Eerie, Indiana: the bizarre horror-mystery that predates Stranger Things Stranger Things’ smash-hit success seemed to come out of nowhere. With little hype or fanfare, viewers were drawn to the supernatural […]

Stranger Things’ smash-hit success seemed to come out of nowhere.

With little hype or fanfare, viewers were drawn to the supernatural Netflix show largely through word-of-mouth and positive reviews.

Blending classic horror-mystery tropes with ’80s nostalgia, TV audiences hadn’t really seen anything like it before.

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Or had they?

A similar quest for weirdness

Rewind 25 years, and there was another mysterious show, also set in rural Indiana.

And Eerie, Indiana had more in common with Stranger Things than just the US state the drama unfolds in.

Originally running between 1991 and 1992, the show followed Marshall Teller, a teenager whose family had moved to the titular town (population: 16,661).

A USA Today review described the show as “Stephen King by way of The Simpsons”

Soon after arriving, he bumps into youngster Simon Holmes, one of the few normal people in Eerie.

Statistically speaking, Eerie is the most average town imaginable, but as Marshall warns viewers in the show’s opening credits: “statistics lie”.

As a means to pass the time, the pair set themselves on a quest to investigate every act of weirdness in the town on their trusty bicycles, to prove that Eerie is the strangest place on the planet.

‘Twin Peaks for kids’

The town turns out to be more than odd.

If you thought Stranger Things’ retro-fitted mystery made for a uneasy atmosphere, Eerie, Indiana is even more bizarre.

It brought tales of intelligent dogs planning to take over the world, Bigfoot – and a still-living Elvis.

It recalled the work of David Lynch in “its depiction of horrors that lurk beneath suburban conformity”.

Seen by some as ‘Twin Peaks for kids’, Eerie, Indiana was aimed squarely at families and children.

With tongue firmly in cheek, it also tackled subjects that went beyond traditional horror tropes. In one episode, Simon discovered a magical ATM that dispensed copious amounts of money, making him more popular in the process.

The catch? It sank Eerie into a financial depression.

Stephen King-esque

A fourth-wall breaking penultimate episode saw Marshall find a television script which transported him behind-the-scenes, into an alternate dimension where his friends and family were the actors on the show.

He was even referred to as Omri Katz – the actor’s real name.

There were more ‘typical’ horror episodes too of course.

But Marshall’s role as an existentially depressed teenager meant he was worried about more than just the usual monsters.

Standalone episodes gave the show more of an anthology feel, as if Stephen King had written a series of particularly surreal treatments for TV, with separate storylines that could be dipped into in no particular order.

‘Absurdist suburban dread’

Eerie, Indiana won widespread praise from critics.

Entertainment Weekly said: “Watch Eerie for the spectacle, to see the way directors like Joe Dante and Tim Hunter summon up absurdist suburban dread.”

Dante is probably best-known for directing Gremlins. Hunter, meanwhile, who also helmed a handful of episodes, actually worked on Twin Peaks. He has since gone on to direct instalments of such lauded shows as Breaking Bad, Deadwood and American Horror Story.

Eerie, Indiana frequently paid tribute to its roots. It made countless references to classic films, and was littered with in-jokes.

A USA Today review described the show as “Stephen King by way of The Simpsons”, and saying it recalled the work of David Lynch in “its garish depiction of the lurid and silly horrors that lurk beneath suburban conformity”.

The strangest things

Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers have not cited Eerie, Indiana as a source of inspiration, but the shows certainly share a lot of DNA.

Kids riding around on bikes solving mysteries; strange goings-on in the rural backwaters of America’s heartland; and that off-kilter, King-esque vibe.

Bizarre and strange, but with plenty to say under the surface, Eerie, Indiana is worth revisiting for Stranger Things fans.

And a surprisingly engaging watch for those who idolise both Lynch and King.

Stranger Things 2 debuts on Netflix on 27 October