As we near the end of the show " Stranger Things ," it’s worth wondering why the retro-nerdy, satanic panic, sci-fi/horror mashup has such a huge appeal. When the show debuted in 2016, my Generation X friends and I fell instantly in love.

Perhaps there was some fan service, we judged, but that was no fault in a show so filled with invention and heart and thrills. And yet the show quickly became a cross-generational smash. There’s even a float in the upcoming Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade .

It’s not just those of us reared in the 1970s and ‘80s who love watching teens in Little League T-shirts ride banana bikes, use walkie-talkies and play role-playing games. (Remember Dungeons & Dragons?)

Even leaving age brackets aside, there’s a pronounced fascination with the 1980s at the mome

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