Stranger Things Season 5’s Emotional Stakes Are Sky High

Netflix has officially released the first teaser trailer for the final season of Stranger Things. The fifth and final season is set to premiere late this year, and it’s not long at all: a lot is expected to happen.

Fans get a mix of ominous and action-packed moments, including a closer look at Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), some heavyweight cameos, and those big-ticket sights and sounds that have become Stranger Things staples. Everything fans could ask for is present and accounted for in this bad boy.

Netflix cuts to the chase, introducing some of the ominous sights and sounds that have become synonymous with Stranger Things. Viewers get a look at the Upside Down seeping further into Hawkins, where it will finally overlap entirely. There are also glimpses of demo-dogs prowling the halls of Hawkins in the dark, an armed and battle-ready Linda Hamilton, and some M41A flamethrowers in action.

Recap of Season 4 of Stranger Things: Major Cliffhanger Ending

Season 4 left viewers with a major cliffhanger, which will no doubt carry over into season 5. Vecna, the nightmarish villain at the center of Season 4, tore open the great gate, letting the Upside Down seep into Hawkins in its entirety.

Viewers will be taken into the future for season 5, as it is set in the fall of 1987. It is the third anniversary of Will Byers’ disappearance, the event that kicked off the entire series in Season 1. Some expected callbacks will take place, and it’s safe to say there will be a final battle between Hawkins and its foes from the Upside Down.

Season 5 will be composed of eight episodes. Each episode will be a feature-length variety, however, so fans will effectively get eight Stranger Things movies in season 5.

Details have been provided about the return of Hawkins to its usual self, and those who knew it pre-Invasion. The Rifts were opened, and the Upside Down has made itself fully present in Hawkins. The remaining heroes of Hawkins, both old and new, are on the same mission now: to find and kill Vecna. Nobody knows where to find him and what he will do next, but the stakes are higher than ever before.

The U.S. government has placed Hawkins under military quarantine and is also redoubling efforts to hunt down Eleven and force her to go on the run again. Time is running out before the fateful anniversary of Will Byers’ disappearance, and the upcoming events of season 5 will be as dark and nerve-wracking as any other part of the Stranger Things series. The heroes of Hawkins, old and new, are coming together as the full party for the last battle. The only question is whether they will survive this final journey.

Cast and Crew Returning for Season 5

The main cast of Stranger Things will all be returning for the final season, of course, but several key recurring characters have yet to make a full return. Amybeth McNulty will be reprising her role as Vicki, and Gabriella Pizzolo is confirmed to be back as Suzie, Dustin’s girlfriend. Jamie Campbell Bower will also be returning as Vecna.

In terms of new faces, Stranger Things has also confirmed a couple of big names. Linda Hamilton is set to join the cast as Dr. Kay, but the biggest of her big guns is undoubtedly Hamilton herself. A few new faces have also been confirmed, including Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler, Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow, and Alex Breaux as Lt. Akers.

Viewers will get a mixture of new faces, familiar ones returning to Hawkins, and some of the classic easter eggs, horror, and Stranger Things set pieces they’ve come to expect by now. The trailer briefly features a sequence where Lucas and several others crouch behind something to avoid being eaten by demo-dogs in a scene that very much brings to mind the velociraptor kitchen scene from Jurassic Park.

Viewers will also get the jump-scare they’re asking for as they get a look at Vecna in the flesh, glaring through a dark, filtered lens and using those same iconic words from Season 4: “found you.” If that isn’t enough for viewers in the goosebump department, it’s hard to say what is.

In another scene, a large gravestone is shown in the rain, reading “Eddie Munson.” Underneath the name, however, are the words “Burn in hell” scribbled across the stone. This scene gives viewers a bit of a reality check, as it is made clear that while Eddie Munson died heroically in the Season 4 finale, Hawkins still views Eddie as a villain.

For the characters in the show, Eddie’s death will likely always sting. As Eddie’s death is the most recent of the show’s heart-wrenching deaths, it’s safe to say that Eddie’s death will be the most palpable. Since Bob Newby’s death in Season 2, few moments have gutted the Stranger Things fans as Eddie’s death in the finale did.