Why Are The 80s Back?

Why the neon-clad decade has made its way back to the future

Black Mirror’s ‘San Junipero’ episode and Stranger Things have something in common and if you came of age in the 80s, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Watching both series will probably give you an overwhelming sense of nostalgia as soon as you recognize the fashion, music and other cues that point to the kitschiness of a decade we can’t seem to escape. Coincidence? I think not. In fact, not since the actual 80s themselves have we seen so many TV shows and movies set in or pointing back to this neon-clad decade.

It’s hard not to notice that some of the biggest hits from the 80s are finding their way into present day entertainment. Now, and in the next year, we’ll be seeing some 80s classic TV shows and hit films make a comeback. MacGyver, Lethal Weapon, Magnum PI and Dynasty are all back to the delight of many of us who grew up with these TV favourites. Among the 80s inspired line up is Spike Lee’s remake of his landmark movie, “She’s Gotta Have It”- the original follows the narrative describing African life and female sexuality. In addition to this, we’ll also see a reboot of LA Law, Fame, Knight Rider and Murphy Brown, as well as TV versions of American Gigolo and Dirty Dancing. There’s no denying it’s an 80s invasion!

These 80s-inspired shows and remakes harken viewers back to revisit the concerns we had then and remind us of the concerns we’re facing yet again. Deutschland 83 and The Americans are reminiscent of the Cold War of the 80s, while Amazon Prime revisits the tech world of the era with Halt and Catch and Red Oaks. These take a more traditional approach to the zeitgeist of the decade.

Along with unshakable fashion fails like hair-metal, leg warmers, spandex and oversized denim jackets, the 80s are perhaps remembered the most for being a politically and culturally reviled decade. It was the time of the Cold War, which made spy flicks all the rage. We were on the brink of a global disaster and the atmosphere was rife with political paranoia, all while we were also inching towards a technological revolution. On a cultural note, fashion and music were creating a stir that wouldn’t soon be forgotten. In fact, the music and fashion of the era are continually being revived today. On top of that, teenagers were coming of age and experiencing their own internal revolution.

Growing up — 80s style

Music and fashion defined the 80s but so did our experiences with coming of age and using music and fashion to express ourselves. Just ask Madonna. But it was John Hughes who combined teenage angst with fashion and music to bring the 80s to life both then, and for future generations to come. His films managed to capture every nuance of teen anxiety through films such as Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club and Some Kind of Wonderful. For the first time in a long time (if ever), teenage audiences felt heard instead of trivialized.

One could say that most of today’s youth entertainment has been influenced by at least one of Hughes’s flicks, seeing he revolutionized the youth film genre. He changed the way teens viewed music, love, friendship, sex, class distinction and music. Storylines came from mundane occurrences of everyday life so they were relatable. We identified with the characters and their journeys through adolescent issues such as separation through social class (Some Kind of Wonderful) to breaking up (Pretty in Pink). From gossip (Steel Magnolias) to high school bullies (Heathers). No emotional stone was left unturned. Hughes took teens and their problems seriously and as an audience, we felt understood. We didn’t feel alone anymore. Today, teens still need to feel this way which has resulted in the resurrection of 80’s style storytelling.

While fashion and music may change from decade to decade and generation to generation, the messages Hughes conveyed are timeless. Teens will forever experience questions of belonging and figuring out their identity. There will always be angst. And there will always be a film for that.

Nostalgia is the hook

So, why are we looking back over three decades to find inspiration? Most likely because the teens of yesteryear are now middle-aged or thereabouts. We’ve come a long way from the emergence of video games like Atari and Pong, to a time of highly sophisticated technology (AI, VR and ARG) and relentless pressures from the social media world. No wonder we crave the simplicity we think we felt thirty years ago. It is this nostalgia that is fueling the films and television shows we’re seeing emerge and re-emerge today. Nostalgia is always the hook.

We long for a past that never really existed. We are quick to remember the good times but sometimes fail to remember the bad ones. We think times were simpler and better then but were they really? We probably didn’t think so at the time, we just wanted to find out what the future held and we wanted to press fast-forward on all our teenage trials and tribulations.

Nostalgia, as a device, helps to remind us of a simpler time — even for those who didn’t grow up in that era. Today’s Gen X’ers can still get a sense of tribalism and belonging from the movies and shows about an era known to have cultivated the very essence of camaraderie and a strong understanding of teen angst.

One decade — two audiences

Shows from back then still have strong appeal today to at least two very distinct audiences. The first audience is the people who grew up in the 80s, it gives them a chance to revisit their youth through film and TV and safely revisit those old emotions.

The second audience is the group of teenagers who see the 80s as ‘pre-modern’. They enjoy the retro feel of the era when technology was just beginning to weave itself into society. Even though Millennials and Gen Z’ers might consider that decade the ‘technological dark years’, they can still identify with the friendship and heartbreak woes and the anxiety that teenagers of the past went through. Times may change but certain truths about life remain the same regardless of what decade you grow up in. It turns out angst is ageless.

What makes 80s remakes a work of art?

Current entertainment properties that revisit the nostalgia of the era aren’t simple reproductions of the past; they are more of an in-depth examination that capture the real essence of the era’s pop culture. It feels believable and it catapults us back because it is done thoroughly and with accuracy. Films like Stand By Me reminded us of childhood bonds that felt they couldn’t be broken. They make us feel safe and surrounded.

A quick examination of Stranger Things reveals obvious visual references that take us back to the time of taffeta, neon and hairspray. If you take a deeper look at the authenticity of these visual 80s cues such as the fashion, the movie posters, the Halloween costumes, the close bond between the misfit group of friends — the details are carefully thought out and have been inspired by some of the great films and shows of the 80s. It’s no surprise the cast of Stranger Things were required to study some blockbuster hit films of the era to get into character. And it worked — it’s all there — the camaraderie of the characters in Stand By Me, the soulfulness and friendship of ET, the sci-fi thrill of Firestarter and all of the teen angst that permeates through John Hughes’s stories and characters.

What isn’t working?

Not all entertainment properties have been able to capture the true essence of the 80s though. The new Ghostbusters was definitely a bust, it lacked the soul and the chemistry of the friendships and bonds demonstrated in some of the most critical films of the time. In order to capture the 80s, you have to capture that nostalgia, let your audience time-travel to that era and make it feel as authentic as possible. The details have to feel real and true — not clichéd.

Looking back to the decade that was looking ahead to the future

How much longer will the 80s serve as inspiration? Maybe not much longer but I believe that when it comes to entertainment in general, we will always reminisce in the past as much as we look forward to the future and its possibilities. Either way — we’re always searching for a new muse.