10 Crazy Facts You Didn’t Know About Stranger Things’ The Duffer Brothers

Netflix’s Stranger Things is created by twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer. The two are a unique duo and the masterminds behind the entire show. Creative introverts from a young age, they managed to take their passion for comics, sci-fi, and Stephen King and morph it into a TV show that is based in the 80s, injected with Stephen King-esque spookiness, and launch it on a contemporary platform in the 21st century.

Stranger Things blew up to be far bigger than these two modest men likely imagined it could, but no matter how big the show seems to get the Duffer Brothers don’t seem any closer to basking in the spotlight. What is there to know about these creators?

10 Their First Favorite Movie Was Tim Burton’s Batman

The Duffer brothers’ fascination with directing began at a young age. According to TheGuardian.com, as soon as the brothers saw a few Tim Burton films, they were hooked. They realized a similar style was woven through each film, and they spent their childhoods using a camera their parents bought them to try to replicate said films and even develop a style of their own. Hence, they have been working at their craft their entire lives.

9 They Don’t Like Going Out

For two people who could definitely have their choice of parties to go to, the Duffer brothers have admitted that what they really prefer to do is stay in. They aren’t big on drinking, and busy social scenes just aren’t their thing. If we were to consider the content of the show they are famous for, it all makes sense. They type of people who can so accurately represent the dweeby, outcast boys who prefer to spend their time playing imaginary games in a basement are likely people who can speak to such an experience.

8 They Didn’t Think Stranger Things Would Appeal To Young Audiences

The Duffer brothers state in an interview that in the creation process, and even at the point of pitching the show to Netflix, they never expected it would appeal to the younger generations of viewers.

The show hits on 80s nostalgia and references to many movies where were popular long before the Duffer brothers were born, nevermind young people of today. Yet, to their surprise, the show has a massively successful response from young viewers.

7 The Show Was Rejected 15 Times

For how popular the show is now, fans would be surprised to hear that Stranger Things was rejected 15 times before Netflix finally accepted it. The brothers had to persevere and believe in their material in the hopes that someone would eventually see its potential. The Duffer brothers were also rejected from film school and had other projects previous to Stranger Things which did not reach wide acclaim.

6 They Were Accused Of On-Set Misconduct

Back in 2018, the Duffer brothers faced an accusation of verbal abuse. The accusation came from an on-set worker named Peyton Brown, who claimed to have witnessed the brothers losing their tempers at numerous female show contributors. Netflix looked into the accusation and ultimately came up with no significant issues to report, and the Duffer brother issued a statement apologizing for any discomfort they may have caused people on-set, referencing on-set pressure as a cause for hot tempers. Is this valid? No one will know unless they were a witness themselves.

5 They Were Sued For Stealing Plot Ideas

A fellow director sued the brothers under the suspicion that Stranger Things plot lines were influenced by a short film he had shown the brothers in the past. The plaintiff, however, dropped the charges right before the case was meant to go to trial, stating that they now had proof that the Duffer brothers created the idea all on their own and that it was not a product of anyone else’s work. This sudden change of heart is a bit odd, but it is all the information available to the public concerning the issue, and so we are left to merely speculate.

4 Their First Movie Was Not Received Well

Their first movie, a sci-fi piece called “Hidden” and described by The Guardian as “a 2015 thriller about a global viral outbreak and, true to form, creepy monsters on the other side of a barrier”, was not well-received. After a life obsessed with film, the Duffer brothers were a bit trodden-down by this failure, and quite disenchanted with Hollywood. It’s lucky that this instance did not stop them from creating altogether, or we might not have Stranger Things today.

3 They Always Loved Fantasy

Despite claiming that neither of their parents liked fantasy at all, somehow the Duffer brothers were instant fans. From Lord Of The Rings to The Hobbit, to reading Game Of Thrones when it wasn’t cool yet-the Duffer brothers were avid fans and believed in the coolness of these things. It could be said that in the modern-day, they are now causes for things that would once be considered ‘nerdy’ to be, in fact, considered cool by the general public. They have taken old influences and re-framed them in a way that is palatable to the youth of today.

2 Their Show Is Loaded With References

Most people know that the Duffer brothers loved Stephen King and most classic spooky film and TV shows. Their show is rife with 80s-horror energy–but did you realize how many scenes are visually strikingly similar to other Stephen King based films?

One classic example is the train tracks scene, where Steve and Dustin walk along train tracks and bond while they are in pursuit of a monster. This is a reference to the Stephen King short story-made-movie Stand By Me, featuring young boys who follow train tracks to try to find a missing body.

1 They Aren’t Good At Scary

Stranger Things is certainly creepy. For some, it might be downright scary. But in comparison to the films that the Duffer brothers’ creation is based on, the show has significantly fewer jump-scares. The brothers have admitted that this is not actually intentional, but rather a result of them simply being not very good at “cheap scares”. However, this might just be according to them, and perhaps in reference to earlier seasons–with each season, the brothers seem to be upping the ante of scariness. Who knows what season 4 will bring.