Pumpkin-spice-flavoured everything is hitting the shops, halloween decorations can be seen peeping out from behind your neighbour’s curtains, and you’ve added the Monster Mash to your morning playlist - all those indicators mean one thing: Stranger Things season 2 is almost here. Oh, plus Halloween.
To get you ready for the return to Hawkins, Indiana, where everything is totally normal and not being slowly invaded by the black tendrils from the Upside Down, we have a spooktacular exclusive image of the Stranger Things crew.
Almost all of the four boys are looking like they’ve just found chocolate pudding, and it’s fair to say that every one of them certainly looks the part when it comes to their on-point Ghostbusters costumes. Almost. Mike (played by Finn Wolfhard, second from the left) looks practically morose. Considering he was head-over-heels for Eleven in season 1, it looks like he hasn’t really got over her disappearance... even if it was to save him, his friends, and arguably the whole of Hawkins from the Demogorgon.
A recent interview with our sister publication SFX magazine had Wolfhard reveal that Mike isn’t particularly fond of Max, the newest member of the group, so the loss of Eleven seems to have hit him pretty hard and affected how he reacts to newcomers.
Happily, Will looks like he’s full of energy and - crucially - is with the boys in the image. If you think back to the second official trailer we got for Stranger Things season 2, he was noticeably missing from a scene where Dustin, Mike, and Lucas are in front of Hawkins High dressed in their Halloween costumes. So we’ll probably be seeing Will at the beginning of the season at least, as the government hasn’t isolated him yet.
Think I’m being cynical that the government would continue to act shifty? Rewatch the first official trailer - we saw Will laid out on a gurney, being watched by numerous security cameras. I think it’s a safe bet that not every hospital dedicates so many resources to watch one boy, so Will is still of interest to the Powers That Be. Let’s just hope they don’t poke and prod him around too much, as I don’t believe Hopper would be too happy about that.
Stranger Things 2 launches on Netflix on October 27, 2017.
For a ton more sci-fi goodness, pick up a copy of SFX magazine (subscribe if you’re so inclined) or, if your interests are as deep as Hopper’s love for coffee and contemplation in the morning, grab Total Film magazine (or subscribe).
