TL;DR: Netflix is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Stranger Things by inviting fans to rewatch the first season in a whole new way. The streaming giant has released a special VHS edition of the season that plays as though it were being watched on an old-school video cassette tape.
The very first season of Stranger Things arrived on July 15, 2016. The coming-of-age science fiction series was an instant hit with viewers, but few realized its true potential or how Netflix would capitalize on its new starlet over the coming decade.
The series ran for five seasons, wrapping up with a three-volume final season that premiered in late 2025. Critics argued that the last two seasons took too long to film, and that the children that starred in the first season had aged out of their roles well before the series wrapped up.
In fairness, the pandemic no doubt disrupted the fourth season but that doesn't account for the more than three-year gap between the fourth and fifth seasons. Perhaps the over-the-top budget and special effects processing are to blame?
The new VHS edition allows viewers to relive the first season "with a video store vibe" that's "glitchy, grainy, and gloriously vintage." On a modern display, you'll see black bars on either side of the screen to accommodate the 4:3 aspect ratio with an image that's visibly softer than what you're likely used to. It's a neat effect that oozes retro vibes, if you're into that sort of thing. If you're big on retro, I suppose you could also watch on an old CRT for maximum effect.
Netflix is also accepting pre-orders for a 17-LP box set featuring music from all five seasons priced at $349.98, and has the complete series on Blu-ray. I wonder if an old school VHS box set is also in the works? If any show deserves a true VHS release, it's one set in the mid-80s.
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