Halloween is arguably my favorite holiday, and not because I give out candy until all of the children of my neighborhood are in a diabetic coma, but because my favorite Netflix series debuts its new season. Netflix UK & Ireland just released their teaser video for the third season of Stranger Things, and, well, actually it looks like a commercial for Hawkins Indiana’s newest shopping center, Starcourt Mall.
Stranger Things has many good things going for it. In addition to its synthwave theme song, 1980s American midwest setting, and Dungeons & Dragons monsters, it also has a glut of era-correct JNCs dotting the landscape. While I fault season one for having a post-facelift Volvo 240 wagon in a background shot, season two repented with main character Bob (Sean Astin) driving a glorious V10 Camry and the character of the conspiracy theorist driving a Toyota Van. Now, it looks like season three is continuing with more excellent automotive choices.
So far we’ve spotted a B11 Nissan Sentra wagon, CVCC Honda Civic wagon, another V10 Camry, NUMMI Nova, DA Acura Integra sedan, and the butt of a Black Gold Datsun 280ZX. Check out the video above and let us know what JNCs you find as well.
Is there a central casting for period-correct cars? I mean, they have to get them from somewhere…
That is a very good question!
AFAIK they have car-rental services that specialize in supplying such things to studios at least in LA and NYC, but ST is shot in Atlanta and when they go to those random tax-incented locations they have to rely on putting the word out among local old-car clubs.
They go through a casting agency to also find extras who can provide vehicles.
When a production needed an AE86 for a movie, they put feelers out amongst automotive photographers for contacts. One of them remembered shooting my car, so that’s how my AE86 ended up being the main character’s car in a movie.
Other times, they’ll contact a picture car company, and they’ll source (and restore if needed) the vehicles themselves, either renting from individuals, or if multiple identical cars are needed (such as for stunts) they’ll purchase them and add them to their fleet. The AE86 SR5 in Bridesmaids was one of two, they bought a second one for the rear-ending scene, but the “hero” car survived to end up in numerous other tv shows.
I actually worked in the picture car industry for a year.
I also see an AE82 Corolla in the mall parking lot; it and BOTH Camrys are liftbacks, to boot (pun intended). Nice early Civic in the mall parking lot too. Freeze the video at 0:13 (this looks like 0:10) and you’ll see a firstgen Integra – like the Toyotas, a five-door – next to it.
Turning away from J-tin, there’s more ’50s daily drivers than I remember from the mid ’80s; I’ll chalk it up to showrunners and transportation coordinators from SoCal and Atlanta who’ve never lived in a road-salt state. And that facelifted-for-’86 Chrysler LeBaron ragtop is apparently the mall’s grand opening prize. I’d sign up. (But I’d rather have that Integra!)
At 0:10 on the lower left corner there’s what appears to be a green three-door Subaru Justy.
I love watching old movies just for the 80s cars. I re-watched the original Back to the Future yesteday and loved it. This isn’t my type of series but I may have to check it out just for the cars!
BRING IT ON! Loved the first two series – as a teenager and twenty something of the 80’s I felt so at home.
Love this trailer; the Mall is so 80’s!! And above all this is just the greatest car perv – tonnes of period correct cars (especially Toyota).