Everyone’s favorite Netflix sci-fi horror series returns for a third season this summer. Stranger Things Season 3 is set to hit Netflix on July 4, starring David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, Dacre Montgomery, and Maya Thurman Hawke.
The new installment will bring us back to the fictional Hawkins, Indiana for a new terrifying adventure against the otherworldly forces of the Upside Down. With Stranger Things season 3 inching ever closer to our TV screens, the question now is — will the Mind Flayer return from the new Upside Down?
The Mind Flayer, also known as the Shadow Monster, is a tentacled creature that is essentially the ruler of the Upside Down. It was a terrifying threat that was introduced in Stranger Things season 2, but the season finale suggested that the Mind Flayer is still out there.
"We ended season two with a clear signal that the Shadow Monster was not eliminated, and maybe he's even identified his foe," producer Shawn Levy said. "And that darkness and the battle that it will require grows in season three."
On March 20, Netflix released a full trailer for the new season. There are plenty of obvious ‘80s vibes, but it also sets the scene for one crucial summer as the Hawkins kids continue growing up.
"It's really the final summer of their childhood," showrunner Ross Duffer explained. "They're dealing with growing up, with these complicated new relationships. They're starting to fall apart a little bit, and maybe they don't love playing Dungeons & Dragons as much as they used to. Naturally, that's going to generate conflict."
Not only does the trailer show off a horrifying new beast, but it also teases some kind of infection from the Upside Down that infecting people, all while a corrupt new mayor has a huge mall constructed in the town.
That's not the only trailer we've got either; both the official Stranger Things account and Shawn Levy posted a cryptic tweet featuring a video that shows a bunch of rats heading towards something in an abandoned warehouse, with the official account including the tagline “feeding time.”
The second Stranger Things season 3 trailer listed the names to all eight episodes:
Episode 1 - Suzie, do you copy?
Episode 2 - The Mall Rats
Episode 3 - The Case of the Missing Lifeguard
Episode 4 - The Sauna Test
Episode 5 - The Source
Episode 6 - The Birthday
Episode 7 - The Bite
Episode 8 - The Battle of Starcourt
Watch the Stranger Things season 3 trailer here:
