Secret Cinema presents Stranger Things review ★★★★★

Entering Secret Cinema is like stepping through an inter-dimensional portal; reality melts into fantasy. Since their inception in 2007, their cinematic experiences have immersed ticket-holders into the worlds of Blade Runner, Romeo + Juliet, and recently Casino Royale to accommodate an exuberant film screening.

Secret Cinema presents Stranger Things is different, for better and worse. It’s Secret Cinema’s first venture into TV, which is no surprise considering how cinematic and popular the ‘80s-inspired horror series is. And there’s no actual screening as such — at least, not in the traditional sense. For the most part, it’s a gloriously colourful plunge into the world of Hawkins, Indiana, with plenty of series-related stories to unlock along the way.

Image credit: © Secret Cinema - Luke Dyson

But reality starts to blur beforehand, when queuing for the super-secret London location. Standing in the cold with visible breath, we’re surrounded by leather coats, denim jackets, multi-coloured blazers, red bandanas, big hair, dark eyeliner, fish-nets, and T-shirts pasted with The Clash and Blondie and Led Zeppelin.

Everyone’s dressed for the occasion, as instructed, and waiting for the doors of the Starcourt Mall to open. The imposing neon sign is in sight, bathed under a cool blue light. Hawkins awaits.

The three-plus hours spent inside this American shopping mall from 1985 distorts any sense of 2019 London. Once the doors open, it’s like Eleven running into Starcourt at the beginning of Stranger Things 3: wide-eyed, bedazzled amazement.

Scoops Ahoy! is in sight, as is the Palace Arcade (complete with Pac-Man, Space Invaders and more). Beyond the Mall is an area of even greater scale, which we’re not allowed to reveal here. Rest assured: it’s crazy, strange, and meticulous like a Netflix fever dream.

Image credit: © Secret Cinema - Luke Dyson

As press, we're guided into a special marquee with old typewriters on wooden tables. The suited-up Editor-in-Chief of The Hawkins Post orders us to find as many stories from as many characters as possible. We have to reveal the secret happenings in Hawkins, engendering our own journey(s). Much of it unravels like a free-form role-playing game (Dungeons & Dragons, anyone?), picking and choosing which path to take.

There’s the occasional push into a certain direction by the bright-smiled, Americanised actors littered around, which can feel a little forceful at times. But there's always a twinge of fanatic joy when bumping into familiar characters, played by impeccably cast lookalikes. They rush around seamlessly like nobody's watching, and we walk into their scenes (taken from the series) as if by accident.

Image credit: © Secret Cinema - Luke Dyson

It’s more interactive theatre than cinema and, for this introverted critic, the encouragement to approach people can be stressful — but it's ultimately and hilariously rewarding. Equally, there’s often not enough stress: the horror that makes Stranger Things so immersive is strangely relaxed for most of the night.

There’s plenty of food (meat and vegan) and drink (alcoholic and otherwise), to the point where it’s advisable to enter with an empty stomach. The drunker attendees deflate some of the later activities, and they just love to enunciate their annoying babble. Perhaps serving alcohol wasn’t such a great idea, but all the sounds and displays and adventures are loud enough to block them out.

At the end of this fantastic evening, after exiting Hawkins and re-entering the wet London chill, reality takes some getting used to. Even though three-and-a-half hours have passed, legs aching from standing too long, it's hard not to yearn for another Hawkins reunion. Maybe it's time to watch all three seasons of Stranger Things again...

Secret Cinema presents Stranger Things opens on Wednesday 13 November, and continues until Sunday 23 February 2020.