New Netflix Show 'Stranger Things' Films in Georgia

JACKSON, GA -- "Hollywood of the South" is at it again.

"Stranger Things," a science-fiction and psychological horror show that premiered on Netflix last week, is the latest high-profile production to call Georgia home.

Starring Winona Ryder, "Stranger Things" has been filming primarily in Jackson, Georgia -- the Butts County seat about 50 miles southeast of Atlanta.

"We have been grateful for the cooperation and interest in Jackson from the people at Netflix ... ," county government relations director Michael Brewer said in November, when the show began filming. "The city and county have worked very well together to help them in any way possible and we’re excited that they will showcase our town and community in a positive way."

On the show, Jackson takes the place of a fictional Indiana town in the '80s.

Early filming highlighted downtown spots like Jackson Drug Company, Deraney's Department Store and a Radio Shack, which had its front display window kitted out with console televisions, cassette tape players, a Nintendo gaming console and other electronics from the era.

The filming, which continued into early 2016, also played a role in helping revitalize Jackson's downtown, civic leaders said. Painting that the show's crew did downtown was based on a color palette approved by Jackson's Downtown Development Authority that jibes with the group's future plans.

And, of course, the filming provides an economic boon to the area. Location shoots often employ local people and crews regularly patronize local businesses and restaurants, Brewer noted.

And if the show is a hit, it has the potential to create a tourism draw for Jackson, much like AMC's popular "The Walking Dead" has done for Senoia, Georgia.

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"We are always glad to get their attention and to welcome them to our community," Brewer said. "They bring a lot to the table, they have a very positive impact on our local economy and they increase our exposure to people looking for interesting places in Georgia to visit. I hope they will continue to look favorably on our county."

The film and television production industry had a more-than $6 billion economic impact in Georgia during fiscal year 2015, Gov. Nathan Deal's office says.

"Stranger Things" is the story of a young boy who disappears and a girl with unusual abilities who shows up in town to help find him. Ryder plays Joyce Byers, the boy's mother, and David Harbour plays the police chief searching for the missing boy.

The show has met with mostly positive reviews since its July 15 release.

Vanity Fair calls it "a scary, poignant piece of 1980s nostalgia."

"It’s a tidily assembled collection of stock characters, and 'Stranger Things' has fun both playing into our expectations for them and giving this vibrant, lived-in world surprising tweaks," reviewer Richard Lawson writes for the magazine.

(Photos via Butts County, GA, Netflix)