‘Stranger Things 2’ Opening Was Inspired By ‘The Dark Knight’

The Duffer Brothers talk about how the opening scene of 'Stranger Things 2' was somewhat inspired by Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'.

Stranger Things David Harbour Netflix

MINOR SPOILER WARNING: The following article explores the opening scene of Stranger Things 2. Read at your own risk. 

The moment Stranger Things 2 was finally available to stream on Netflix, millions of viewers logged into their respective accounts and began their binge. Right out the gate, fans were taken outside of Hawkins, Indiana and were witnessing a suspenseful chase taking place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The chase ends with Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen) using her special powers against the cops, revealing that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) was not the only one with special gifts.

This opening scene served for a suspenseful, exciting opening for viewers as they returned to the world of Stranger Things. Interestingly enough, this opening scene took some notes from one of modern filmmaking’s masters of suspense, Christopher Nolan – particularly his film, The Dark Knight. 

According to co-creator Matt Duffer, the opening scene took some inspiration from the acclaimed Batman film:

“We were definitely going for [a Dark Knight vibe]. Some of this stuff happens subconsciously, so I’m sure, yeah, we were ripping off Chris Nolan. Some of it was deliberately. We put on movie music when we write — I know I wrote that [scene] to The Dark Knight score or The Matrix, one or the other. But we love that kind of film, and we don’t usually get to explore that kind of vibe or tone on the show, so I think that’s really why we did it.”

Despite being a scene that served as set-up for the season’s divisive episode, “The Lost Sister”, what this detour gave viewers was a sense that these strange things happening are not exclusive to Hawkins, Indiana but may be more widespread than originally believed.

Stranger Things 2 stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, and Noah Schnapp. In addition to Astin, the series has also added Paul Reiser (Aliens), Brett Gelman (Jobs), Dacre Montgomery (Power Rangers), Danish actress Linnea Berthelsen, and Broadway star Sadie Sink into the mix as well. Here’s the official synopsis:

“It’s 1984 and the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana are still reeling from the horrors of the Demogorgon and the secrets of Hawkins Lab. Will Byers has been rescued from the Upside Down but a bigger, sinister entity still threatens those who survived.”

Stranger Things 2 is now available on Netflix.

Source: Vulture 

Noah Villaverde

Noah Villaverde

Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic