If, by now you’ve finished watching the approximately 576 hours of ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Volume 1 (okay, more like nearly nine hours), two things are probably true: you have Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” stuck in your head and you’re eagerly anticipating the next Volume.
Netflix is throwing us all a tiny tease of what we can expect via some new pictures from Volume 2 which, let’s not forget, comprises two episodes running nearly four hours when watched together.
Picking up a year or so after the explosive end of Season 3, the first volume’s episodes find Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and his family living in Southern California, having made the smart choice to move away from Hawkins, Indiana. While Eleven is having trouble fitting into a new school, she’s soon informed by Sam Owens (Paul Reiser) that her particular set of mysterious skills are needed back in Hawkins.
There’s just one small problem with that plan: she doesn’t have them anymore. Yet back in Hawkins, things continue to be, well, strange. Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) are facing their own challenges, moving on up to Hawkins high school and all the potential bullying, hormonal issues and fashion challenges that presents.
But possibly having an even harder time is Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield, who is still grieving the death of brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), who sacrificed himself in the big battle.
They’ll need real help, as something even more terrifying is on the way and a giant conflict is bubbling away, with some of it tied to the creepy new location of the Creel House. Then there’s poor old Jim Hopper (David Harbour), locked away in a prison in Kamchatka, Russia. At least he’s alive, but for how long?
The end of Season 4’s first volume saw Mike’s sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) trapped in the Upside Down by new big bad Vecna and friend Steve (Joe Keery) in a bad way after being attacked by bat creatures.
These new pictures could be considered a spoiler – unless the shot of Nancy with the gang is a flashback – but show the various storylines we’ve been following, including Mike and friends’ attempt to find Eleven, her digging into her tragic lab past alongside Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine), Hopper and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) trying to get out of Russia alive and the characters in Hawkins making plans to take on Vecna (who, it is revealed, also has ties to Eleven’s past).
“The final episode has more FX shots than the entirety of Season 3,” co-creator Matt Duffer told Empire magazine after the first Volume dropped.
“There’s an hour-long chunk in the final episode that just doesn’t stop,” adds his brother and fellow show boss Ross. “It’s the most complicated thing we’ve ever attempted to do. It’s all tension and dread, with a run-time that would be long even for a movie. Then – well, everything goes to hell…”
Yeah, because life is always so peachy keen and easy for the Hawkins crew! ‘Stranger Things 4’ Volume 2 lands on Netflix on July 1st.
As we head into spooky season, here’s a guide to a wide variety of new horror films from female filmmakers to get your skin crawling. With such a rich crop of startlingly original titles from filmmakers with bold visions and unique points of view, there’s bound to be something for everyone’s particular penchant. Whether you’re looking for mind-blowing body horror, creatures like vampires, witches or ghosts, or just good old fashioned blood, guts and gore – something wicked awaits you.
Adriana Barraza in ‘Bingo Hell’
The fifth installment in the anthology Welcome To The Blumhouse, Gigi Saul Guerrero’s film stars Oscar-nominated actress Adriana Barraza as Lupita, the lynchpin of a group of elderly persons living in the slowly gentrifying enclave known as Oak Springs. When the owner of the community center mysteriously disappears and the bingo hall is taken over by a huckster named Mr. Big (a wonderfully slimy Richard Brake) promising suspiciously big payouts, Lupita rallies the group to fight back. Filmed in New Orleans, Guerrero’s gruesome, wry film is perfect for fans of ‘The Outer Limits.’
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Asjha Cooper, Frabrizio Guido and Mason Beauchamp in ‘Black As Night’
Written by Sherman Payne, Maritte Lee Go’s addition to Welcome To The Blumhouse follows awkward teenager Shawna (Asjha Cooper) as she tackles body issues and battles vampires over one fateful summer. When her mother falls victim to a gang of vampires preying on the most vulnerable residents of New Orleans – drug addicts and the unhoused struggling after Hurricane Katrina – Shawna vows to not only avenge her death, but put an end to their bloody reign in the Big Easy forever.
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Zena Grey, Erika Cimino, Carlson Young, Brianne Tju and Alice Carroll Johnson in ‘The Blazing World’
Loosely inspired by Margaret Cavendish’s 1666 satirical, proto-science fiction of the same name, Carlson Young’s fantasy horror-thriller had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Young stars as Margaret Winter, a self-destructive young woman still reeling from her twin sister’s accidental drowning, who returns home only to find herself in an alternate dreamlike dimension where her sister may still be alive. Udo Kier, Dermot Mulroney, Vinessa Shaw round out the film’s impressive cast.
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Lauren Beatty in ‘Bloodthirsty’
Co-written by mother-daughter team Wendy Hill-Tout and Lowell Boland, follows indie musician Grey Kessler (Lauren Beatty) as she battles her anxiety while working on her sophomore album. When mysterious producer Vaughn (Greg Bryk) offers his mansion and services, Grey is elated. However as his abusive process pushes her into the darker recesses of her psyche, she finds herself transforming in more ways than one. Shot on location in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the result is a unique, transfixing, and gore-filled twist on the werewolf genre.
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘Candyman’
Co-written with Win Rosenfeld and producer Jordan Peele, Nia DaCosta’s entry into the Candyman franchise, first adapted from by Clive Barker’s “The Forbidden” in 1992 by Bernard Rose, picks the story back up twenty-seven years after the events of the first film. Chicago-based visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) finds himself drawn to the urban myth of Candyman and the Cabrini-Green housing project. Little does he know his connection to the lore runs deeper than just the power of artistic inspiration. Although critical reception was split, after its initial release DaCosta became the first American Black woman director with a number one at the box office.
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Niamh Algar in ‘Censor’
Set at the height of the Video Nasty controversy in the early 1980s England, Enid Baines (Niamh Algar) works as a censor for the British Board of Film Classification. Years early Enid’s sister went missing and is presumed dead, but when Enid discovers an old exploitation film that parallels the events of her sister’s disappearance, she becomes obsessed with finding the woman she believes may be her long lost sister. Shot on a mixture of 35mm, Super8 and VHS, Bailey-Bond’s film is a visceral and disquieting debut.
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Fear Street Trilogy – directed by Leigh Janiak
Ted Sutherland and Sadie Sink in ‘Fear Street’
Set in 1994, 1978, and 1666 respectively, the trilogy relates the twisted relationship between the communities of Shadyside and Sunnyvale as it unpacks the curse of Sarah Fier, a witch who was burned at the stake. Inspired by the iconic book series by R. L. Stine, director Leigh Janiak infuses a fresh new point of view by centering the films on a queer love story, while mainting plenty of gore.
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Cecilia Milocco in ‘Knackningar (Knocking)’
Directed by Frida Kempff and written by Emma Broström, the film stars Cecilia Milocco as a woman named Molly who is recovering from a nervous breakdown after experiencing an extreme loss. After checking out of a psychiatric ward and moving into a new apartment complex, she begins hearing mysterious knocking sounds. Paranoia sets in when no one in the mysterious complex believes her.
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Brea Grant in ‘Lucky’
The life of self-help author May (Brea Grant) spirals out of control when she finds herself battling a mysterious faceless assailant night after night. When no one seems to notice or care, she is pushed to her physical and psychological limits as she attempts to rid him from her life for good. Kermani and writer-star Grant’s incisive look at the terror of just being a woman in this world will linger in your mind long after its flashy finale.
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Barbara Hershey in ‘The Manor’
Also part of Welcome To The Blumhouse, writer-director Axelle Carolyn’s gothic thriller stars Barbara Hershey as Judith Albright, a woman who moves to Golden Sun Manor assisted living after suffering a mild stroke. While fighting for her agency, she begins to believe there is a sinister presence haunting the residents of the manor. Teaming up with fellow resident Roland (Bruce Davison), the two attempt to escape their confines rather than succumb to the evil forces surrounding them.
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Kiera Thompson in ‘Martyr’s Lane’
While living in a remote vicarage with her parents and surly older sister, 10-year-old Leah (Kiera Thompson) meets a strange girl in tattered angel wings while playing in the woods. Each time the girl visits Leah finds new clues to an old mystery that may cause her family’s fraught dynamics to unravel completely. Although she doesn’t quite stick the landing, with this film writer-director Ruth Platt offers a unique twist on the ghost story genre.
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Martina García in ‘Phobias’
In this anthology film each director brings a unique phobia to graphic life. Using a frame narrative to connect the five entries, their stories cross paths at a government testing facility where a crazed doctor attempts to weaponize fear. Watch out for a chilling performance from Macy Gray.
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Rose Williams in ‘The Power’
Set during power outages caused by a miners’ strike in early 1970s London, the film centers around Val (Rose Williams), a nurse in training. Spending her first night working in the East London Royal Infirmary in near total darkness, she begins to suspect there is something sinister lurking in the walls.
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Jennifer Ehle in ‘Saint Maud’
After a critically praised debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019, writer-director Rose Glass’s psychological horror debut finally hit stateside earlier this year. Having recently converted to Roman Catholicism, hospice nurse Maud forms an unhealthy obsession with a former dancer in her care (Jennifer Ehle). Featuring a shocking finale, Oscar-winner Danny Boyle is among the film’s most ardent supporters, calling it “genuinely unsettling.”
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Romane Denis in ‘Slaxx’
In this horror-comedy, co-written with Patricia Gomez, writer-director Elza Kephart tackles the real life horrors caused by fast fashion. As a possessed pair of jeans goes on a killing spree inside a hip boutique overnight, new hire Libby McClean (Romane Denis) fights to escape the denim demon.
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Najarra Townsend in ‘The Stylist’
One day a lonely hair stylist (Najarra Townsend) who works from home snaps and kills a client (Brea Grant), leading her down a path of continued bloodlust that changes her life forever. Praised for its sharp comedy and stylish kills, Gevargizian’s film is a welcome entry into the slasher canon.
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Agathe Rousselle in ‘Titane,’ directed by Julia Ducournau
In this Cannes Palme d’Or-winning flick Alexia, a showgirl (Agathe Rousselle) at a motorshow with a titanium plate implanted in her head from a childhood crash, gets impregnated by a Cadillac and goes on a serial killing spree. On the run from the cops, she impersonates the long lost son of a fire chief named Vincent (Vincent Lindon). Equally as tender as it is disgusting, Ducournau is the reigning queen of body horror with heart.
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Amanda Seyfried in ‘Things Heard & Seen’
Based on the novel “All Things Cease to Appear” by Elizabeth Brundage, Berman and Pulcini use the philosophies and mysticism of Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian and scientist Emanuel Swedenborg to put a new spin on the ghost story genre, while also exploring the dynamics of a fatally toxic marriage. The impressive cast includes Amanda Seyfried as Catherine, James Norton, Natalia Dyer, Karen Allen, and F. Murray Abraham.
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Madeleine Sims-Fewer in ‘Violation’
Playing both the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, this Canadian horror-drama follows Miriam (Madeleine Sims-Fewer), a traumatized woman on the edge of divorce who returns home for the first time in years. After her estranged sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she seeks revenge in a most deranged and vicious manner. Praised for its rage and intensity, Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli’s film is a bold take on the revenge genre.
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A sink test scene in ‘Witch Hunt’
Set in a version of contemporary America where witches are real and witchcraft is illegal, a teenage girl (Gideon Adlon) faces her own prejudices as her mom (Elizabeth Mitchell) begins offering assistance to the orphaned children of witches seeking asylum in Mexico. While the metaphor isn’t always in the best taste, Callahan’s film continues the tradition of using the witch genre as a mode to express cultural criticism.
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In this exclusive interview with Made in Hollywood, Yes, God, Yes’ star Natalia Dyer and the film’s writer/director Karen Maine talk about making their indie comedy and working with 90s=era technology.
Here’s the official synopsis for the film:
In the Midwest in the early 00s, sixteen-year-old Alice (Natalia Dyer) has always been a good Catholic girl. But when an AOL chat turns racy, she discovers masturbation and becomes guilt-ridden. Seeking redemption, she attends a mysterious religious retreat to try and suppress her urges, but it isn’t easy, especially after a cute boy (Wolfgang Novogratz) starts flirting with her. Alice’s sense of shame is spiraling when she uncovers a shocking truth about the retreat’s most devout. Desperate and confused, she flees and meets an unlikely ally (Susan Blackwell) who offers an alternative view of what it means to be good. For the first time, Alice realizes she can decide for herself what to believe and finally gets the release she needs.
“Stranger Things” Season 3 is gearing up to start production in April, for an unknown premiere date on Netflix. The cast and producers talked a bit more about what’s ahead Sunday during a PaleyFest panel.
As previously reported, Season 3 is jumping ahead about a year, with EP Shawn Levy saying Season 3 would be set during the summer of 1985. So that’s why “Back to the Future,” which came out that year, will be a point of reference, the way “Ghostbusters” was a timeline benchmark for Halloween in Season 2.
Levy gave status updates on the relationships that formed in Season 2, between Eleven/Jane (Millie Bobby Brown) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink):
“Mike and Eleven and are going strong, so that’s a relationship that continues, and same with Mad Max and Lucas. But again, they’re like 13- or 14-year-old kids, so what does romance mean at that stage of life? It can never be simple and stable relationships and there’s fun to that instability.”
According to THR, the cast members hadn’t seen any scripts at this point, so Millie Bobby Brown learned of her character’s relationship status right there during PaleyFest.
Levy didn’t seem to give an update on the romance between Nancy (Natalie Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), who are a bit older, but he did assure fans that “Dad Steve” (or, as we prefer, “Single Mom Steve”) would continue:
“We’ll definitely get to see some more of Steve Harrington in Season 3, and I’ll just say we won’t be abandoning the Dad Steve magic. I don’t want to say much more, but I literally feel that we were walking along and we stumbled onto a gold mine with Dad Steve.”
Levy’s love for Steve runs deep, as it should. Here’s what he told TVLine of Joe Keery’s character:
“Honestly, the day Steve Harrington dies is the day I walk off this show. I just can’t live in a world without Steve Harrington. And I think a lot of us feel that way.”
Check out more mini updates from the cast and execs from Variety’s red carpet interviews:
TVLine previously reported that Season 3 will have eight episodes, one fewer than Season 2, with production slated to begin mid-April.
It was also recently revealed that Maya Thurman-Hawke — daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke — will be playing the new character of Robin, “an alternative girl who is equal parts sharp and playful. Bored with her mundane day job, she just wants a little excitement in her life… and gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins.” Also, Priah Ferguson will have a larger presence as Lucas’ scene-stealing little sister Erica.
In other Season 3 news, we know Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) will finally get a break this year, and Mrs. Wheeler (Cara Buono) will reportedly have a more substantial storyline after that sexy tease with Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) in Season 2.
The 2018 film and TV awards season is officially in full swing. Last weekend was the Golden Globe Awards. Thursday night was the Critics Choice Awards. Next Sunday is the Screen Actors Guild Awards. And in the week after that, we get the Oscar nominations, with that broadcast airing on March 4.
The young “Stranger Things” cast pretty much owned the Golden Globes red carpet, and that was without the help of their 20-something costars. On that front, Joe Keery (Steve Harrington) gave great hair at the Golden Globes after-parties, showing us what we missed in the pre-show.
Keery, Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), and Dacre Montgomery (Billy Hargrove) presented together at the Critics Choice Awards. They all brought their A-games to the red carpet:
David Harbour (Chief Jim Hopper) is the one who actually won a Critics Choice Award for his role in Season 2. He seemed to have fun behind-the-scenes with his cast.Joe Keery’s popularity skyrocketed after “Stranger Things” Season 2, and he talked to Bustle about the increase in attention. He also revealed how he’d prefer to interact with fans. Here’s that part of his Bustle profile:
Not one for taking dozens of photos for photos’ sake (just look at his artsy Instagram feed, which he only updates a few times a month), Keery longs for a time when fans were actually trying to, well, just chat. “I think about Frank Sinatra — sure, he took some photos, but if he’s just walking by in public or something, or like eating at a restaurant, there wouldn’t be people trying to take a photo. It would be people trying to meet you.”
“I would much rather sit down and like talk to someone and be like, ‘No, I don’t really want to take a photo because I just got off a plane,’” he adds. “I would much rather say, ‘What’s your name? And where [are] you from?’ and talk to somebody.”
The “Stranger Things” cast may not have much time left to talk to fans. They will gather Sunday, January 21 at the Screen Actors Guild Awards to defend their title; they won the big Best Ensemble in a Drama Series award last year and they’re nominated again this year.
David Harbour recently said Season 3 may start filming in March or April, for a 2019 premiere on Netflix, but there are no solid dates yet.
“Stranger Things” easily ranks among the most popular of Netflix’s many original series, and fans have been waiting more than a year for new episodes to finally hit the streaming service.
Thankfully, Season 2 is finally dropping on Friday, October 27. Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for the show’s return.
1. It’s Just in Time for HalloweenNot only is the series conveniently returning in time for Halloween, Season 2 will feature a lot of Halloween trappings itself.
Season 2 will pick up in October 1984, roughly a year after the return of Will (Noah Schnapp). Early footage showed the series’ young cast dressed as Ghostbusters, so expect plenty of references to period-appropriate pop culture as everyone gets into the holiday spirit.
Unfortunately, that leaves one notable hole in the lineup. Despite becoming a fan-favorite in Season 1, it doesn’t sound like Shannon Purser’s Barb will be cheating death. That’s already led fans to create the #JusticeforBarb hashtag.
But then again, you never know what weird twists might unfold on this series.
3. There Are Two New CharactersBoth of new additions are played by actors with serious ’80s movie pedigrees. First is Sean Astin‘s Bob Newby, a former classmate of Joyce and Hopper, who now runs the local RadioShack. Do we sense a love triangle forming?
Second is Paul Reiser as Ownes, a Department of Energy representative who is tasked with covering up the strange events that lead us to paying the Upside Down a visit.
4. There’s a Heavy James Cameron Influence“Stranger Things” proudly wears its influences on its sleeve, with the show owing a huge debt to “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial” and the works of Stephen King. However, co-creator Matt Duffer said that Season 2 will be pulling from a different source.
Duffer revealed to Entertainment Weekly that this season will draw inspiration from James Cameron‘s films, both in terms of their general appeal and Cameron’s willingness to differentiate his sequels from the originals.
5. Say ‘Hello’ to Hopper’s DaughterWhile much of the focus in Season 1 centered around the search for Will, the series also explored Hopper’s lingering trauma as a father grieving for his dead daughter. Expect that to become an even bigger focus in this new season.
“Hopper’s daughter will be the primary focus of Season 2, but not in the way that you think it will be,” Harbour told TV Guide. “Hopper’s understanding of that relationship — and Hopper’s understanding of being a father — and of being a man grows deeper and deeper in Season 2, and we get a lot of time to explore what that is, but it won’t be in the literal way that you think it is.”
6. The Upside Down Is Back (Duh)Don’t think that just because Will is back, he and his friends are done with the twisted realm that is the Upside Down.
7. There Are More Seasons PlannedUnsurprisingly, Netflix plans to continue making this show a major part of its TV arsenal. Expect plenty more of the series after Season 2 wraps. At first, the Duffer brothers indicated that they had a four-season road map for the series, but now it sounds as though they may be planning a fifth season, too.
“Stranger Things” Season 3 is gearing up to start production in April, for an unknown premiere date on Netflix. The cast and producers talked a bit more about what’s ahead Sunday during a PaleyFest panel.
Levy’s love for Steve runs deep, as it should. Here’s what he told 
Steve “Hair”-ington gets all the hair awards. (Sadly, 
Joe Keery’s popularity 
“Stranger Things” easily ranks among the most popular of Netflix’s many original series, and fans have been waiting more than a year for new episodes to finally hit the streaming service.
Not only is the series conveniently returning in time for Halloween, Season 2 will feature a lot of Halloween trappings itself.
All of the major surviving characters from the first season are back, including 
Both of new additions are played by actors with serious ’80s movie pedigrees. First is 
“Stranger Things” proudly wears its influences on its sleeve, with the show owing a huge debt to “
While much of the focus in Season 1 centered around the search for Will, the series also explored Hopper’s lingering trauma as a father grieving for his dead daughter. Expect that to become an even bigger focus in this new season. 
Don’t think that just because Will is back, he and his friends are done with the twisted realm that is the Upside Down.
Unsurprisingly, Netflix plans to continue making this show a major part of its TV arsenal. Expect plenty more of the series after Season 2 wraps. At first, the Duffer brothers indicated that