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Matt Duffer has mixed feelings about the state of the entertainment industry. On the one hand, the Stranger Things co-creator is nervous in a way that a lot of us are - that is, that the corporatization of popular IPs is reducing truly original storytelling at mainstream levels. But on the other, there's a recent cinematic phenomenon that gives Duffer hope for the same kind of originality that gave us Hawkins, IN. 

That is, the joint phenomenon of Obsession and Backrooms.

Duffer recently revealed his feelings during an interview with Deadline published June 1. And to start off, the co-creator of Netflix's biggest show to date was very upfront about his nervousness regarding popular entertainment these days.

"The experience we had is so very rare in this industry," Duffer says of the collaboration between himself, his brother Ross, and Netflix, "And in this age of endless data, and algorithms, it feels rarer than ever, which really worries us."

"But," Duffer continued, "We’re also encouraged by what audiences are responding to right now across TV and film. I feel young people are telling us very loudly that they’re hungry for original stories – unfiltered personal visions that haven’t been mangled by a thousand paper cuts."

And Matt's not kidding. The hunger for stories like Obsessions and Backrooms (directed by former YouTubers Curry Barker and Kane Parsons, respectively) is proving absolutely ravenous if we judge by the box office numbers alone. And while neither have quite achieved Stranger Things viewership numbers (I know, I know, apples to oranges), it's cool to see that someone who has sees the potential for their creators to do the same.

Obsession and Backrooms are in theaters now. Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix. 

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

• How to watch Stranger Things in chronological or release order
• Getting to know the Stranger Things season 5 cast
• There needs to be more death in Stranger Things, says co-star Gaten Matarazzo
• The Stranger Things time jump between season 4 and 5 has been confirmed by Netflix - and it raises some serious questions
• "They land the plane," David Harbour describes the Stranger Things finale, which he calls its "best episode"