Upside Down (Stranger Things)
| Upside Down | |
|---|---|
| Stranger Things location | |
| First appearance | Season 1: "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly" (2016) |
| Last appearance | Season 5: "Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up" (2025) |
| Created by | The Duffer Brothers |
| Genre | Science-fiction |
| In-universe information | |
| Other name | The Bridge |
| Type | Wormhole |
The Upside Down is a fictional interdimensional wormhole featured in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things, created by the Duffer Brothers. Introduced in the first season (2016), it serves as a central antagonistic force and setting throughout the series, acting as a bridge between Earth—specifically a frozen-in-time replica of the town of Hawkins, Indiana—and a chaotic alternate realm known as the Abyss.
Characterized by its toxic, spore-filled atmosphere, vine-overgrown landscapes, monstrous inhabitants, and psychic connections to the real world, the Upside Down originates from psychic experiments in 1983 and evolves from a perceived alternate dimension into its revealed nature as an unstable conduit, culminating in its collapse in the fifth and final season (2025). The entity draws inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) lore, such as the Vale of Shadows, and has become a cultural symbol of interdimensional horror in popular media.