The dream of the ’90s might be alive in Portland, but the thrill of the ’80s has new life in Seattle — at least when it comes to the version depicted on the Netflix hit series “Stranger Things.”
The new immersive “Stranger Things: The Experience” is ready for visitors at a 44,000-square-foot warehouse just a couple blocks south of T-Mobile Park. Fans of the show might feel like they’ve stepped into the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind.
GeekWire took the 50-minute walk through Hawkins Lab, the Upside Down, and Mix-Tape — a mall-like finale complete with a bar, pizza joint, ice cream stand, video games, a photo booth, retail, and a recreation of the Byers’ living room from the show.
The whole experience started with a division of visitors into groupings by colored wristbands. The red, yellow and blue groups were each supposed to possess superpowers that would come in handy during various exercises and predicaments throughout the lab.
Before being let into the lab, the groups were looked over and questioned by two lab workers gathering information for a supposed sleep study. Participants were asked about their dreams and nightmares, asked to stand on one leg or to close and open their eyes, and told to repeat a series of words backward and forward.
Inside the lab, things started to go a little haywire as it became clear that supernatural forces were wreaking some havoc on the facility. Visitors were asked to use their various superpowers — pointing at stuff! thinking really hard? — to help open doors, flip switches, freeze the creepy Demogorgons in place and more.
Stops in three lab rooms became increasingly spooky as it became clear the facility was under attack and the kids who are the stars of “Stranger Things” — Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Max, Dustin and Erica — were busy trying to rescue all of us.
But it’s the visitors who end up feeling like heroes in the Upside Down, a large “forest” room with a 180-degree screen where 3-D glasses help make everything feel more immersive. Demogorgons are flying at the crowd and Eleven and Max need help fighting them off before closing the portal to the other dimension.
“You guys kicked ass!” the stars said as they all appear on screen like holograms that are close enough to touch.
Then it was off to the mall for pizza, ice cream, video games and, finally, photo ops. Smartphone-happy kids of 2023 might be a little bummed to learn they can’t take pictures or videos during the lab and Upside Down parts of The Experience.
Phinney Hanson-Tyler, 14, and his brother Michael, 13, have seen all of “Stranger Things” on TV — once they were old enough and their mom was cool with that.
“The flashing lights added to it, like it was out of the show,” Phinney said of some of the effects in the lab.
“I liked the 3-D,” Michael said. “If it was just a [regular] screen, you wouldn’t be in it as much.”
In Mix-Tape the boys had their run of video games straight out of the ’80s — Centipede, Joust, Missile Command, Space Invaders and more. Hit songs from the ’80s, such as “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by the Scorpions, played on the sound system. Merchandise for sale included show-branded T-shirts, mugs, posters, puzzles, toys and more.
“This is awesome,” Michael said. “It’s like everything from ‘Stranger Things.'”
Co-produced by Netflix and Fever, the experience has previously been to New York, San Francisco, London, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Toronto and Paris experiences launched in March. The language and graphic images can be a bit much for some audiences, so children under 5 will not be admitted, and anyone under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
The arrival in Seattle comes as the city has worked to attract more people back to downtown Seattle in the wake of the pandemic. Increased arts and culture options are often listed as potential drivers to get more people to visit the city.
Visit the official website for information on tickets and hours.
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