Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, together known as the Duffer Brothers are the directors of the popular sci-fi horror series Stranger Things. They are American writers, filmmakers, and producers born on 15, 1984.
They founded Upside Down Pictures, a production firm that has a general agreement with Netflix. Since their childhood, they have maintained a close bond as identical twin brothers and collaborate on all of their projects.
Who directed Stranger Things?
Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, together known as the Duffer Brothers are the directors of Stranger Things. Having worked in television, they began to pitch their concept for the original television series, which Dan Cohen ultimately presented to Shawn Levy. Supported by Levy's production company 21 Laps, Netflix swiftly purchased the series.
Inspired and stylistically influenced by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, David Lynch, Stephen King, and George Lucas, among others, the show is set in 1980s Indiana and pays homage to 1980s pop culture. Netflix revealed on September 30, 2019, that it had signed the Duffers to produce more movies and TV series in the upcoming years.
The Duffers recommitted to Netflix with a number of new projects after founding Upside Down Pictures, a production business, in July 2022, following the release of Stranger Things' fourth season. These include their follow-up series to Stranger Things, as well as a live-action series version of Death Note and a series adaptation of The Talisman.
The Duffer Brothers' personal lives
Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, the Duffer Brothers are the sons of Allen P. Duffer Jr., a movie enthusiast and project director for the Research Triangle Institute, and Ann M. Christensen, a part-time real estate broker.
In the third grade, they began using a Hi8 video camera that their parents had given them to start making movies. From grades K–8, they attended the private suburban Duke School for Children. After that, they went to the public Charles E. Jordan High School in Durham. Despite being admitted to the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, they refused to get separate education.
After being rejected from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the New York University Tisch School of the Arts Department of Cinema Studies, they moved to Orange, California, where they graduated in 2007 after being introduced to someone who recommended Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts for film study. Matt Duffer has a child whose name isn’t revealed yet. The godmother of Matt's only kid is Winona Ryder.
The Duffer Brothers' inspiration for Stranger Things
Stranger Things was created by the Duffer Brothers as a blend of supernatural and investigation drama, rendered with a sense of terror and childish sensibility, and infused with references to 1980s pop culture. The films of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, David Lynch, Stephen King, Wes Craven, and H. P. Lovecraft served as inspiration for a number of thematic and directing components in Stranger Things. Conspiracy theories about covert government operations and tests carried out during the Cold War also served as sources of inspiration for the show.
FAQs about the Duffer Brothers
A. Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, together known as the Duffer Brothers are the directors of Stranger Things.
A. Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, identical twins, are the Duffer Brothers and the directors of Stranger Things.
A. No, Stranger Things isn't based on a true story. However, a few of the show's elements are inspired by certain events in the history.
A. As of April 2025, both the Duffer Brothers, Matt and Ross, are 41 years old as they are identical twins and thus share the same birthday.
