We’re a few weeks away from the debut of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things—at least the first of three parts of it—and Netflix has dropped one doozy of a trailer that shows things looking pretty bleak for our small-town heroes of Hawkins.
(Spoilers for prior seasons below.)
As previously reported, S4 ended with Vecna—the Big Bad behind it all—opening the gate that allowed the Upside Down to leak into Hawkins. We’re getting a time jump for S5, but in a way, we’re coming full circle, since the events coincide with the third anniversary of Will’s original disappearance in S1. The fifth season will have eight episodes, and each one will be looong—akin to eight feature-length films. Per the official premise:
The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
In addition to the returning main cast, Amybeth McNulty and Gabriella Pizzolo are back as Vicki and Dustin’s girlfriend, Suzie, respectively, with Jamie Campbell Bower reprising his role as Vecna. Linda Hamilton joins the cast as Dr. Kay, along with Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler, Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow, and Alex Breaux as Lt. Akers.
Netflix dropped an extended teaser in July, featuring spooky shots of the Upside Down bleeding into Hawkins, attacking demo-dogs, flamethrowers—plus an armed and dangerous Linda Hamilton taking on the monsters beside our plucky Hawkins crew. The new trailer shows us that Hawkins is on military lockdown and badly damaged by the events of the S4 finale. As Vecna gears up for his final assault to basically destroy the world, we get scenes of every major player in succession doing their part to come up with an effective defense. This season will definitely be action-packed.
Up until now, the main cast members have largely been protected by the plot, although several key supporting characters have met with heart-breaking deaths (RIP Barb, Bob Newby, and of course, Eddie Munson). But we’re in the end game now, so all bets are off, especially since we catch a glimpse of a bruised and clearly grief-stricken Dustin being comforted by Steve—not to mention Nancy washing a heck of a lot of blood off her hands. Here’s hoping the Duffer brothers show some mercy to their audience.
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will release in three installments, because apparently Netflix wants to be as annoying as possible. Volume 1 premieres on November 26, 2025; Volume 2 drops on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025; and the series finale will air on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2025. Netflix is organizing numerous fan events at select theaters for the finale in case you’re keen to see it on a big screen.
Trump admin demands states exempt ISPs from net neutrality and price laws