While Matt and Ross Duffer are proud of “Stranger Things” — one of Netflix’s most successful original series – the show-running siblings will be the first to tell you that certain elements of their sci-fi horror adventure have aged poorly. They aren’t too keen on Season 1’s special effects, in particular.
“We’ve certainly learnt a lot about visual effects [since then],” Matt told the Radio Times. “I rewatch Season 1 and I cringe. It looks so much worse.”
Ross noted that their budget at the time was a far cry from what Netflix gives them to play with these days; meanwhile, Matt blamed Season 1’s visual shortcomings on their inexperience.
“[We] … didn’t know what we were doing,” he observed.
The Duffers declined to get specific about which shots from “Stranger Things” Season 1 don’t hold up, in their opinion. However, they aren’t the only ones who have highlighted issues with the series’ earliest visual effects.
The evolution of the Demogorgon
Some viewers note that the Demogorgon, in particular, doesn’t look quite like the monster we now know during its brief appearance in the first episode. “It’s too short, too humanoid, and its head doesn’t at all look like a Demogorgon’s, even one with a shut mouth,” wrote one Redditor.
There’s a pretty obvious reason for the inconsistency. “In Season 1 … we wanted to be able to shoot a man in a suit. We wanted to be able to do it practically,” Matt shared while promoting “Stranger Things” Season 4.
The Demogorgon is, indeed, actor Mark Steger in a suit during much of Season 1, but the old-school approach didn’t always pan out for the fledgling series. As Ross recalled, “There were a few computer graphics shots, like when he bursts out of the wall [in Episode 8]. We attempted it practically, and it’s a good thing no one saw. It would be ‘Mystery Science Theater’-kind of quality.”
According to the Duffers, budget limitations mandated that the Demogorgon remain largely in the shadows during the show’s early days. In more contemporary times, one of the most epic moments in “Stranger Things” Season 4 features a completely animated version of the Demogorgon (conjured up by Rodeo FX)battling a sword-wielding Jim Hopper (David Harbour) in a fully lit Russian prison.
