Stranger Things: The science of the Upside Down and monsters

The science of the Upside Down and its monsters

There are so many fascinating things that occur in the hit Netflix original series, Stranger Things. From Eleven being able to move all kinds of things with her mind to the government conspiracy involving a cold War race for the key to a certain alternate dimension.

No matter what direction fans take, everything that happens in Stranger Things always leads back to the Upside Down. When Eleven first opened the doorway to this dark realm, all kinds of evils have spilled out, causing all kinds of problems for Hawkins’ finest.

Today, we’re celebrating the Upside Down and its monsters for Upside Down Appreciation Day for Stranger Things Week.

The Upside Down has been a primary player in all of the significant events that took place over the course of the three seasons with multiple individuals making trips there, including Will, Joyce, Hopper, Billy, and of course, Eleven. But later, it became clear that others were on to this secret world and trying to find ways to utilize it for their own nefarious purposes.

While it is a happening spot, there are still some out there that aren’t as savvy as Dr. Brenner and would like to walk into Stranger Things season 4 with a better grasp of what its means to take a ride into the Upside Down.

What is the Upside Down from Stranger Things?

The Upside Down looks the same as the world we occupy, but it is in fact a dark and cold mirror image of that reality. The Lovecraftian and somewhat Tim Burton-esque aesthetic is covered in tentacle vines, otherworldy cobwebs, slime-like goo, and bulbous spores almost imply that the entire area has been infected and rotted away somehow. Those comparisons continue to hold up when one realizes the entire area is devoid of human life and the air, which is riddled with specs of dust and other unsavory particles, is also very toxic, making it difficult to stay in for long periods of time without the proper protective gear.

The name comes from the description Eleven gives Dustin, Mike, and Lucas in season 1. Dustin then makes the comparison to the Vale of Shadows, a place of decay and death from the board game Dungeons and Dragons, which the party is seen playing at the beginning of the series.

"“A dimension that is a dark reflection or echo of our world. It is a place of decay and death. A plane out of phase. A place of monsters. It is right next to you, and you don’t even see it.”"

In a nutshell, it’s basically a parallel dimension to our own that also can have drastic effects on our environment, causing massive rot and decay as well as being able to form a massive tunnel system underground, and that’s just what is known so far.

Flip the page to find out more about the Upside Down and monsters from Stranger Things.