AS a child of the 80s I have a serious soft spot for some of the films of that era.

The Goonies, ET, Stand By Me and even the teen romance of Pretty in Pink all evoke strong memories.

It might be the decade that style forgot but there are many of us thinking it was also a time when childhood values still included playing board games and spending hours outside on your bike.

The Netflix series Stranger Things, which I binge watched last week over a few days, perfectly encapsulates all of those movies and more with plenty of references to its 80s counterparts while also bringing a fresh and ingenious story.

It also sees a welcome return for Winona Ryder, herself the star of many a coming-of-age late 80s movie, who has been somewhat quiet of late.

She stars as Joyce Byers, devastated after her young son goes missing, and desperate to solve the mystery which might or might not involve some dabbling with the supernatural.

At the heart of the tale though, are the young people in the story, from missing youngster Will’s best friends, to his older brother who is an outcast at high school, and the young girl with superpowers they find in the woods.

Peer pressure, social stereotyping, grief and the messy business of growing up are all touched upon here but what we really want to know is why are people going missing and what has the girl in the woods got to do with it ?

The nerds are the heroes here and the cool kids end up the losers but above all it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Even the music is straight out of that time but the story, over eight episodes, whips along at the pace of any feature film and there is plenty here for a new generation to enjoy.

Older children and teenagers of today can marvel at the characters’ remarkable ability to keep in touch with each other without mobile phones, or e-mail.

And photographs of nefarious beings are captured on a camera with actual film - developed in a dark room no less.

So if nothing else, this series could even count as a sort of history lesson. Roll on series two.