Things are going to get weird. Again. This Friday, May 27, the first installment of the fourth and final season of Stranger Things arrives on Netflix, the series by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer that returns to close with a golden bun one of the most successful fictions of the last decade. With imaginaries inspired by the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” saga, the 1984 film about murderer Freddy Krueger, the fourth season incorporates more elements of the horror genre and is presented much darker than its predecessors. It also receives new characters who will join the usual ones – Eleven, Will, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Max and their friends – to finally end the curse that haunts the town of Hawkins. Or so they will try.
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In the third season and after fighting one of his biggest battles against the demogorgons Eleven loses his powers. Years later the villain changes face, name and strategies but the objective is the same: to close forever the portal that connects Hawkins with the upside down. The new enemy of the last season is Vecna, one of the characters of the Dungeons & Dragons game that effectively exists and appears – like Freddy Krueger – in the dreams and thoughts of the people to whom his spell arrives. The only way to combat it will be through Eleven who must reconnect with her past and embark on an inner journey to regain her powers and save her friends once and for all. “That will be the biggest challenge she will have in this season,” Millie Bobby Brown, the young actress who plays the central character of the story, told Filo.news.
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Same formula, but improved
With a dynamic similar to that of the previous installments, the cast will move in groups, each with a particular objective, and will put together clues that sooner or later will trigger a general conclusion. Eleven, based in California with the Byers family, must endure the school adaptation and bullying of her classmates while stirring memories of the past and receives the sight of her boyfriend, Mike.In Hawkins Robin, Steve, Dustin, Nancy, Lucas and Max and will unite to unmask the real killer of a series of grisly deaths that are repeated in the town. Here bursts the character of Victor Creel, a psychiatric patient played by Robert Englund, the actor who in the 80s created the legendary Fredy Krueger. Creel will be a key character to untangle Vecna’s tricks.
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In parallel Joyce and Murray travel to Alaska to save Jim Hopper who is still a prisoner of the Russian army, placing the series in the context of the cold war between Russia and the United States.In dialogue with Filo.news, Brett Gelman, the actor who plays the eccentric character of Murray, told us what it was like to work with Winona Ryder and why he believes that his character – which emerged in the second season – gained so much prominence with the running of the chapters.” I think, fortunately for me, the Duffers enjoyed it a lot and wanted to include it more. I also think he’s a perfect companion for Joyce on her mission to save Hopper. I wouldn’t have made that trip alone and since Hopper is still in prison, we are the adults left and we must go for him and save our friend who is still alive. I also assure you that I will bring a lot of humor in that process,” Gelman said.
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Murray is a retired journalist and researcher who since his first appearance helps Joyce unravel some of the mysteries behind Russian intelligence. For this second season Gelman and Ryder changed locations and traveled to Lithuania to film some of the fictional scenes that happen in Alaska.” I loved working with them, Winona and the Duffer Brothers. They are perfectionists, something I love, they want to make sure everything is accurate and correct, it’s a great way to work. It’s like performing a piece of music. Winona brings so much joy, spontaneity, emotion and analysis to the scenes. Her presence is powerful, she bursts in and you already feel that superstar power she has. I was actually a fan of it all my life. The combination of the Duffers directing and writing and the performance of someone like Winona made this a dream come true.” New enemies and characters in a more terrifying and solid production
While the protagonists are the (no longer so) children, the secondary cast of the strip it is just as relevant to the advancement of the story. Erica Sinclair, Lucas’ sister, comes back bigger and recharged. Nancy, Robin, Jonathan and Steve continue to bring their ingenuity and develop their own subplots. In fact, since the third season, the character created by Joe Keery makes an exceptional duo with Gaten Matarazzo carrying much of the humor of the plot. Each season seems to bring bigger, darker elements and this one will be no different. In fact I can say that it will be the darkest and scariest of all by far. We all got bigger and things were changing but the Duffers always do an excellent job of addressing that darkness from humor and freedom,” said Natalia Dyer, the actress who plays the character of Nancy Wheeler.
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“From the beginning of this season we will see Jonathan in a way that we haven’t seen him yet. He is deciding on his future while taking care of what is important to him. So I think the character changed, he’s more lost but also reflecting and deciding on his life. It was nice to accompany that jump,” Charlie Heaton added about his character, Jonathan Byers, son of Joyce, Brother of Will and boyfriend of Nancy.La decision to incorporate new characters was very successful, as was the choice of its actors and actresses. Joseph Quinn – known for acting in Game of Thrones – plays Eddie Munson, an eccentric nerd who becomes the new leader of the Hellfire Club and who will be involved in the mysterious murders of Hawkins. I was already a fan of the series before acting in it, so joining was something surreal. About my character I can say that he will be the one who will carry the madness of this season,” Quinn told this media.
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Another of the new additions is Argyle, a pizza delivery man and exquisite cannabis consumer created by actor Eduardo Franco. He becomes Jonathan Byers’ new best friend who will accompany him when things get weird again in Hawkins.Special mention goes to Amybeth McNulty, the actress known for starring in Anne with an E who arrives to embody a new LGBTIQ+ character in the story. “I’m anxious for them to meet her. His role is going to be super innovative for the show. I think it will modernize it and bring things that people want to see,” Millie said of her partner’s work. Stranger Things: The Beginning of the End of History That Brought Science Fiction Together with Horror and Humor
From its first chapter Stranger Things is presented as a celebration of the 80s and recovers – with certain current licenses – the best of its fashions, hairstyles, cultural consumption, music and scenographies. Situated in the framework of the cold war between Russia and the United States also refers to narratives of idols of pop culture and the horror genre that shone at that time: Steven Spielberg, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Stephen King, Rob Reiner and George Lucas.Filmed in the middle of the pandemic the fourth part adds elements of the most explicit gore and addresses new problems such as bullying, mental health and the ups and downs of adolescence in increasingly evolved and solid characters.
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With humor as a backdrop and inspired by the great science fiction productions of the time Stranger Things is perhaps the best tribute that the mainstream ever made to pop culture at the end of the century. Although the third season became somewhat redundant and tiring for many viewers, the fourth reverses the direction and repositions the Duffer brothers’ series as a jewel of the last decade. Costumes, staging, period recreation and digital effects are condiments that hype a richer and more tempting story than its predecessor. The first installment of the fourth season debuts worldwide this May 27 and the second and final part will be available from July 1.
