Dark times lie ahead for Hawkins, as the Upside Down gears up for its biggest battle. Just in time for Halloween, Netflix has unleashed the first trailer for Stranger Things 5, featuring all-out destruction, emotional punches to the gut, and high-octane, anxiety-inducing moments.
Set against a rendition of Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever”, the chunky trailer (coming in at nearly three minutes) wastes no time in establishing the sky-high stakes — Demogorgons tearing apart the soldiers keeping Hawkins under military quarantine, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) fleeing a demadog while carrying a still-comatose Max (Sadie Sink), and a depacitated, levitating Will (Noah Schnapp) at the mercy of the powerful, fearsome Vecna.
Along the way are glimpses of the remaining Indiana crew in varying levels of distress, with Hopper (David Harbour) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) holding and firing assault rifles, a group hug with Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) — uh oh, considering Will’s fate — and Joyce (Winona Ryder) in a tunnel reminiscent of the one from the second season. At one point, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) tells Mike, “This isn’t like one of your campaigns. You don’t get to write the ending. Not this time.” Welp.
It’s a grim start to the final season, which kicks off in the fall of 1987 following the aftermath of Season 4, and reunites Eleven and her friends on a quest to find and kill Vecna. Per the synopsis, however, the villain “has vanished” with his “whereabouts and plans unknown.”
It continues, “Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.”
As previously announced, Stranger Things 5 is releasing in three parts: Volume 1 on 26 November, Volume 2 on Christmas (three episodes), and a two-hour grand finale on New Year’s Eve that’s set to bow in more than 350 cinemas in the U.S. and Canada. The runtimes for the first four episodes have also been unveiled in order of airing: “The Crawl” (68 minutes), “The Vanishing of ____” (54 minutes), “The Turnbow Trap” (66 minutes), and “Sorcerer” (83 minutes).
The Duffer Brothers return to write and direct the penultimate instalment, joining Paul Dichter, Curtis Gwinn, Caitlin Schneiderhan and Kate Trefry as co-writers, and Frank Darabont and Shawn Levy as co-directors.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
