# Stranger Things theme



## emilybinx (Aug 22, 2016)

Hi all! I'm new to this forum, and appreciate all the resources I'm finding here. Y'all are a creative bunch and have given me some Halloween goals to aspire to - for instance, can't wait to build my first FCG!

For the past two years I've had a small Halloween party with old friends (6ish people total). 

*Year one* was a semi-successful murder mystery, where everyone was their favorite character from whatever fandom they liked best. So we had Tony Stark, Remus Lupin, Captain James T. Kirk, Willow Rosenberg, Sam Winchester, Hermione Granger and Lydia Martin all trapped in my apartment. All of their counterparts had gone missing (so, Pepper Potts, Sirius Black, Commander Spock, etc), and they were invited to my home to figure out whodunit. It was a ton of fun. My friends are cosplayers so they really got into the costumes. The "semi" in semi-successful came from the fact that I forgot I'd figured out an ending (and told the ending to the person who did it), and so thought I had no ending. So the end was a bit lame. But! People still had fun.

*Year two* we just got drunk and played a really intense game of Betrayal at House on the Hill (followed by a few more less-intense rounds), a game I HIGHLY recommend if you have a bunch of nerds who like games at a party. I think you can have a max of six players. You build your own haunted mansion as you go, and the bad guy is different every game (there are 52 possible monsters/quests, I think). 

*This year *I was thinking about a witch theme, but I really like for my parties to be involved rather than just drinking and hanging out in costume. I started to get into the history of witches, and then got intimidated by all of the history and worried about appropriation (because there are still practicing witches!!), so I abandoned that theme yesterday. 

Since then, I've been VERY focused on a _Stranger Things_ theme. Have you seen this show yet? It's on Netflix, and it's great. If you haven't, maybe don't read any more of this thread until you watch it - there are some spoilery things below. Right now, I have a few ideas kicking around about what I want to do:

_Play Dungeons and Dragons._ I've never played this before, so I have some learning to do, to write the story and then teach the others how to play. If anyone has any great resources for this, I'd appreciate pointers!

_Build a Will Wall._ I found a post in a thread in the Stranger Things Reddit (can't post links yet, but it's by *madhenofmirkwood* and the thread is called _[REQUEST] Set of Christmas lights that -- you know -- do something like this...._) that goes somewhat into detail of how to build one. That said, I have never programmed lights, and don't know my raspberry pi's from my elbows, so again - any pointers appreciated!

_Other decorations._ I live in a one-bedroom apartment in DC, so I have to get creative with decor. Not a lot of space for different areas. So these are my ideas so far:

Hallway - sensory deprivation, as in when Eleven is in that black nothingness, with the water on the floor that's reflecting her. Any ideas on how to stage/light that?
Stair landing - darkroom, as in where Jonathan develops his photos. I'll change the lightbulb there to a red one, and close it off somehow - sheets? - and hang up creepy photos.
Living area - Will's house with Will Wall. Think I'd like to make a creepy bulging wall person if I have time, but that's lowest priority. Lots of string lights. Any ideas about how I can make the lights flicker at will?
Bathroom - the Upside Down, as in the bathroom at the end of the series, where Will is flickering back and forth between the worlds. Thinking a disco ball for the creepy floating lights - maybe covered with mod podge and spotted with black paint, so there aren't so many reflections, and they aren't as sharp/bright? Any other ideas of how to get those weird floaties? Also - any idea how to make my walls appear all slimy without ruining them? Ha.
Under breakfast bar - Fort Byers

Any thoughts? Bright ideas? Other cool locations I could include? I'm pretty excited about this idea (as you might be able to tell). Thanks!


----------



## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

I agree that 'Stranger Things' would be an excellent and very cool theme, but I wonder how widespread its viewership might be, given that it's exclusive to Netflix?

Despite the cult following that it's rapidly acquired, are most people ('normies', as it were) even aware of the show?


----------



## emilybinx (Aug 22, 2016)

Fair point! However, my Halloween parties are super tiny and consist of a buncha nerds, rather than normies, so I'm all set in that regard.


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

love this idea...and the show. If u do a will wall u can add the alphabet letters and if your lucky enough to figure out the light flickering u could do a secret message. I'd also copy a bunch of the posters and have a stack lying in the living room.






Another idea would b to do the axed wall in the living room.

For the D & D room u could add a make shift tent like eleven stayed in....then just toss in lots of 80s posters and references. Maybe even some Eggo boxes


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Oh and don't forget about the phone, u can probably find one cheap...then just hit it with black spray paint to look like it fried out


----------



## Stochey (Sep 22, 2009)

This sounds so awesome!!!

I would sooo get along with your friends by the way based on their favorite characters!

So for DnD.... some people I know (okay, fine, I'm married to one of them) do this podcast where they play DnD and just generally be super vulgar and nerdy if you want something to listen to... I'm sure you could find tons of info on the web about how to play but maybe if you don't feel like reading stuff and just want something to get the idea of the game... here is a link:

www.partyrollpodcast.com

Just fair warning they get super offensive and vulgar! I'm told they're funny though!


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Saw this and loved the idea of a Barb seance
https://m.reddit.com/r/StrangerThin...ers_its_inevitable_stranger_things_halloween/

and if u do party favors...u should totally do MIXED TAPES LOL
(Or CDs but make a cover that looks like a mixed tape)


----------



## GobbyGruesome (Sep 14, 2005)

Eggos! 

There's probably something fun/creepy you could do with old walkie talkies.

and I'm sure you saw the "makeitstranger" title generator in the other thread. 

There's another DND podcast called Total Party Kill. Never listened to it but the individuals on it are pretty witty and I'm sure the production values are probably as good as you can get for that kind of show (and I'm guessing not terribly crude or vulgar, so an option if that's not your thing.)

Jealous of the DnDers. : (


----------



## Glitterati (Jul 27, 2016)

I want to do the wall with lights at our party, but Am not very electrically-talented  
I haven't found an easy fix yet - that would even have lights blink individually at random or something

Great theme! Please share pics when you have your party.


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

On the link I provided, someone suggested running 2 strands of lights. They wanted RUN to blink so they would use a blinking strand with just those 3 light bulbs and hide the strand among a steady on strand


----------



## Glitterati (Jul 27, 2016)

Hmmmm, I am tempted to try this. Kind of pricy but I already have so many DIY Halloween projects going on , this would save so much time and patience !
Thoughts ??!
https://www.amazon.com/Lumenplay-App-Enabled-Lights-1101483-Classic/dp/B00MLXNMMW


----------



## Jenn&MattFromPA (Sep 4, 2013)

Great plan! I love this show too! 

I like the idea of having some MISSING posters - do some for both Will & Barb. 
You can also print out some of the memes or use the Stranger Things font for some of the great quotes - "Mornings are for coffee & contemplation." (Hop) or "Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?" by Dustin, etc. 

See if you can get your hands on some other 80s things for the vibe you want to create - Rubik's cubes, food or drink from the era, DVD cases for other movies in that time frame, etc. 

There are some fun Stranger Things prints & bags and other themed things on Etsy. Do a search - maybe you can order a couple of the posters. 

I think it would be fun to make a fake bear trap & have an axe around - like Jonathan & Nancy bought, and like Joyce sat on the couch with. 

For your bathroom Upside Down - buy some painter's drop cloths or white sheets at thrift stores. Cut them in panels either to fit your walls & then paint ooey, gooey ooze on them and then maybe spraypaint it with a shiny finish so it looks wet. Or trim the cloth into pieces that actually look like drips & just paint those & hang them around the walls. Maybe you can hang strands of fishing line from the ceiling that you glue bits of cotton balls or dryer lint onto so it looks like that floating stuff. You can use Command Strips for hanging stuff from the walls & ceiling - they won't damage the paint or tile. 

You've gotta be playing The Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go" inside Fort Byers, at least!

In the darkroom, if you can print screenshots of the photos Jonathon took of Nancy & Barb, and other photos of woods, then string a clothesline around & hang the photos from them like they are "dripping", that would be awesome. Have a camera or two around & maybe some of those old film canisters that were black with gray tops. 

Go buy a bunch of cheap lamps from thrift stores and place them in a corner of your main room - some with shades, some without. Plug 'em all in and maybe use some blinking light bulbs in some of them too. 

I don't know that they are inexpensive, but if you could get a Millenium Falcon and suspend it in front of Fort Byers with fishing line from the ceiling, that would be pretty fun! Then people could sit right behind it & in front of the tent for a photo op! 

I want to come to your party!


----------



## miles (Sep 18, 2013)

This show is absolutely my favorite thing, and this party sounds like the perfect theme...however lol if you plan on playing D&D that will take you *hours* to do. character creation can easily become an hour to 2 hours, especially for new comers. I agree with having a D&D podcast playing in the background, if this is your way of getting into it then yes play. I think the party atmosphere will help get everyone ready to play


----------



## TheEvilTwin (Aug 26, 2016)

I love stranger things, brilliant show.
If you are looking for DnD like games that don't require as much pre-planning castle ravencroft and lords of waterdeep are very good.

The bulging wall would be very awesome.


----------



## Vater (Oct 10, 2014)

Glitterati said:


> Hmmmm, I am tempted to try this. Kind of pricy but I already have so many DIY Halloween projects going on , this would save so much time and patience !
> Thoughts ??!
> https://www.amazon.com/Lumenplay-App-Enabled-Lights-1101483-Classic/dp/B00MLXNMMW


Well these will make cool effects out of the box, but aren't individually addressable. So you wouldn't be able to control each bulb to make a message. Not sure if that's what you're going for. I purchased an Arduino Uno microcontroller and a WS2811 DC5v LED pixel string (with C9 bulb style) and am working on this project. I have a simple script written in C++ to make the LED blink individually to create messages. I'm a beginner myself, this project requires some patience but nothing too overly difficult. "Dyne" is very knowledgable with this sort of stuff and has helped me out a lot. 

I'll post a write-up hopefully within the next week or two once I get it working.


----------



## James Davidson (Aug 6, 2014)

I'm going all out on this theme, I bought the controller for the individually addressable lights, I have a white service van lined up, sourcing bikes and 80s lamps, creating a life size animatronic monster jump scare etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Glitterati (Jul 27, 2016)

OMGGGGGG, THIS SOUNDS AWESOME!!! Please take video and photos, I want to see everything!!
Have you done work/programming on lights before? Trying to gauge difficulty...I don't even mind too much if the lights don't spell specific words and just light up individually....I am just very intimidated by the idea of DIYing this type of things.
PS - i live in GA too!!!


----------



## James Davidson (Aug 6, 2014)

Glitterati said:


> OMGGGGGG, THIS SOUNDS AWESOME!!! Please take video and photos, I want to see everything!!
> Have you done work/programming on lights before? Trying to gauge difficulty...I don't even mind too much if the lights don't spell specific words and just light up individually....I am just very intimidated by the idea of DIYing this type of things.
> PS - i live in GA too!!!


The smart pixels were easy. The manual relay programming is the current tricky part 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Vater (Oct 10, 2014)

James Davidson said:


> The smart pixels were easy. The manual relay programming is the current tricky part
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I included the code I used if you want to add a short-circuit flicker effect to the LED's before they spell the message out. See it in this thread:

I posted the code I used here: http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/152337-my-stranger-things-alphabet-wall.html


----------



## James Davidson (Aug 6, 2014)

Vater said:


> I included the code I used if you want to add a short-circuit flicker effect to the LED's before they spell the message out. See it in this thread:
> 
> I posted the code I used here: http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/152337-my-stranger-things-alphabet-wall.html


Great! Thank you so much! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MikeinMunich (Sep 10, 2013)

This thread inspired me a bit. I think they're all great ideas. I'm personally not going with a full Stranger Things theme but I think the Will Wall might be a good idea for a random wall I don't have filled. I just have too many decorations and not enough time to create an entirely new theme. 

That being said - the Stranger Things text generator looks GREAT on a facebook party invite. Sent my save the dates out yesterday and I think that gives the party the right feel based on the image. Just FYI - you can't use spaces on the generator. It has to be two individual words. Whatever - it looks great! Happy decorating!


----------



## Vater (Oct 10, 2014)

MikeinMunich said:


> View attachment 341345
> View attachment 341345
> 
> 
> ...


Very cool, I may do something similar since I'll have the Will Wall running..it'd be a great hint on what my guests can expect. I saw pics from your past parties and your carnevil decor is very impressive. Great job!


----------



## James Davidson (Aug 6, 2014)

Here's my Stranger Things show: https://youtu.be/N9lMJZYfg0Q and here are the rest of the videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTSwUo4cOVYJO3wZYA8MGhZe1bjrq0d3n


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Demented Diva (Apr 20, 2016)

James Davidson said:


> Here's my Stranger Things show: https://youtu.be/N9lMJZYfg0Q and here are the rest of the videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTSwUo4cOVYJO3wZYA8MGhZe1bjrq0d3n
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Wow! You did an amazing job! I appreciate authenticity of the scenes and I'm sure, in person, it felt like you were walking through the actual set.
Loved the comments in your videos. Job well done.


----------



## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

How fun! Looks like the crowds really got into it. While I love the whole alphabet room set, I appreciate the Hawkins Power and Light van for that extra bit of realism.


----------

