“Stranger Things 5” draws near.
The conclusion to Netflix’s flagship series is being released in three sections across the holidays – on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve – and the streaming service has just released a teaser trailer for the grand finale. And it’s a doozy. Watch it above.
The trailer starts with the gang at WSQK 94.5 FM, a radio station that, based on set photos released during production, has a significant importance in this season. “Burn commencing,” Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) says over the airwaves. (Maybe this is the way the group is communicating one another since the apocalyptic finale?) Then the music cue starts – a pumped up, orchestral version of Deep Purple’s “Child in Time” (a single back in 1970). This is keeping with excellent music choices for “Stranger Things” spots – remember the Comic-Con trailer for season 2 that used Michael Jackson’s “Thriller?” – and it works like a charm here.
Anyway, there is a lot to unpack in this trailer – someone has scrawled “Burn in hell” on Eddie’s grave, perhaps in blood (this is both a hat tip to the Satanic panic of the era, suggesting the people of Hawkins might blame him for the portals to the Upside Down opening up, and a reference to John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” one of the series’ key touchstones); Max (Sadie Sink) is in the hospital with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin); Dustin seems infected with some kind of Upside Down gunk (there’s a great shot of him hugging Joe Keery’s Steve); multiple Demogorgons are on the loose; we see Linda Hamilton as new character Dr. Kay and a big military instillation at the mouth of one of these Upside Down portals; and Hopper (David Harbour) says to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), “Wherever this blood leads, I need you to fight one last time. Let’s end this. We see glimpses of other characters and creatures and the text reads: “The final chapter begins.” At the very end, we get a glimpse of Vecna, who is even scarier-looking than before, who said, “Found you.” Eep!
The updated synopsis states that the kids are looking for Vecna but that he’s disappeared. Hawkins is now under military control and they are hunting Eleven, who has forced her into hiding. (It also mentions that the portals unleashed at the end of season 4 are now known as the Rifts.) “The final battle is looking – 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,” the synopsis reads.
This season features two episodes directed by the great Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile”), along with three directed by the Duffer Brothers, including the series finale, which is titled “The Rightside Up.” That’s the episode airing on New Year’s Eve.
And while this might be the end of the mainline “Stranger Things” series, there are plenty of spinoffs and related projects to keep you busy. The Broadway show “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” which is excellent, opened earlier this year and even earned some Tony nominations, an animated series (“Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85” will debut on Netflix next summer), there’s an anime project in the works, and much, much more.
Volume 1 will streaming on Netflix at 5 pm PT on November 26; Volume 2 will stream on December 25 at 5 pm PT; and the Finale will stream on Netflix on December 31 at 5 pm PT. Ready to say goodbye to “Stranger Things” as a family?
