for Joyce and Hopper. We’ve enjoyed seeing the different groups work together to beat the monsters. We cried at the end of Season 3 when Hopper’s letter arrived. The most common word in Season 3 is also “shit,” so be aware if you don’t want your child to hear swearing.
Isla may miss some things adults notice, simply because of her age. She doesn’t like watching kissing scenes over the monsters, which tells you a lot about a 12‑year‑old. She also hears the swear words and ignores them; they hear it but don’t repeat it. Their friends swear, our friends and family swear, and it’s harder to shield them from swearing as they get older.
Is Stranger Things OK for a 12 year old? My answer is: if your child is scared of monsters and strange creatures, then no, they might not enjoy it. I’d suggest watching a few episodes to see what you think, since you know your child best. Isla really loved Wednesday, which is also a bit dark and has relationship stuff and a monster, but she loved it and has watched it about 15 times. Wednesday is rated 14 years old, the same as Stranger Things.
If you love 80s nostalgia, think Raglan sleeve tees, Walkmans, big curls, Dungeons & Dragons, and a soundtrack that makes you happy, make it a thing you do together with your child. I think it’s a brilliant show, and I’m glad I waited to watch it with Isla.
What do you think about Stranger Things? Has your child watched it? What’s your favourite part of the show? Who’s your favourite character?
