STRANGER THINGS Originally Featured R-Rated Violence with Eleven Brutally Murdering People
The instant classic '80s set retro series Stranger Things was originally supposed to be a lot more hardcore than we ended up seeing on Netflix. When the Duffer Bros. started developing it, they were planning something much darker with a hardcore rated R tone. This included vulgar language and the fan-favorite character Eleven brutally killing people.
Ross Duffer discussed these early plans with Vulture at the Golden Globes. It's really interesting to see some of the details that he revealed. Stranger Things could have been a much crazier show than it what it already was. Duffer explained:
“The Eleven character, the kind of powers she has and to have a young protagonist that’s violent — it’s not E.T. It’s not a happy situation. She’s killing people, and brutally murdering them.”
He went on to say:
“The original pilot was much more violent. It was originally like an R-rated thing. Winona’s character was like, ‘Eff this, eff that!’ It felt a little bit unnecessary. I don’t feel like we sacrificed anything by toning it down a little bit.”
I don't think anything was sacrificed either. The series ended up being perfect the way it was. I'm actually really happy that they toned it down more for family audiences because I had a blast watching the series with my kids! But it would have been interesting to see Eleven go even more ballistic in season one!
Ross went on to talk a little bit about season two, giving us a little insight into what Will is:
“This gateway to another dimension is still open, so that’s not a good thing. Will was in another dimension for a while, so he may not be quite up to par. Those are the two things that are gonna kick-start us moving forward.”
I'm so stoked for the return of Stranger Things! I think I'm going to have an Eggo waffle viewing party! The series returns in July.