SCARE OF THE

BY: EFREM ROSENBERG

fter 1,058 long and cumbersome days, Netflix finally delivered the highly anticipated fourth season of its hit show “Stranger Things.” Released on May 27 and July 1, this two part spectacle made up for the wait, and gave fans everything they loved from the previous seasons. With the introduction of absolutely outstanding new characters and three perfectly intertwined storylines, there is no doubt that season four of “Stranger Things” will go down as true peak fiction. Before the end of the first episode, viewers were already introduced to the season’s greatest strength: new characters Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and Vecna (Jamie Bower). Eddie is first introduced to the viewers as a geeky, cowardly and failed highschool student, the kind of character most people would hate. Shortly after, however, Eddie faces hardship, and proceeds to rediscover who he truly is, transforming into a Hawkins hero and fan favorite. The other major character addition, Vecna, is the season’s “big bad.” Vecna haunts both characters and viewers alike, all difference viewers may notice is the season’s ramped up scare factor. The new horror-like feel is almost entirely thanks to the season’s villain, Vecna, who takes a Voldemort, Freddy Krueger like appearance, and who has the ability to telepathically connect to Hawkin’s residents, despite being situated in the upside down. Viewers also become familiar with the characters frightening kill ritual, which is preluded with the infamous grandfather clock and finished off in the most grotesque way imaginable - snapped limbs, eyes forced back into the brain and a notorious trail of blood around the now empty eye sockets. For those horror aficionados and for the average viewer, season four’s newfound scare factor will please all.

With all of the effort put into new characters and horror, one would think that the directors, the Duffer Brothers may have slacked off when it comes to the plot, but that could not be further from the truth: the plot was outstanding. The season starts out with the characters spread out around the world, allowing each enough time to fully flesh out and develop. As Vecna’s wrath of terror takes its toll on Hawkins, the stories begin to intermix more and more, as the team bands together, from both close and afar, to battle this great evil. Season four’s complex plot was without a doubt a massive risk, but in the end it paid off tremendously, spoiling viewers from beginning to end.