It’s one week until we all go back into the Upside Down, and while you can listen to the soundtrack right now, I presume most of us are waiting for the total “Stranger Things” season 2 experience. In the year since the show debuted, it has become a phenomenon, and a merchandising bonanza. This means the marketing has had to step it up a notch, but the magic of season one was that everyone knew very little going in. However, it looks like creators Matt and Ross Duffer are working hard to keep secrets intact for season 2.
Speaking with THR, the duo mused about the roles trailers play in promoting movies and TV shows, and while they’re mostly happy with the promos cut for “Stranger Things,” they warn that the latest trailer is something best viewed one time.
“The first trailer doesn’t show as much as you might think, because marketing only had the first couple of episodes with a few shots from later stuff when they put that together. There were just a few things where we had to be like, ‘No, don’t do that.’ It’s becoming a debate as we move forward. Whether it’s through social media or another trailer, how much do you give away? What can the fans piece together with this information?” Ross Duffer said. “We want the fans to be surprised as much as they can when they actually watch the show. We also want to get new people to watch the show.”
“One reason why season one worked was because it was a discovery for a lot of people. They knew nothing when they started watching. I don’t think many people have even seen that trailer, but I definitely want to be careful,” Matt Duffer added. “I’m not into trailers that tell you the full story. I do not like the approach to trailers, which is like, ‘Let me summarize the entire movie for you before you go in!’ Some people seem to like it. But, to me, it’s like reading the last page of a book before you start the book.”
As for the new trailer, you can reassured that, “…most of the show is not in that trailer. I have a problem with trailers, because I love them too much. I’m one of those nerds that watches them on repeat. There’s a danger to that. I think it’s very safe to watch the trailer through once. If you watch it multiple times, then it can start to damage the experience. But it’s hard for me to scold people for doing that, because I do the same thing,” Ross Duffer said.
So, you’ve been forewarned. Maybe steer clear of all things “Stranger Things” before we all dive back in on October 27th.