Oh, we’ve waited nearly three years, but the Duffer Brothers’ drama Stranger Things jumps right back into the horror, picking up six months after the kids of Hawkins, Indiana, won the Battle of Starcourt Mall. They’re still recovering emotionally and dealing with a quieter terror: high school.
Also, cue a new monster from the Upside Down: Vecna, who victimizes people who haven’t fully processed painful past events. (So Hawkins is a supersized bag of trauma snacks!) A potential target: Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), still recovering from her stepbrother’s violent death.
“Max is grieving the loss of Billy. Max never wants to feel vulnerable; she’s isolated from people that care most about her,” reveals Sink, who enjoyed the challenge of exploring “the sides of Max she doesn’t want anyone to see.”
(Credit: Courtesy of Netflix)
Too bad her bestie, once-telekinetic Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), is in California with the Byers family. We’re hoping the gang reunites to fight Vecna, who’s linked to a Victorian mansion where a 1950s crime took place.
“The Creel House holds a lot of answers the Hawkins group needs to win this battle,” Sink says. “It’s the most danger they’ve faced in the series so far.” That’s saying a lot!
3 Things That Will Scare You This Season
(Credit: Courtesy of Netflix)
1. One Demonic Creature
Tentacled humanoid Vecna, a character from the kids’ fave fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons. He looks like a cross between the Crypt Keeper and a Kraken, and feeds on trauma. Says Sadie Sink, “He was the exact villain the show needed.”
2. Several Mean Girls
Bullies make Eleven miserable at her new Cali high school. They set her up for a horrible public humiliation, but some unintended consequences lead to a twist that changes her life.
3. The Russian Prison
Sadistic guards, freezing temps, backbreaking labor: That’s what Hopper (David Harbour) has to escape before it kills him. But first, his friends have to know he’s alive!
Stranger Things, Season 4, Volume 1 Premiere, Friday, May 27, Netflix