Connect with us

News

4 Burning Questions for Stranger Things Season 2

Published

on

Season 2 of Netflix’s runaway hit will begin filming soon. That leaves us with some questions about what to expect. If you haven’t finished binge-streaming this fantastic show yet (shame on you, by the way), beware of spoilers ahead.

Stranger Things Season 2

Is Anyone Going to Notice Barb is Gone?

Poor Barb. She gives Nancy a ride to Steve’s house even though he and his mouthbreather friends are dicks to her. She doesn’t even want to go, but she’s a good friend. When Nancy gives her the cold shoulder and tells her to go home, Barb gets pulled into the Upside Down and is a victim of the Demogorgon.

We see her lifeless body in the Upside Down in the finale, and while there was some speculation that she could be rescued like Will, the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that she’s dead. Granted everything is happening so quickly towards the end of season 1, but only Nancy seems upset that she’s gone missing, and fears the worst. Hell, Will even got a funeral and a class assembly, while Barb just got a vague “runaway” explanation from the shady government agents.

The good news for Barb fans, Shannon Purser, who’d never acted before “Stranger Things,” has been cast in the CW’s upcoming series “Riverdale,” where she’ll be rubbing elbows with Archie, Veronica, Jughead et al. So that’s not such a bad fate after all.

Barb Stranger Things 2

What Did Will Bring Back With Him?

Upon his return, Will seems OK…except for when he has to cough up slugs now and then. What’s up with that?

The Demogorgon could’ve killed him but instead left him there with some slug/tentacle thing down his throat. I got a real “Alien” vibe from that. Is that how the monster reproduces?

This poses a lot of possibilities, like what if Will brings a Demogorgon infestation into Hawkins? If that’s the case, we may see a quarantine of the town, with more ruthless government agents in biohazard suits.

Is he going to just keep coughing them up, or are they going to hatch inside him when they get big enough? Something tells me poor Will isn’t out of the woods yet.

Will Stranger Things 2

Who Are the New Characters?

Fans will be meeting some new characters next season. Here’s the breakdown on Max, Billy and Roman from The Hollywood Reporter:

  • Max: “Max is a tough and confident 13-year-old female whose appearance, behavior and pursuits are more typical of boys than of girls in the era. She has a complicated history and a difficult relationship with her stepbrother, Billy, that’s made her protective of her past and generally suspicious of those around her. She’s also good on a skateboard, which she uses to get around pretty much everywhere.”

 

  • Billy: “Billy is a super muscular, overconfident 17-year-old. He’s so captivating and edgy that there are rumors flying around that he killed someone at a school he attended in the past. Billy steals peoples’ girlfriends, is a drinking-game pro and drives a black Camaro. But his violent and unpredictable nature shows itself to those closest to him, especially to ones who are younger than he is.”

 

  • Roman: “Roman, meanwhile, is described as a male or a female of any ethnicity between the ages of 30 and 38. After growing up homeless with a drug-addicted mother, he or she suffered a great loss at an early age and has been seeking revenge ever since. Roman is ultimately an outsider who doesn’t understand how to connect with people.”

 

Max sounds like she’s going to be a really fun character. Hopefully she joins up with the boys — I think she could really add to their dynamic and I look forward to seeing her going everywhere on her skateboard Marty McFly-style, keeping up with the kids on their bikes. Billy sounds like a typical 80’s badass, right down to the Camaro. Roman sounds like he or she could be the child of an early experimental subject, maybe even a proto-Eleven.

The upside down stranger things 2

What is the Upside Down?

We have some understanding of the shadowy place where Will and Barb were taken:

  • It’s another dimension, or plane of existence, that mirrors our own in some ways — for instance, the Byers house has a location on both sides.
  • It’s a dark place with dead plant life and what looks like ashes everywhere.
  • In some places the wall between worlds is thin, and that it’s possible to communicate with someone on the other side.

And of course, we know that it’s populated by at least one terrifying monster. But what is the Upside Down? Why is everything there so dead and creepy?

One Reddit user suggested that this place could be our world in an alternate timeline where the US was ravaged by nuclear war. That makes sense, since this story takes place during the Cold War and we know Eleven was being used to spy on the Russians. From what we’ve seen of the Upside Down, it certainly looks like the place has endured some kind of disaster. Hey, what if the monster was a human who was mutated by massive amounts of radiation?

No matter the answers, Season 2 can’t come soon enough. What are you excited to see? Feel free to share your thoughts and theories.

 

About the author: Mike Joyce is an editor at a content marketing agency and a freelance writer. In the summertime he’s a Cape Cod-bred beach bum, but in the fall he transforms into a plaid-wearing, apple-picking autumn fanatic. However, he loves all things horror, all year long. Mike lives in the Boston area with his wife. 

 

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

‘Violent Night’ Director’s Next Project is a Shark Movie

Published

on

Sony Pictures is getting in the water with director Tommy Wirkola for his next project; a shark movie. Although no plot details have been revealed, Variety confirms that the movie will start filming in Australia this summer.

Also confirmed is that actress Phoebe Dynevor is circling the project and is in talks to star. She is probably best known for her role as Daphne in the popular Netflix soap Bridgerton.

Dead Snow (2009)

Duo Adam McKay and Kevin Messick (Don’t Look Up, Succession) will produce the new film.

Wirkola is from Norway and utilizes a lot of action in his horror films. One of his first films, Dead Snow (2009), about zombie Nazis, is a cult favorite, and his 2013 action-heavy Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is an entertaining distraction.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

But 2022’s Christmas blood fest Violent Night starring David Harbour made wider audiences familiar with Wirkola. Coupled with favorable reviews and a great CinemaScore, the film became a Yuletide hit.

Insneider first reported this new shark project.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Editorial

Why You May NOT Want To Go In Blind Before Watching ‘The Coffee Table’

Published

on

You might want to prepare yourself for some things if you plan to watch The Coffee Table now rentable on Prime. We aren’t going to go into any spoilers, but research is your best friend if you are sensitive to intense subject matter.

If you don’t believe us, maybe horror writer Stephen King might convince you. In a tweet he published on May 10, the author says, “There’s a Spanish movie called THE COFFEE TABLE on Amazon Prime and Apple+. My guess is you have never, not once in your whole life, seen a movie as black as this one. It’s horrible and also horribly funny. Think the Coen Brothers’ darkest dream.”

It is hard to talk about the film without giving anything away. Let’s just say there are certain things in horror movies that are generally off the, ahem, table and this film crosses that line in a big way.

The Coffee Table

The very ambiguous synopsis says:

“Jesus (David Pareja) and Maria (Estefanía de los Santos) are a couple going through a difficult time in their relationship. Nevertheless, they have just become parents. To shape their new life, they decide to buy a new coffee table. A decision that will change their existence.”

But there is more to it than that, and the fact that this might be the darkest of all comedies is also a little unsettling. Although it is heavy on the dramatic side too, the core issue is very taboo and might leave certain people sick and disturbed.

What’s worse is that it is an excellent movie. The acting is phenomenal and the suspense, masterclass. Compounding that it’s a Spanish film with subtitles so you have to look at your screen; it’s just evil.

The good news is The Coffee Table isn’t really that gory. Yes, there is blood, but it’s used more as just a reference than a gratuitous opportunity. Still, the mere thought of what this family has to go through is unnerving and I can guess many people will turn it off within the first half-hour.

Director Caye Casas has made a great film that might go down in history as one of the most disturbing ever made. You have been warned.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Trailer For Shudder’s Latest ‘The Demon Disorder’ Showcases SFX

Published

on

It’s always interesting when award-winning special effects artists become directors of horror films. That is the case with The Demon Disorder coming from Steven Boyle who has done work on The Matrix movies, The Hobbit trilogy, and King Kong (2005).

The Demon Disorder is the latest Shudder acquisition as it continues adding high-quality and interesting content to its catalog. The film is the directorial debut of Boyle and he says he is happy that it will become a part of the horror streamer’s library coming fall 2024.

“We are thrilled that The Demon Disorder has reached its final resting place with our friends at Shudder,” said Boyle.  “It’s a community and fanbase that we hold in the highest esteem and we couldn’t be happier to be on this journey with them!”

Shudder echoes Boyle’s thoughts about the film, emphasizing his skill.

“After years of a creating a range of elaborate visual experiences through his work as a special effects designer on iconic films, we’re thrilled to give Steven Boyle a platform for his feature length directorial debut with The Demon Disorder,” said Samuel Zimmerman, Head of Programming for Shudder.  “Full of impressive body horror that fans have come to expect from this master of effects, Boyle’s film is an engrossing story about breaking generational curses that viewers will find both unsettling and amusing.”

The movie is being described as an “Australian family drama” that centers on, “Graham, a man haunted by his past since the death of his father and the estrangement from his two brothers. Jake, the middle brother, contacts Graham claiming that something is horribly wrong: their youngest brother Phillip is possessed by their deceased father. Graham reluctantly agrees to go and see for himself. With the three brothers back together, they soon realize they are unprepared for the forces against them and learn that the sins of their past will not stay hidden. But how do you defeat a presence that knows you inside and out? An anger so powerful it refuses to stay dead?”

The movie stars, John Noble (The Lord of the Rings), Charles CottierChristian Willis, and Dirk Hunter.

Take a look at the trailer below and let us know what you think. The Demon Disorder will begin streaming on Shudder this fall.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading