October 14, 2018
Nobabies.net
Matt Duffer
Paradigm Talent Agency
8942 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1908
Dear Matt Duffer,
“Stranger Things” is the best entertainment I have had this century and possibly ever. Thank you.
We all wonder whether you can up the ante again and produce a monster that exceeds the Mind Flayer by as much as it exceeds to Demogorgon. I writhe with embarrassment to say it, but I do have a suggestion. Embarrassment is not something I feel on any other occasion, but comparing my creativity with yours is … well … you understand ….
But in my own demesne I am arrogant beyond the call of sanity, and thither must we hie. For now, I will use “related” to mean “sharing an ancestor within the past 10 generations.” The brutal fact is that if a human population goes for more than a few generations without anybody marrying a relative, that population will go extinct. Extreme claims need extreme evidence. That is on the enclosed DVD. “Grand summary fertility” gives most of the evidence. “Hans movie” shows fertility and age at marriage for almost all countries going into 2005; the last few years are critical. “Horror without Evidence” describes some unpleasant things that might happen as the human race goes extinct. This much is science, mostly supported by references to articles in prestige journals that can be accessed free through PubMed on the internet.
The Mind Flayer seems not to be ready to give up and by now has reason to know these humans can be difficult. It can open small gates in pools, walls and tree trunks and should be able to use its hive mind powers to recruit human outcasts. All it needs is to get them to access powerful people and then the Flayer can persuade them that marrying relatives is a bad idea, and the word should be set against it. There are capable people in the story. Alas Bob the Brain is gone, but I imagine Sam Owens or Scott Clarke could work through the science if given the proper clues.
Some of us say of humor, “If it isn’t true, it isn’t funny.” If there is anything like that in horror, you might be interested.
Forgive my audacity. I truly love the series. If there is anything I can do, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Linton Herbert