19 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Fourth Season Of "Stranger Things"
BuzzFeed
4 min read
After a much anticipated wait, Season 4 of Stranger Things has finally made its way to Netflix.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Volume 2 is expected to release on July 1, and we'll all have to start brainstorming our fan theories as we count down the days to find out what will happen next.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Until then (and while we also wait for the fifth and final season to eventually come to life), here are some behind-the-scenes facts about the all-new episodes. Take a look:
?? WARNING: Spoilers ahead! ??
Netflix / Via giphy.com
1.To start, Gaten Matarazzo spoke about the "unorthodox form of shooting" as they navigated being on set amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Everyone on set has been very diligent about wearing their PPE. Even for our off-camera work, we keep our masks and goggles on," he said. "Lots of distancing. Separation during lunch, and transport from base to set."
2.To bring the locations of Hawkins, California, and Russia to the screen, the crew filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lithuania.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
3.Producer and director Shawn Levy described Vecna as a "villain unlike any before."
"And it needed to be more than a creature, more than an evil cloud of particulate," he said. "It needed to be a humanoid villain with more depth, more dimension, and far more evil. That's what Vecna is."
4.Surprisingly, only five CGI shots were used for Vecna and it often took up to nine hours during the prosthetic process.
Netflix / Via giphy.com
5.It wouldn't be the '80s without iconic tracks from KISS, Talking Heads, and Musical Youth being used throughout Season 4.
Courtesy Netflix
6.Almost four decades later, Kate Bush's 1980s single, "Running Up That Hill," quickly topped the iTunes music charts after becoming Max's (played by Sadie Sink) soundtrack of choice.
Courtesy Netflix
7.No expenses were spared as each episode had an estimated budget of around $30 million.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
8.Jamie Campbell Bower went into his audition for the show knowing nothing about the character he would later be cast as.
"They sent me two sets of sides, originally. One was from Primal Fear and the other one was from Hellraiser," he said. "Then for the recall, they sent me some dummy sides from the show, at which point there was a little bit more information about the character, but not loads."
9.Horror enthusiasts will recognize Robert Englund, best known for his role as the terrifying Freddy Krueger, appearing as Victor Creel this season.
Courtesy Netflix
10.Time has flown by because Millie Bobby Brown, aka Eleven, started the show when at age 12 but she's now officially an adult.
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11.In a surprise cameo, Dacre Montgomery, aka Billy, made his return after dying in Season 3. He posted a behind-the-scenes photo on the 'gram noting he was able to film scenes in his hometown of Perth, Australia, and get directed on Zoom by Shawn Levy.
12.When it came to outfitting Argyle, the costume department worked with Quiksilver for the California-inspired look.
Courtesy Netflix
13.Not to mention, Vans and Converse also created custom-made shoes for some of the most notable Stranger Things characters.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
14.Scrunchies were an '80s fashion staple, so each one was custom-made, that way the hair accessory would match any given character's costume flawlessly.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
15.Priah Ferguson, who plays Erica Sinclair, joins the Hellfire Club and calls herself Lady Applejack. The inspo for the name? It was none other than My Little Pony, a nod to a Season 3 interaction between Dustin and Erica.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
16.Luki?k?s Prison, a centuries-old, real-life location that ceased operations in 2019, was used as the backdrop where Hopper is seen in a jail cell.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
17.In an effort to kill time between takes, Millie Bobby Brown and her costar Noah Schnapp would compete in fruit by the foot eating contests.
Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images
18.If you're patiently waiting for a post-credits scene to appear after you binge Volume 1, you don't need to worry because there isn't one waiting for you this time around.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
19.And finally, fans will be in for a treat once Volume 2 of the season airs later this summer. Episode 8 will have more than a two-hour run time, which essentially makes it as long as a full-length film.
? Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Stranger Things fans: What's your honest review of the latest season? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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