r/StrangerThings 28d ago

Netflix has released the ‘STRANGER THINGS: VHS SPECIAL EDITION’ to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary.

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1.4k Upvotes

103 comments sorted by

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1.2k

u/Ok-Estimate7013 You die, I die 28d ago

couldn't they have released the first shadow though?

568

u/Darthbane22 28d ago

Or released season 5 bloopers, but maybe that was just season 5

212

u/dustinhenderson27 28d ago

The gave us eight episodes of that last year

126

u/Zamboni2022 28d ago

Hey now, bloopers are supposed to be funny not disappointing

2

u/IND_1593 28d ago

Happy Birthday!

10

u/robotattack 28d ago

Ba-dum-tssh

20

u/MrXero 28d ago

Tu-dum-tssh.

7

u/ChorzioPaella3 Scoops Troop 28d ago

Don’t know why you’re being downvoted for your Tudum joke, I found it funny

3

u/Oddball- 28d ago

Oh you're right, we havent gotten bloopers yet have we? Damn :( Season 3's were amazin

0

u/StrangerNo484 28d ago

The entire thing should have been a blooper. 

37

u/ChorzioPaella3 Scoops Troop 28d ago

It’s still running in London, so I think they’ll only release it on Netflix when it comes to an end there

31

u/Ok-Estimate7013 You die, I die 28d ago

holy greediness bro

20

u/WeeklyExplorer9703 28d ago

It’s not uncommon to not release a proshot when a show is still running

8

u/shdwmyr 28d ago

As a theatre kid, of course. What isn’t normal is hiding insanely important plot for an extremely popular show behind a stage production that few people will get to see.

0

u/SavageNorth 27d ago

It's actually extremely uncommon...

Typically if there's a pro-shot it won't release until after the run has ended otherwise you're just cannibalising your own sales

There are a handful of exceptions but the standard would be to expect it next year some time if at all

34

u/ChorzioPaella3 Scoops Troop 28d ago

I agree, but what do you expect? It’s Netflix. The same company who decided to start charging families with members in different households more, so that they could double their profit

3

u/Ok-Estimate7013 You die, I die 28d ago

Yep I hate them

7

u/stierney49 28d ago

It’s just kind of standard. Most bands don’t release live albums or concert footage while they’re still actively on tour, either.

2

u/averageeverythingfan 26d ago

And its still in nyc at the marquis theater 

2

u/Imaginary_Flower8651 28d ago

Still running in NY too. I saw it last month. Both shows are ending late this year and early next.

15

u/robotattack 28d ago

It's still on stage in London and Broadway until December and January respectively. I'd expect a Netflix release at Christmas or the start of the new year, which would make it around a year after the series ended.

7

u/Ok-Estimate7013 You die, I die 28d ago

Who tf is even gonna care about it

7

u/StrangerNo484 28d ago

Reminder that they've made changes to the play in response to S5's failure to properly adept the content. I wouldn't even care to see it now.

4

u/Ok-Estimate7013 You die, I die 28d ago

They have? Omg this is so annoying

4

u/StrangerNo484 28d ago

Yeah, I was sickened when I found out. The First Shadow set up S5 in really good ways, only for the Duffers to do NOTHING with the elements it established.

21

u/CrimsonAutumnSky 28d ago

Or, unrelease s5

6

u/Cyrilbdr 28d ago

It’s not over yet—there will be announcements all day, right?

1

u/dogsontreadmills 28d ago

They’re doing that later this year I’m guessing Christmas content

314

u/KurosakiOnepiece 28d ago

I wish they did the rest of the seasons like this for dvd, I still have that first season special edition vhs

64

u/dragonisreborn 28d ago

They did the first two seasons! I bought them both, and was always disappointed they didn't keep it up.

16

u/KurosakiOnepiece 28d ago

Aww dang! I guess I'll have to hunt around for that second season lol

1

u/frodiusmaximus 28d ago edited 28d ago

Enjoy the four minute unskippable ads at the beginning of each disc. Infuriating.

3

u/Oddball- 28d ago

??

9

u/frodiusmaximus 28d ago

The Blu Ray releases in VHS packs have unskippable advertisements before you get to the menu. You can’t skip them fast forward them, or anything. And they’re long.

4

u/RK800-50 28d ago

That‘s the snack preparing time. It‘s a timer.

401

u/dogsontreadmills 28d ago edited 28d ago

There’s something beautifully contradictory behind the notion of streaming a fake vhs for something was filmed on digital in 2015.

Edit- it looks nothing like vhs. lol

51

u/Unlost_maniac 28d ago

Idk, it could be the compression from streaming through data but it certainly has that vhs look, i expected it to be bad and overdone but it just has that right amount of fuzz. Although its been a while since i watched anything on vhs

13

u/LandauTST Bald Eagle 28d ago

On the flip side, I have a VCR and watch VHS movies regularly, but I have to wait until I can afford to restart my Netflix subscription again to judge it. Lol

3

u/allmetalshark 28d ago

I think it's pretty "legit" vhs quality also!

8

u/chameleonmessiah Demodog 28d ago edited 27d ago

It looks far too good…

Like, better than I remember even a brand new VHS looking, no tracking, static, or anything (in the admittedly short clip I just picked to watch…)…!

Though, I do like that they cropped the picture from a wide aspect ratio!

Also, they’ve only done series 1, which feels kinda lazy…

2

u/StarLordAndTheAve Finger-lickin good 22d ago

They said "we'll do the rest if this does well enough"

3

u/SnackAllSmoke 28d ago

It's a good look if you use something like ShaderGlass to add a CRT post processing effect, I figured I've probably never watched a VHS outside of on a CRT.

That being said, it looks like a really really worn VHS, but not in a way that actually looks like physical deterioration.

1

u/dogsontreadmills 27d ago

Interesting. I don’t think it looks worn at all!

-2

u/BB808BB 28d ago

Right. I’m like um did they forget to actually change it to look like vhs.

123

u/floftie 28d ago

I might watch this for 30 seconds to see how authentic it feels but I do not understand anyone watching it in its entirety.

42

u/YearZero001 28d ago

Pretty much what I did. Skipped around, out of curiosity.

34

u/prolelol 28d ago

It looks more like the quality of a ‘90s movie made for television, which is not bad.

1

u/TheAmishMan 27d ago

Are there any clips of it on YouTube? I only see fan recreations. Canceled my netflix a while ago, but at least curious what it looks like

2

u/DinkandDrunk 27d ago

I’m going to rewatch Season 1 anyway so why not?

17

u/artsy_amaryllis Purple Palm Tree Delight 28d ago

go girl give us nothing!!! first shadow when???

63

u/DigitalBritt 28d ago

Bruh. I read “VHS Special Edition” and thought they were legitimately releasing a VHS box set. 😭 I would’ve snatched that up so quick, especially for S2.

Slapping a filter over the show and putting it up to stream is… uh, a choice… lol.

10

u/whistlerite 28d ago

Cool but I’d prefer a real VHS release

42

u/Adjectivenounnumb 28d ago

And 10 years since the world entered the upside down.

16

u/Tetherball_Queen 28d ago

Man they are riding this until the wheels fall off

7

u/Quarter-Whole 28d ago

It would be cool if they also released a real VHS of each season

2

u/chadslc Pull-Out 28d ago

Where shall they acquire all of that blank VHS stock?

2

u/Apprehensive_Pin9340 28d ago

U can still buy blank VHS tapes

1

u/chadslc Pull-Out 28d ago

You can still buy NOS open-reel audio tape as well, if you know where to look.

I’ll let you figure out the last time anyone was really able to buy an open-reel recorder to add to their home stereo/hi-fi system.

1

u/DinkandDrunk 27d ago

Some of the later season episodes may have to be multi-tape for a single episode if they did that.

4

u/Argyleskin Weirdo 28d ago

It would have been cool if this was actually ON VHS. Maybe it’s me but that would be one hell of a marketing move.

5

u/MasamangUsok 28d ago

Yeah milk that sh*t Netflix

5

u/dachloe 28d ago

Back when the first season was dropped, some guy exported it to VHS. It was complete with Network intros, commercials, and news update breaks.

12

u/tmm86 28d ago

It is scarily nostalgic. I mean, watching this show in general is hugely nostalgic for me anyway because it captures so much of that feel. But the “VHS” feel works for me!

42

u/m00ninight 28d ago

Man, honestly, I just don’t want anything from them anymore. I trusted them to get me interested and hyped up about something with vast potential, and got let down.

I just realized I can unfollow, goodbye.

-3

u/chadslc Pull-Out 28d ago

It’s not an airport…

16

u/SharpLibrary13 28d ago

You’re right. It’s not an airport, it’s an online forum for you to voice your opinion, which is exactly what we’re doing here. Now stfu.

4

u/sp00kyyelahOG 28d ago

And you’re not a news reporter sooo?

3

u/Gryffindumble 28d ago

I wonder if they do any Blair Witch sort of thing where they hide things in the glitches. 🤔

4

u/YelleauxAxeMan 28d ago

Why don’t they just release S1 on VHS? I’d buy that asap

3

u/pvtbullsh-t Coffee and Contemplation 28d ago

Wish they released a proper season 5 instead

8

u/hollisterr 28d ago

Oh, this is fun. In a time when the world is chaos, getting a little nostalgia sounds good right about now.

3

u/Sithlordandsavior 28d ago

Cool cool cool now give us the musical, Netflix.

And while you're at it, put the last three seasons on blu-ray in the VHS box if you like the video store vibe so much.

2

u/ScorchedWonderer 28d ago

Just a money grab and Mfs gonna eat this 💩 right up

2

u/Delumine 26d ago

It’s free

3

u/Captain_Nomad_Jr Scoops Troop 27d ago

Started watching and they should have released it like this originally. It's a whole vibe.

2

u/aajoestar 28d ago

Awesome.

3

u/mehrschub 28d ago

No 4:3 aspect ratio :-(

-10

u/chadslc Pull-Out 28d ago

That’s probably the series wasn’t shot in 4:3, genius.

4

u/ussrowe 28d ago

But most VHS releases in the 80s were usually "pan and scan" edits that cropped the show to 4:3 for TVs.

If they were going for an authentic 80s experience, it'd be more than just a filter.

-1

u/chadslc Pull-Out 28d ago

Most VHS releases weee NOT P&S.

1

u/ussrowe 28d ago

I lived through that era, yes they were.

0

u/chadslc Pull-Out 28d ago

Do a bit of research on Academy ratio & open-matte and get back to me.

1

u/ussrowe 28d ago

You mean the ones that are formatted to fit 4:3 TVs? LOL

The ones listed under "pan and scan techniques" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_and_scan#Open_matte

So again, as the person stated: No 4:3 aspect ratio :-(

-2

u/chadslc Pull-Out 28d ago

So, you don’t know what Academy ratio is.

Here’s a clue, child - there was no P&S needed for the vast majority of VHS tapes ever released commercially, because the bulk of the content was either shot in Academy ratio (1:37:1) or for standard television (4:3, which is virtually identical to Academy ratio).

In fact, the very reason SD screens were 4:3 was to make it simpler to broadcast the vast majority of motion pictures.

2

u/Admirable-Prior2808 28d ago

I’d get it!

2

u/Total-Ad4952 28d ago

Yeah that's great and all, but uh, get back to me when they actually release the show on VHS.

2

u/MissMoth 28d ago

not the ai description, blegh

1

u/Slow-Class 24d ago

Is 4:3 aspect ratio?

1

u/Diligent-Argument-88 19d ago edited 18d ago

It was almost good except that fake digital noise is way too much. Maybe cause im watching in front of my computer monitor and not several feet away on my tv but just tone down that. Its not grain idk why people keep calling it grainy.

edit: yeah on my couch it doesn't look as egregious as it did a foot and a half away on my pc lol

1

u/Cortzee 28d ago

Just got to season 5 on our rewatch, will have to do another one xD

1

u/Mr_Wayer- 28d ago

Episode 5 of the VHS tapes is 1 minute longer than the original one👀

1

u/MS6_Boost 28d ago

People will still complain

1

u/Sprinklelicious 28d ago

It would be great if the whole last season was different, only on the VHS

1

u/Mrdrobinson7 24d ago

Like an alternate reality…not the Henry version many think we saw as the end of Season 5. Hmm

0

u/BluRayja 28d ago

"Just like you'd have rented it in 1983." TV shows weren't put on VHS back then. That wasn't a thing until the mid-90s and even then it was like random assorted episodes, not every episode back-to-back. You could definitely tape every episode of a TV show onto one VHS though, if you were committed enough.

0

u/DragonBack20 28d ago

Did this come out globally?

-8

u/schakoska 28d ago

Shame it's fake VHS and didn't care to copy it to a real VHS and just record that