It has only been a year since the world took on the collective binge watch for the first series of Stranger Things, which gave us the perfect mix of Spielberg-y childhood nostalgia and Stephen King-y otherworldly horror.
Critical and audience acclaim ensured that the show was picked up for a second season pretty sharpish, and considering all of the kids involved are, y'know, getting older and growing up and stuff, they needed to hit the ground running to make sure that the incredible younger members of the cast were still actually kids for the follow-up season.
With all the episodes of Season 2 set to arrive on Netflix from Friday 27 October (just in time for Hallowe'en, what a coincidence!), the first reviews for the new season have begun to leak out, and they are overwhelmingly positive.
Clip via Netflix
"There really is a kind of sophisticated genius behind Stranger Things, and while others may try to imitate what the Duffers are doing, it’s harder than it may seem. If anything, the pair have moved the game forward in the second season by making the show scarier without losing the wise innocence of ’80s films as embodied by a bunch of kids, riding around Indiana on bikes in the middle of a real adventure." - San Francisco Chronicle
"The goings-on in Hawkins snowball during the second half of the season to deliver a rather breathless series of nailbiters." - TV Line
"Like that first season, not everything works perfectly, but its cumulative effect is one that is again joyous, emotional, satisfyingly spooky, and most of all, makes us care deeply about the fates of these outsiders who band together as heroes." - Collider
"Even when scenes border on getting mushy, as in the final moments of Stranger Things 2, the sentiment feels earned, not plastered on. Scary, witty and sweet, Stranger Things 2 just might give sequels a good name." - The Oregonian
"Stranger Things isn't so tired that the repetitiveness overpowers other strong elements. Season 2 is still a mostly satisfying binge-watch that makes good use of a talented multi-generational cast and an intriguing mythology." - USA Today
"And, man does Stranger Things 2 stick the landing. The season finale is just excellent, finding surprising grace notes for some of its most beloved characters." - RogerEbert.com
