Duffer Brothers’ First Film: From Dream to Studio Nightmare
Long before Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers faced chaos and setbacks making their debut film The Hidden, a project that left them reeling from studio pressures despite critical praise.
Before their names became synonymous with a certain supernatural series, Matt and Ross Duffer endured a rather turbulent introduction to the world of feature filmmaking. Their first foray into the industry, a psychological thriller for a major studio, proved to be anything but straightforward. Over the past twenty years, television has steadily overtaken cinema as the preferred platform for intricate, mature storytelling. Where once the big screen was home to nuanced, character-driven tales, these days such narratives are more likely to be found in acclaimed series like Succession or Severance. Theatres, meanwhile, have largely become the domain of spectacle and grand-scale productions. In this shifting landscape, Stranger Things stands out as a prime example of television’s new-found dominance, drawing in vast audiences and sparking fervent anticipation with each new series.
Much of the credit for this phenomenon belongs to the Duffer brothers, whose inventive approach to world-building has helped the show achieve record-breaking popularity. Yet, as they themselves have admitted, their journey began with a rather less glamorous experience. Reflecting on their debut film, they described themselves as “a little delusional” during its production, a decade before their Netflix success.
Early Ambitions and a Sudden Break
In an interview, the brothers recounted how they penned the script for The Hidden while still at university, eventually selling it to a major studio.
“It sold in this dream scenario for someone recently out of college,”
Ross recalled.
“There was a bidding war between studios, and it felt like we suddenly went from being unemployed to being in Entourage or something. It felt like this amazing dream come true.”
The Hidden, set in a post-apocalyptic America, follows a family—portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, and Emily Alyn Lind—on a desperate search for safety after a devastating outbreak.
Landing such a project at just 26 was, on paper, a remarkable achievement. However, the reality soon proved far more challenging. Matt described the constant pressure from studio executives, saying,
“studio executives yelling”
at them became a regular occurrence. Ross agreed, noting,
“It was unbelievable to us at the time, and then that ended up going from a dream experience to crashing and burning.”
Critical Praise, Commercial Frustration
Despite the difficulties behind the scenes, The Hidden was met with a warm reception from critics. Yet, the film’s release was so limited that it barely registered with the public. Matt later admitted that he and his brother had been
“a little delusional,”
as they
“had no other skills.”
Ross joked about their predicament, saying they worried they
“couldn’t even get a job at Starbucks.”
The experience left them uncertain about their future, unsure what path to take next.
Remarkably, it was only a year later that their fortunes changed dramatically. Stranger Things burst onto the scene, quickly becoming a cultural touchstone and cementing the Duffers’ reputation as leading creative voices in television.
Looking Beyond Television
Although their series has become a defining example of television’s cultural power, the brothers have not abandoned their cinematic ambitions. Recently, they signed a deal with a major studio to produce films with guaranteed theatrical releases—an opportunity not available to them at their previous streaming home. There is hope that their next venture onto the big screen will be free from the pressures and anxieties that plagued their first attempt.