I, like many others, have found myself scrolling aimlessly through television channels trying to find something to watch but with no worthy results. There are only so many options available through cable, and it seems as if every series tells the same story with certain elements flipped around to pass off as fresh and innovative. That’s when Netflix came into the picture for me and more importantly, Stranger Things.

Set in 1983 in Hawkins, Ind., the series opener reveals that a monster has somehow escaped a top secret laboratory and is killing all those who get in its way. After playing an intense Dungeons and Dragons session, a young boy named Will Byers rides his bike home late that same night. He stays with two of his friends during the majority of the journey, but separates from them to take the road before his house. Just as he turns onto it, he sees a ravenous monster down just yards before him. Will falls off his bike and makes a mad dash home, loading a gun and cornering himself in the back of his shed as the monster sauntered outside. Just when things were doomed to get gory, Will was gone with a quick flicker of a light.

Will’s friends know that something has happened to him by the next day. They set out to search for him when they find a girl in a medical gown with a shaved head. Her name matches the tattoo on her arm – Eleven. Eleven has escaped from the same laboratory that the monster did, and holds the key to finding Will again.

Stranger Things is classified as a sci-fi supernatural horror series, and it fulfills each genre perfectly. I find myself describing it to others as, “Goonies meets E.T. meets The Shining.” A creepy lab that hides their test subjects, a terrible beast that travels through different dimensions in search of prey, an experiment gone wrong, telekinesis, astral projection, and biokinesis (the ability to manipulate lifeforms) are all main elements of the show.

There is a reason why it has received such rave reviews and overall hype: it is due to the attentiveness and dedication of both the production and cast. The producers have undoubtedly spent countless hours researching classic 80s movies and adding their own creative plot to the movie mix they had already concocted. The actors, especially the children, are incredibly talented and empathetic to their characters’ personal backgrounds and role in the plot. Everyone ties in together some way or another, whether it be Will’s mother, Will’s friend’s sister, or a kindhearted restaurant owner who tries to help Eleven after she wanders into his diner in the first episode (sorry, Benny).

The clothes, hair, electronics and overall aesthetic are modeled after the early 80s so perfectly it’s hard to believe that Stranger Things came out in 2016. Even the filter used to edit the scenery gives everything a neon-meets-conservative hue that is identifiable with the erratic era.

Needless to say, I binge-watched the entire thing in one day. Stranger Things earns an A- from me. The only reason the minus is there is because season two was just announced for 2017, and considering where the series left off, I am confident that the producers will have more material to work with. I’m predicting that Stranger Things season two will be a solid A.