The two episodes that make up Volume 2 of Stranger Things‘ fourth season clock in at almost four hours—which is basically two movies’ worth of screaming, monsters, and maybe more meaningful uses of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” which gives this trailer a lot of its emotional heft.
The rest comes from a series of threats and fears: Hawkins will fall. Maybe things won’t work out for them this time. Eleven isn’t ready. But who is, when things from the Upside Down come calling?
As of season four’s first volume, Matt and Ross Duffer’s Stranger Things is Netflix’s most-watched English language series (it still trails Squid Game for the top spot). Since 2016, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the gang from Hawkins have faced impossible odds and come out ahead—but not without losses.
Volume 1 ended on a cliffhanger, with a revelation about the origins of the evil Vecna and his connection to Eleven, and with one member of the gang trapped in the Upside down (though seemingly not for long, as she seems okay in this trailer). There’s… a lot to process. Producer and director Shawn Levy told The Hollywood Reporter, “Having seen both those finale episodes, they are as emotional as they are cinematic. Holy shit, they are definitely a treat for the eyes, but they punch you right in the heart. So, that’s what I’ll say about that.”
Prepare to have your heart punched when Stranger Things returns on July 1st.
