'Stranger Things': Watch the sizzle reel that pitched the show
What's the story
Ahead of the much-anticipated release of Stranger Things Season 5, creators Ross and Matt Duffer have unveiled a never-before-seen sizzle reel that was used to pitch the show. The video, shared by Ross on Instagram on Wednesday, features scenes from classic Steven Spielberg films such as E.T. and Jaws. It was originally titled Montauk before being changed to Stranger Things.
Reel revelation
'This is the original sizzle reel...'
In his Instagram caption, Ross wrote, "We've never shown this before—this is the original sizzle reel Matt and I made to help sell the show." He added, "Putting synth over classic Spielbergian imagery got us so excited about what the show could be." "Most importantly, this is how we discovered our composers Kyle and Michael—we used their music for the final montage and immediately thought, 'This is cool.'"
Film references
Reel includes scenes from...
The sizzle reel includes scenes from horror films such as Halloween and Poltergeist. Other films referenced are Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners and Matt Reeves's Let Me In, which was a remake of Let the Right One In. The video also mentions the Montauk Project, which is a real-life conspiracy theory that inspired the Netflix original series.
Release schedule
'Stranger Things' Season 5 to release in 3 parts
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will be released in three parts this year. Volume 1, which includes episodes 1-4, will premiere on November 26, 2025. Volume 2 will consist of episodes 5-7 and will be released on Christmas Day, and finally, the series finale is set to air on New Year's Eve (December 31).