Stranger Things Season 5 Gets a Trailer and Three Release Dates

The final season of Netflix’s retro horror series is getting drawn out for as long as possible.

And now, at long last, comes the final season of Stranger Things, Netflix‘s wildly popular, ’80s-set sci-fi/horror series.

Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things vibes like a mash-up of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg, a kids-on-bikes adventure that follows a group of friends struggling to defend their town from the forces of evil.

Along the way it’s managed to accrete an impressively complex amount of lore, so if you’re not already on board, expect little of this to make sense.

Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer

What’s the plot?

Let’s go to the official synopsis, courtesy of our pals at 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.

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.

Yep, that sounds about right.

Who’s in it?

• Winona Ryder is mum of the year Joyce Byers.
• David Harbour is heroic copper Jim Hopper.
• Millie Bobby Brown is psychic teen Eleven, aka Jane Hopper.
• Finn Wolfhard is Mike Wheeler.
• Gaten Matarazzo is Dustin Henderson.
• Caleb McLaughlin is Lucas Sinclair.
• Noah Schnapp is Will Byers.
• Sadie Sink is Max Mayfield.
• Natalia Dyer is Nancy Wheeler.
• Charlie Heaton is Jonathan Byers.
• Joe Keery is Steve Harrington, the real MVP here.
• Maya Hawke is Robin Buckley.
• Brett Gelman is Murray Bauman.
• Priah Ferguson is Erica Sinclair.

In addition, we’re getting Terminator star Linda Hamilton as as Dr. Kay, upgraded to series regular status after her appearance last season.

When’s it out?

Well, here’s where things get complicated. We’re getting eight episodes in total, with the first four dropping on November 26. Part two, consisting of three episodes, hits on December 25, so Merry Christmas, I guess. And the grand finale is out on December 31 to ring in the new year.

What’s the vibe?

Well, we gotta see how the whole thing ends, right? When Stranger Things first hit all the way back in 2016 it was a genuine surprise: a distillation of ’80s nostalgia and mildly traumatising but more or less family friendly horror. Now, almost a decade on, it’s no longer the breath of fresh air it once was, and let’s face it: those kids are looking a bit too old for BMX bikes. Let’s just hope it goes out with a bang rather than a whimper.