Posted in: Netflix, Preview, Stranger Things, streaming, TV | Tagged: netflix, preview, Robert Englund, season 4, stranger things

Stranger Things 4 EP on Robert Englund, "Elm Street" Easter Egg & More

Now that the first volume of Netflix and the Duffer Bros' Stranger Things 4 is actively crawling across streaming screens, fans have a ton to unpack between now and the series' return for Volume 2 this July. One of the storylines greatly expanded upon is the backstory on what led to Dr. Martin Brenner's (Matthew Modine) program starting up. Without treading into spoiler territory, the truth behind the series' "Big Bad" is connected to Robert Englund's (Freddy Krueger from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films) Victor Creel and the truths revealed when Nancy (Natalia Dyer) & Robin (Maya Hawke) visit him at Pennhurst psychiatric hospital. Speaking with EW, series director & EP Shawn Levy shared what it was like working with the horror icon & legend as well as a nod to "Nightmare" that you may have missed.

Levy on Working with Englund: "He brought a real enthusiasm to his role, and honestly, it was just an honor to watch him work. The role that he plays is just really interesting… He was so lovely and kind and sweet and really gave such a great performance."

Did You Catch That "Krueger" Moment? "There's a closeup of [Creel] scratching his fingernails on the desk in his cell. It's implied that he's done it for so long that the linoleum desktop is worn away by the scrape of his fingertip [a nod to the cinematic killer's razor-sharp fingernail blades]." And new villain Vecna's dream abilities? "The design and evil capabilities of Vecna are clearly descendants of Freddy Kruger."

Englund Forced The Duffer Bros to Break Tradition: "When the Duffers direct, there's no need for me to go to set. And when I direct, there's not a need for the brothers to come to set. We have such implicit trust in each other's filmmaking. But the day I shot with Robert was one of the very few times that the Duffers made a point of coming to set just to hang out and nerd out with Robert England. I will soon be unleashing my treasure trove of behind-the-scenes pictures from the season 4 shoot, and one of my favorites is of Matt and Ross Duffer talking to Robert England while wearing Freddie Kruger T-shirts. That's what delightful film geeks the Duffer brothers truly are."

So here's how Stranger Things 4 breaks down: Volume 1 (on May 27) will consist of the first seven episodes; Volume 2 (on July 1) will run the remaining two episodes, totaling the season's full nine-episode count. Now get this: those nine episodes will total approximately 13 hours. And why are those final two episodes being held until Volume 2? Because those two chapters clock in at nearly four hours long. And for a better sense of time, S04E07 is 1 hour 38 minutes, S04E08 is around 1 hour 25 minutes, and S04E09 is almost 2-1/2 hours).

Netflix's Stranger Things stars 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), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Matthew Modine (Dr. Brenner). Now without further delay, we return you to your continued repeated viewings of the official trailer for the fourth season:

It's been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time — and navigating the complexities of high school hasn't made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.

With the tagline, "Every Ending Has a Beginning," the official key art for the fourth season that was previously released began in Russia with a Hopper-Joyce reunion. From there, we see Eleven returning to her worst nightmare in the second key art poster. With the third poster, some familiar faces are investigating the truth behind the murders in the Creel house. While the fourth poster brings us to the Byers' new life in California- one that's about to get majorly upended. Because even though they're all in different parts of the world, there's still something linking them all. And then we received the final poster tying it all together. The tough news? As The Duffer Bros revealed in a letter below, the series will end with the following fifth season.

Now here's a look at the letter shared by the Duffer Bros announcing the series' end with the fifth season, but teasing that more from the show's universe might be on the way:

Now here's a look at the episode titles for the fourth season, along with the announcement video: S04E01 – "The Hellfire Club"; S04E02 – "Vecna's Curse"; S04E03 – "The Monster and The Superhero"; S04E04 – "Dear Billy"; S04E05 – "The Nina Project"; S04E06 – "The Dive"; S04E07 – "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab"; S04E08 – "Papa"; S04E09 – "The Piggyback":

When the third season wrapped and with Hopper seemingly dead, the Byers and Eleven prepared to leave Hawkins. But as we've already seen and what becomes abundantly clear in the clip below, Hawkins has a reach that extends well beyond Indiana. So as much as Eleven is really looking forward to a great Spring Break with Mike, outside forces might have something to say about that (as you'll see in the following teasers):

Previously, we learned that Jamie Campbell Bower (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Sweeney Todd), Eduardo Franco (Booksmart, The Binge), and Joseph Quinn (Catherine the Great, Howards End) were joining the cast of Stranger Things as series regulars. Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones), Sherman Augustus (Into the Badlands, Westworld), Mason Dye (Bosch, The Goldbergs), Nikola Djuricko (Genius, In The Land of Blood and Honey), and Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise, V) are also joining in recurring roles. In addition, Brett Gelman's Murray Bauman has been promoted to series regular. In addition, Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E), Myles Truitt (Black Lightning), Regina Ting Chen (Queen of the South), and Grace Van Dien (The Village) have also joined the Stranger Things cast.

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