Netflix Releases 'Stranger Things' Season 1 as VHS-Style Special Edition for 10th Anniversary

Netflix has released a commemorative 'VHS special edition' of the first season of 'Stranger Things' to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary. The re-release features visual and audio effects mimicking a VHS tape, including a 4:3 aspect ratio, noise, blur, low contrast, and color bleed. The Duffer Brothers, Matt and Ross, stated that the edition is designed to look like a tape from Family Video, complete with pan-and-scan. The special edition includes a VHS-inspired Netflix intro with tracking graphics. The effect is achieved digitally, as the show was shot on RED Dragon and Arri Alexa cameras, not film. The article explores the technical process behind creating convincing VHS effects, referencing a video by Tom Scott and insights from Harry Frank, Product and Content Designer at Red Giant, which produces widely used VHS filters. Red Giant engineers created a lookup table (LUT) by recording a clean reference image onto VHS decks and comparing the results. The company also introduced analog glitches by physically manipulating VCR heads and using magnets, as described by Lead QA Engineer Matt Nixon. The VHS special edition is available to stream on Netflix as of July 15, 2026.