The new trailer for Stranger Things Season 5 is finally here, and the stage is set for what promises to be an epic send-off for the series that started way back in 2016.
Hawkins has been cut off from the outside world, and we see the military doing its best to fend off the invading Demogorgons. There's no explanation for why the kids now look like adults, but we wouldn't bank on getting one, seeing as their seemingly rapid ageing is a result of the significant gaps between seasons (Season 4 arrived on Netflix in 2022).
The trailer is heavy on action, but relatively light on story reveals. However, it concludes with Vecna returning to Hawkins and telling a prone Will, "You are going to help me...one last time."
It's a terrifying piece of imagery, albeit one that suggests we'll finally learn more about Will's connection to the Upside Down.
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is getting a staggered release, and it was recently confirmed that the feature-length finale, "The Rightside Up," will play in theaters starting on December 31, the same day it premieres on Netflix.
"Now we’re in the final season, we don’t have to hold anything back," co-creator Matt Duffer said in a recent interview. Ross added, "We didn’t want to tie everything into a perfect bow, but I think we answer most questions and resolve every arc. It was our intention to write a definitive ending to this story."
Matt later said, "When we pitched it to Netflix, we genuinely thought the scale was going to be about on par with Season 4. But, uh, that turned out to be a lie. Episode 4 and Episode 8 are just monsters."
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.
Created by The Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things is produced by Upside Down Pictures & 21 Laps Entertainment with The Duffer Brothers serving as executive producers, alongside Shawn Levy of 21 Laps Entertainment and Dan Cohen.
The cast includes Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow), Alex Breaux (Lt. Akers), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).
Stranger Things Season 5, which will consist of eight episodes, is set to be released in three parts, with two volumes on November 26 and December 25, 2025, and the finale on December 31.