If you’ve picked up on a wave of 80s neon colours, cassette players, and retro vehicles in your favourite movies, you’re not imagining things. In the last decade, there’s been a big comeback of retro aesthetics in cinema, with filmmakers leveraging the emotional pull of nostalgia to capture contemporary moviegoers. From sci-fi hits like *Stranger Things* to reboots of fan-favourite movies like *Ghostbusters*, the shift to nostalgia is not just a fleeting fad—it’s a significant cultural trend that’s here to stay.

One reason for the appeal of retro aesthetics is found in the feelings of familiarity they evoke. For those who grew up in past decades, these films reawaken nostalgia of a simpler time, reigniting nostalgic connections with the music, styles, and tech of their past. For younger viewers, the nostalgic trend gives them a look at a world they didn’t see, creating a unique combination of the vintage and the modern. Visual artists and visual designers are creatively mixing retro imagery retirement activities with contemporary production styles, creating gorgeous productions that combine nostalgia with modernity.

But vintage vibes isn’t just about style. Many films using retro elements featuring retro elements also dive into complex ideas of memory, identity, and the passage of time. By playing with the past, {filmmakers|directo