“Stranger Things” Season 4, Part 1 is lurking just around the corner.
The largest season yet, Season 4 of the Netflix series is also the most cinematic — with episode runtimes over 60 minutes (the finale itself will be more than two hours long). According to its creators, it leans into horror fare, as we see the main crew age out of middle school and embark on a sprawling quest that includes California, where homages galore include paying tribute to stoner classic “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “E.T.”
For Emmys eligibility, “Stranger Things” was split into two parts, with the first — comprising six episodes — releasing May 27. The latter half — featuring three episodes — will drop on the streamer July 1. Season 4 will pick up half a year following the events of Season 3, and will see its main characters struggling to adapt to high school as new threats emerge. Given its immense scope, the fourth season will also sprawl across Hawkins, Russia and the Golden State, where Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Byers live.
From what has been revealed so far, the kids will be spending more time than ever in the Upside Down as they learn to face off against Vecna, a demon-like figure known as the Undying Wizard whose lore hails from the Dungeons & Dragons game. There’s also the spooky Creel House, presumably connected to new character Victor Creel (Robert Englund), a disturbing man who is being held in a psychiatric hospital.
Newly added cast members include Eduardo Franco, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sherman Augustus, Mason Dye, Tom Wlaschiha, Nikola Djuricko, Joseph Quinn, Amybeth McNulty, Myles Truitt, Regina Ting Chen and Grace Van Dien. Of course, they’ll be joined by returning fan-favorite characters like Max (Sadie Sink), Steve (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and the original “Stranger Things” gang.
Similar to other Netflix releases, “Stranger Things” Season 4, Part 1 will premiere on the streamer right at the start of the witching hour — quite apt for the bone-chilling content you’re sure to witness. So, get your popcorn and blankets ready for 12/3 a.m. PT/ET on May 27 to tune in right as the season drops on Netflix. When it comes to Part 2’s release, you can count on the same schedule.
As the Duffer Brothers wrote in their heartfelt open letter to fans announcing Season 5 as the final installment, “It is also the beginning of the end.”