Stranger Things

What’s it about?

A group of friends in Hawkins, Indiana, have their lives turned upside down when one of them mysteriously goes missing; as his mother desperately searches for him, strange supernatural forces begin to surface, and a mysterious girl with extraordinary abilities appears, leading the group to uncover a dark secret lurking beneath their town.

Stranger Things appeals to teenage audiences, with many having aged through their teenage years as the show released new seasons. Because of this, each new season tends to have more graphic content than the previous one. Here are the content warnings for each season:

Season 1 –  M | Horror, violence

Season 2 – 13 | Horror

Season 3 – 13 | Horror

Season 4 – 16 | Horror, graphic violence

The facts

• Created by The Duffer Brothers
• Starring Winona Ryder (Edward Scissorhands), David Harbour (Black Widow), Finn Wolfhard (It), Millie Bobby Brown (Godzilla vs. Kong), Gaten Matarazzo (Honor Society), Caleb McLaughlin (Concrete Cowboy), and Natalia Dyer (Velvet Buzzsaw)
• English language
• 8 episodes, 50 minutes per episode, on average
• Series awarded 12 Primetime Emmy

Why did it get this rating?

This series was self-rated by Netflix. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Violence

This show contains various bloody, violent scenes, with some scenes depicting large amounts of blood splatter and people being killed, but the actual killing is not always shown. It often places child characters in danger from an alien monster.

Often, there are scenes where it feels like something violent is going to happen. Often these scenes are followed by a jump care or something comedic.

Some of the strongest moments of violence include:

• We see an alien monster eating a bloodied deer that it killed earlier.
• A creature tears apart and eats several people. This is very bloody, but most of the violence occurs offscreen.
• A character is eaten alive by a monster.

Horror

This series follows a group of teenagers who are hunted by a menacing and frightening monster. Its appearance is likely to frighten viewers, with a large face that opens revealing sharp teeth and an overall slimy and fleshy body. There are various creepy and unsettling scenes throughout.

There are jump scares and intense scenes, especially when characters are close to being killed. The “upside down” is a scary place with an eerie and creepy environment. One dead girl is shown slowly decomposing and moulded into the ground in an unsettling way.

Suicide references

Government agents shoot an innocent man in the head, killing him and faking his suicide.

Content that may disturb

Trauma is depicted in the form of a teen girl’s flashbacks to being locked up, brainwashed, and experimented on in a windowless room alone, by a man who she calls “papa.”

Sexual references

Sexual references occur numerous times, with phrases such as, “blow me,” “virgins,” and “pull out.”

There is a teenage male character who is seen spying on a teenage female whilst she is undressing in her home. No detail is shown, but the scene is presented as wrong. When he is caught and confronted about it, another character suggests that he was “saving the photos for later.”

Magazine pictures involving almost nude woman are depicted in the background on walls, but there is no actual nudity.

A male’s buttocks are shown in a non-sexual way.

Offensive language

This series contains the use of offensive language, such as “b*tch,” “a**,” “d*ck,” “sh*t,” “bastard,” “p*ssy,” and a couple uses of “f**k.” There are also a few uses of offensive and derogatory words, such as “wh*re,” “sl*t,” and “f*ggot.”

The middle finger is used in insult a few times throughout the show.

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Navigating Early Horror Experiences: Don't Let Nostalgia Get in the Way of Good Choices! | Classification Office
• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters