Why do stories about monsters captivate audiences? We know these stories and its monsters aren’t real. We know the tension will inevitably build, keeping us to reach for the next episode. We know the good guys will come out on top eventually. 

“Stranger Things” is a global phenomenon that has garnered more than a billion views. This record-breaking show is beloved for its monsters, suspense, and epic battles between good and evil. Yet as the show’s fictional town of Hawkins holds another dimension, it offers surprising depth and familiar realities beneath the science fiction thrills. 

What resonates isn’t just the action, it’s the people — ordinary kids and tired parents — all standing in the gap between light and darkness.

Long before the fictional demogorgons and the villain Vecna were manifested onto our screens, Scripture told us a story like this, one where darkness entered the world quietly, where evil distorted what was good, and where hope had to be fought for. That story began in Genesis.

“Stranger Things” is not a gospel allegory. Thankfully, there are no demogorgons lurking in Leviticus. However, the show taps into something true. C.S. Lewis called stories like this “true myths” or fictional worlds that echo eternal realities. From season one to season five, three familiar themes keep us tuning into the science fiction of it all: the necessity of community, the urgency of memory, and the power of sacrificial love. 

The Battle Is Real

What makes “Stranger Things” unsettling isn’t just the monsters; it’s the slow realization that something unseen is always at work.

The “Upside Down,” or the darkness that overtakes Hawkins, reveals itself slowly, lurking close but just out of sight. It distorts. It preys on fear, trauma, and isolation. By the time characters recognize the threat, the battle has already begun.

That feels uncomfortably familiar.

Scripture reminds us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV). The real fight is rarely obvious. Spiritual battles often look like anxiety that won’t loosen its grip, temptation that feels relentless, or despair that whispers God has gone quiet.

Darkness is rarely dramatic at first. It’s subtle, whispering half-truths and planting seeds of doubt.

One of the dangers of modern faith is assuming that if something doesn’t look spiritual, it isn’t. But “Stranger Things” reminds us that the most dangerous threats are often the ones we underestimate. The battle goes beyond the physical — it’s a war fought in minds, hearts, and loyalties, waged by forces unseen. 

Recognizing the battle makes us alert. Paul, in Ephesians 6:10-20 doesn’t tell believers to panic but to open their eyes so they might endure. By putting on the full armor of God, believers can remain grounded when temptation knocks, and stand firm in the face of evil (Ephesians 6:13). Naming the battle gives us clarity to engage it wisely.

We Can’t Fight Alone

If we learned anything from the characters, it’s that no one survives the “Upside Down” alone. The powers at work are too strong to overcome in isolation. 

Eleven may be powerful, but she needs the encouragement and support of her friends. Mike offers leadership and strategy. Dustin provides scientific curiosity and much needed comic relief. Lucas’s loyalty, Will’s emotional intelligence, and Max’s grit work together to multiply their efforts. From Joyce and Hopper to Nancy and Steve, each character brings something different yet essential. The show echoes what Scripture has always declared:  Community is not optional, especially when facing darkness.

In Romans 12:4-8, Paul describes the church as a body with many parts, each serving different functions for one greater purpose. Our gifts are not given for individual fame. Instead, they contribute to collective strength. Teaching, encouraging, leading, serving, showing mercy: each matters, especially when the battle intensifies.

Isolation, on the other hand, is dangerous. In “Stranger Things,” characters become most vulnerable when cut off from one another. The same is true for us. Fear grows louder in isolation. Lies sound more convincing when no one is around to speak truth. Darkness prefers us alone. 

Community is both comforting and protective. Often, God fights for us through the faithfulness, prayers, and presence of others, brothers and sisters who remind us of who we are and who God is when we forget.

Remembering Inspires Courage

One of the most surprising tactics for fighting the darkness in the “Upside Down” is memory. Not super strength or lightning speed, but the ability to recall truth in the midst of fear and pain. Time and time again, the characters find themselves in impossible situations that seem hopeless. And the way characters fight back is surprisingly simple: They remember.

Max’s favorite song by Kate Bush connects her to reality, to life outside the “Upside Down.” Her memories of Lucas give her the strength she needs to continue searching for a way out of Vecna’s mind maze. Holly clings to a necklace given to her by her brother — a small, tangible reminder of bravery when everything feels wrong. Her necklace tethers her to what is true and inspires courage to fight back.

Scripture echoes this theme throughout the Old and New Testaments. Remembering is not passive nostalgia but spiritual resistance.

God commands His people to remember His faithfulness: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out with a mighty hand” (Deuteronomy 5:15a, NIV). Israel was instructed to talk about God’s commands daily, to bind them as symbols, to write them on doorframes, so abundance wouldn’t lead to forgetfulness (Deuteronomy 6:4-12).

Forgetting, biblically speaking, is not neutral. It leaves us vulnerable.

The psalmist urges us to “remember the wondrous works” of God (1 Chronicles 16:12, ESV). Paul reminds believers to “remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead” (2 Timothy 2:8, NIV). Ecclesiastes calls us to remember our Creator before distraction and decay set in (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

In a culture fueled by noise, doomscrolling, and outrage, remembering requires attention. But anchoring ourselves to what is unchanging steadies us when the world feels like it’s unraveling.

The Power of Sacrifice

Love, in “Stranger Things,” is measured by what someone is willing to lose. Much to Hopper’s dismay, Eleven repeatedly places herself in danger. She absorbs pain so others don’t have to. She chooses people over power, and friendship over safety.

This is where the story most clearly echoes the gospel.

Jesus did not save the world from a distance. He stepped into suffering, taking on flesh. He laid down His life so others might live. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NIV).

Eleven’s story, while fictional, reflects a truth written into reality itself: Real love costs something. Scripture defines love as self-giving and sacrificial. We are called to “walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:2, NIV). 

In “Stranger Things,” the most powerful moments aren’t when characters protect themselves, but when they protect one another. Sacrificial love disrupts darkness. And as followers of Jesus, we are called to reflect the same kind of self-giving love displayed on the cross. Our small, often unseen acts of self-denial and service matter greatly in the kingdom of God. 

Why Stories Like This Matter

We don’t love stories of good versus evil by accident. They resonate because they reflect reality.

The chaos and conflict in “Stranger Things” resembles the story of the fall in Genesis, where sin fractured creation. One day, darkness will be defeated once and for all when Christ returns and makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). Stories like “Stranger Things” give language to a universal longing for good to triumph over evil. 

We may never face demogorgons, but we are invited into a very real spiritual adventure. One where community matters, truth keeps us grounded, and sacrificial love pushes back darkness.

This article was originally titled “Stranger Things, Spiritual Truths” in the Summer 2026 issue of Peer.