Stranger Things season 5 will feature ‘most violent death’ yet, Duffer Brothers say

‘Hopefully parents don’t get too mad at us,’ creators said

The Duffer Brothers have teased that the fifth season of Stranger Things includes the “most violent death” of a character ever seen in the series.

Netflix’s hit fantasy horror finally makes its long-awaited return in two parts, starting next week. Volume One, which will be comprised of four episodes, will be released November 26. Volume Two will contain the next three episodes and premieres Christmas Day. The finale, which is titled “The Rightside Up,” will be shared on the platform New Year’s Eve.

Ahead of its debut, the show’s co-creators, twins Matt and Ross Duffer, 41, spoke to The Times U.K. “I would say season five is not as violent as season four, but it has the most violent death of any season,” Matt revealed cryptically.

According to Ross, the pair have tried “to restrain ourselves” from including too much gore across the show’s five-season run. “There was one shot in season three that we did have to cut. It was when Bruce [an obnoxious local journalist] was melting. His nose melts into his face and Netflix said, ‘Absolutely not!’” he recalled.

“It’s too bad because it was like a $40,000 shot!” Matt exclaimed. “The only other shot Netflix asked to be cut was when Benny [Hammond, a diner owner] is killed in season one: you saw the bullet go through his head.”

'Stranger Things' will release its first batch of season five episodes, beginning November 26 (Netflix)

(L-R) Twins Ross and Matt Duffer revealed season five of ‘Stranger Things’ includes one of the ‘most violent’ character deaths (Getty Images)

Ross noted that their goal has always been “to scale up each series with the age of the characters and our audience.”

“But then we keep getting new audiences,” he added, quipping, “Hopefully, parents don’t get too mad at us.”

As Matt explained, “Every character’s ending needed to feel right. That was more important than providing the fans with the ending they’re hoping for.”

It’s been three years since Stranger Things season four was released. The series, which was once Netflix’s most-watched English-language series before being surpassed by season one of Wednesday, follows a group of school friends in the fictional Midwest town of Hawkins, Indiana, where a series of supernatural forces and secret government exploits occur.

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Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo have led the series since its 2016 debut — back when they were all young teens — alongside Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Winona Ryder and David Harbour.

Sadie Sink joined the cast in season two and has remained a fan favorite. They will all return for the new season, which will feature a time jump intended to keep up with how quickly the show’s stars are out-aging the characters they play.

Finn Wolfhard (center) returns as Mike Wheeler, alongside Winona Ryder (back) as Joyce Byers (Netflix)

“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,” reads an official season five logline.

“Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven (Brown), forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s (Schnapp) disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread,” it adds.

“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.”

Volume One of Stranger Things season five debuts November 26 on Netflix, followed by Volume Two dropping Christmas Day and the series finale on New Year’s Eve.