The Spiritual Side Of ‘Stranger Things’: 3 Ways Faith Shapes The Netflix Series
The hit series “Stranger Things” has become one of the biggest shows ever streamed on Netflix. The series, featuring a nostalgic mix of 1980s pop culture, government conspiracies and creatures from another dimension, have captivated millions across the world.
While the series is about the supernatural with a sci-fi twist, “Stranger Things” delves into a surprisingly deep exploration of faith, highlighted primarily by a spiritual struggle between good and evil.
Twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, who created the series, may not have ever set out to tell a religious story, but “Stranger Things” — whose fifth and final season in three parts premieres on Wednesday — does tap into the same timeless themes found in spiritual texts. Shawn Levy has worked as the series’ director and executive producer.
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Season 5 is set in the fall of 1987. The fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, is turned into a wasteland as the show’s protagonists must find and kill Vecna. At the same time, the town is under military quarantine as the hunt for Eleven grows.
“Having watched the final version of the final episode of the final season of ‘Stranger Things,’ it is a masterpiece,” Levy said recently. “The Duffers have stuck that landing. So 10 out of 10 perfect. And I know it sounds like I’m kind of promoting my own show, but this is really said with just deference and tremendous respect to Matt and Ross, who wrote and directed that finale episode. And it is so deeply satisfying and moving. I have to say, it wrecked me.”
Levy said he and the Duffers have talked about getting the finale right.
“Sticking the landing is imperative,” Levy added. “A lot of sins are forgotten and forgiven if you can stick the landing. I won’t name the movies where this applies, where the middle is saggy and flawed, but boy, if they stick the landing, that’s what you take with you. It was always a non-negotiable mandate — a self-given mandate — to stick the landing.”
Here are three storylines tied to religion that have shaped “Stranger Things”:
Good vs. evil
At the heart of “Stranger Things” is a cosmic struggle that’s more than just physical. The Upside Down, a dark world that mirrors Earth — is not just a sci-fi concept, but represents spiritual darkness. Like hell, it is a place where fear, guilt and pain manifests into living nightmares.
The monsters that emerge from it, from the Demogorgon to Vecna, resemble demonic entities that feed on human weakness. Vecna, in particular, acts like a fallen angel — a devil-like figure consumed by pride and hatred, drawing strength from tormenting others. The series also tackled the “satanic panic” of the ‘80s.
“Vecna is the ultimate accuser, tormenting his victims with their darkest thoughts, their sense of self-disgust, and feelings of guilt and shame before he kills them,” Sophie Caldecott wrote in Humanum. “He attempts to convince them that they are unlovable, beyond redemption, without hope.”
Meanwhile, the kids of in the fictitious Indiana town of Hawkins — Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will and their friends — form a kind of spiritual resistance. Their weapons aren’t crosses or holy water but love and courage. The power of friendship, often dismissed as sentimental, becomes a force of light that literally repels darkness.
Messianic figure vs. the occult
Few characters embody the idea of a “chosen one” more than Eleven. From the moment she appears, head shaved and frightened, she carries the weight of being different — marked by powers that both bless and curse her. Eleven’s story arc is full of biblical echoes. She is misunderstood and destined to face evil alone. She sacrifices herself at the end of Season 1 to defeat the Demogorgon — an act that parallels Jesus’ crucifixion — and then experiences a resurrection of sorts the following season.
“The show’s protagonist is a girl named Eleven. She is pretty clearly a Christ figure (her nickname, El, even means “God” in Hebrew),” Wesley Walker noted in Relevant. “She has a mysterious birth story and her true father is never mentioned, even though her mother does make an appearance. She possesses seemingly miraculous telekinetic powers.”
Even Eleven’s relationships — her friends serve almost like followers or disciples — reflect the redemptive power of love. She saves others with compassion and connection. Though religion is never explicitly mentioned in “Stranger Things,” its visual and narrative language borrows heavily from religious and occult symbolism. Crosses often appear subtly in scenes of mourning, grounding the series in small-town Christian culture.
At the same time, there’s also a fascinating tension between science and the supernatural. The lab that created Eleven represents humanity’s quest for God-like power in an effort to open forbidden doors and control what should remain unseen.
Redemption vs. forgiveness
Despite its many monsters, “Stranger Things” is ultimately a story about the spiritual theme of redemption.
Steve Harrington’s transformation from arrogant high-school jock to selfless hero and mentor reveals that grace is even for the least likely person. Also, Hopper’s journey is one of atonement — seeking forgiveness for his failures as a father — by finding new purpose in protecting Eleven. A character like Billy Hargrove, whose cruelty is born from his own inner demons, receives moments of grace before his death.
The most moving storyline may be Eleven’s painful process of forgiving Dr. Brenner, who manipulated her from an early age. Forgiveness doesn’t erase her suffering, but it frees her from it.
“Stranger Things” is not a religious series, but is deeply spiritual. It reminds viewers that faith can take many forms: Belief in friends, hope in the face of loss and light defying darkness.
Clemente Lisi is executive editor at Religion Unplugged.