Already made trick-or-treating plans? Cancel them ASAP; Stranger Things 2 is officially scheduled to hit Netflix this Halloween. And, judging by the brand-new trailer, it’s going to be even more intense than the first series.
The new promo, which aired during Super Bowl Sunday, begins with a nostalgic Eggo Waffle commercial. A tasty snack which, as long-time fans of the TV mega-hit will know already, is favoured by the mysterious Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
It makes sense, then, that the advert cuts out to reveal a close-up on El’s terrified eyes (she’s alive, just as fans predicted!), staring out of the darkness from some upside down reality.
And the trailer doesn’t stop there.
Set in 1984, just one year after the events of season one, it seems as if the creators have a bevy of 80s pop culture references to hurl in our general direction – including a nostalgic look at Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) dressed up as the Ghostbusters for Halloween.
Naturally, however, it won’t be all fun and games for our favourite trio; Will (Noah Schnapp) may be back from the Upside Down, but he’s still experiencing the terrifying after-effects.
You know, the usual; he’s easily distracted, he’s drawing creepy pictures in primarily black and red crayon, he’s got the US government on his back, there’s a lightning storm outside his house…
Oh, and there’s a giant spider-like monster headed his way.
Watch it for yourself below:
If you were hoping for a glimpse of Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Arbour), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) or Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), then you’re all out of luck; this trailer is made up of nothing more than tantalising mini-glimpses at what’s to come.
And, while Shannon Purser’s ill-fated character won’t be in the new series, creators have promised that fans of the cult TV show will finally get “justice for Barb”.
Speaking to IGN, Matt Duffer said: “Barb will not be forgotten. We’ll make sure there’s some justice for Barb. People get very frustrated, understandably, that the town doesn’t seem to be really dealing with Barb. That stuff is all happening. We’re just not spending any screen time on it.”
He added: “It’s not like her parents are like ‘Oh Barb left. She died!’ Season 1 actually takes place over the course of six or seven days – it’s a really short period of time.
“So part of what we want to do with hypothetical Season 2 is to explore the repercussions of everything that happened.”
Duffer also discussed another character’s fate, which was left pretty open-ended in Season 1. Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) was attacked by the monster, but it seems as if we haven’t seen the last of him – by a long shot.
“I would say that if we were going to kill Brenner… as an audience member watching the show, if that was his death, that would be very unsatisfying to me – when the monster jumps on him and we cut away,” said Duffer.
“He would deserve much more than that as an ending. So yes, there’s a possibility of seeing him again.”
Ross Duffer, meanwhile, who writes the show with his brother, added that the new season will be very similar in tone to the original – albeit far more terrifying.
“We want to retain the tone, but all of our sequels feel a little different. It’s not about just taking another monster — it’s a bigger, badder monster,” he said. “We want it to feel a little bit different, a little bit darker.”
His message is loud and clear; the Demogorgon may be dead, but evil is alive and well. And it’s found a way into Hawkins…
While the first release was only eight episodes long, Stranger Things 2 will take it up to nine episodes – giving us one more hour to enjoy than before.
Better still, each episode already has a title.
They are:
Episode 1: MadMax
Episode 2: The Boy Who Came Back to Life
Episode 3: The Pumpkin Patch
Episode 4: The Palace
Episode 5: The Storm
Episode 6: The Pollywog
Episode 7: The Secret Cabin
Episode 8: The Brain
Episode 9: The Lost Brother
They may be cryptic, but some die-hard fans have already predicted that The Boy Who Came Back To Life will focus primarily on Will (and the fact he’s been throwing up mini-monsters ever since he left the Upside Down). They’ve also suggested that Eleven is hidden in The Secret Cabin – and that Hopper is all too aware of her location.
Only time will tell, we guess. Time to hibernate until October 2017, everyone…
undefined
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.