(Credits: Netflix)

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things on Netflix is inching closer by the minute. And just in time for Halloween, the fan-favourite cast and creators have provided exclusive new insights into what awaits the last chapter.

In an exclusive cover story with TIME Magazine, showrunners Duffer brothers and the main cast, including Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, and Millie Bobby Brown, offered fans a trip down memory lane while opening up about the season finale.

So far, so long, Matt and Ross Duffer kept the otherworldly showdowns restricted to Soviet prisons and secluded malls. But now, hell is officially about to break loose in the main streets of Hawkins, Indiana, and fans better be prepared. The interviewer graced the Atlanta set in July 2024 as the crew prepared for one of the biggest scenes of Stranger Things season five.

“The sets were no less ambitious than the ones I used with Marvel,” executive producer and director Shawn Levy said, when he led his last two episodes for Stranger Things between finishing up Deadpool & Wolverine and commencing a Star Wars film. The Duffers were reportedly filming a series of sequences that would have formed part of a single, cohesive scene. Visual supervisor Michael Maher informed, “By the end of this scene, just about everyone you see standing up is going to be dead except the kids.”

When the idea of Stranger Things initially dawned, Stand by Me and E.T. were the ultimate inspirations. But little did the creators know that it would be one of the most profitable shows in the television landscape of all time. According to Parrot Analytics, the sci-fi series led the way for two million new subscribers, resulting in over $1billion in revenue since 2020. Subsequently, each season has grown in terms of expenses and vision.

Ross Duffer was, in fact, a little “nervous” about the fourth instalment. The expenditure reportedly went up to $30million per episode, $270million in total. Although it was one of the most costly seasons ever made in TV, the expenditure actually paid off as it stands tall as one of the most-watched seasons on Netflix. However, the pressure as well as the cost can only go upward and onward for the fifth instalment.

Netflix declined to comment on the figure. However, Puck reported in early October that the streamer allegedly spent $50-$60million on each episode, totalling nearly half a billion dollars, almost twice the amount Netflix spent in the season prior. While streaming counterparts like Apple, Disney, and even Netflix have been busy cutting down expenses on their productions, the same cannot be said for Stranger Things. But it makes sense because there’s probably no other show that’s as dear to Netflix as the supernatural series, which has spawned a universe of its own.

Even then, Wolfhard tells the tabloid over Zoom a year later, since the set visit, that “everyone was pretty worried.” “The way that Game of Thrones got torn to shreds in that final season, we’re all walking into this going, ‘We hope to not have that kind of thing happen.’” But once they read the scripts, they knew, Stranger Things’ last ride was going to be something “special.” Yet, one thing that makes the show different from genre epics like House of the Dragon and Shōgun is that the former doesn’t have pre-existing material.

As a result, no one really knows what the end entails unless there are leaks. While the host was shown a spoiler-free scene that clarified Lucas was visiting comatose Max, dramatic musical clues also implied she would be in for a showdown to fight the big bad. “Tony nominee Sadie Sink is too good not to keep,” said Matt Duffer. Sink later chimed in, saying, “They wouldn’t have kept me around if they didn’t have a purpose for me. They would have killed me off.”

The tabloid also teased where Stranger Things season five will pick up, which the Duffers earlier revealed starts with a time-jump from when Vecna dissolved the membrane between the two realms. But when the fifth season kicks off, Vecna is nowhere to be found, and the Hawkins squad must track him down, all the while ignoring the military that has imposed quarantine.

The interviewer also nearly tripped over Barb’s body while cruising through the Atlanta set. The character was pulled into the Upside Down in the first season, just like Will. But it didn’t luck out like Will did. “We neglected her and, as such, Hawkins neglected her, and it made her that much more famous,” Ross Duffer explains. But is she returning in the fifth season, or is it just her body? Well, it remains to be seen.

But it turns out it was just not Barb who was spotted in the Atlanta sets, as so was Holly Wheeler with blood smeared across her face. President of Upside Down Pictures, Hilary Leavitt, explained that the scene actually connects to The First Shadow, the stage play from the Stranger Things universe. However, she was wary of her words, lest she spoil too much.

While the inspirations for the show were rooted in the cultural cornerstones of America, the upcoming instalment is heavily influenced by Home Alone, noting the “booby traps,” and Terminator 2. Linda Hamilton from the latter will portray government scientist Dr Kay, and the costume designer teased her mission, revealing, “There’s this sort of mercenary regime, they’re called the Wolf Pack. They’re Dr Kay’s men who are meant to be finding Eleven.”

The fifth and final instalment of Stranger Things will also see the Duffers using a unique type of shot they dubbed “demo-vision.” With the use of a drone, they capture the battles from the Demogoron’s POV. But since a lot has changed in the fight sequences from the debut season to the last, Wolfhard had to turn to a trainer for the last, as it involved a lot of elongated action sequences.

Meanwhile, as the actors took their own nostalgic trips, Schnapp recalled being nervous about crying on camera in season one. But thanks to Winona Ryder, things became easy for him. But as child actors, the stress was imminent, and sometimes, they ended up having panic attacks. Although the pressure hasn’t changed, the reactions have altered significantly. One of the biggest differences between the first and the final season, Brown says, “We got along.”

“When I’m around Gaten and Finn and Noah, I’m probably the most childish I’ve ever been,” McLaughlin says. But Brown’s experience was not exactly on par. “The Duffers really got to understand the boys’ personalities. Whereas Eleven, you can’t really write to me, because she grew up in a laboratory, and she has powers, and has such a traumatic past.”

While the Stranger Things crew managed to conceal a lot, they also gave away just as much. Now, all that remains is the final ride, which begins with a three-part release starting on November 26 and stretching through New Year’s Eve. So, don’t forget to stay seated.