After the latest trailer for Stranger Things season 4, the fandom has been screeching internally in terror at the sight of Vecna, the show’s new big bad. Now, the Duffer brothers have explained what it is that makes this horrifying creature as scary-looking as it is in the promo content.
Breaking down the trailer for IGN, the Duffers explained that the likes of Freddy Krueger and Pennywise have inspired Vecna. But more important, perhaps, is the fact that most of the creature is made of practical effects.
“What you’re seeing here is 90% practical [effects]. And Vecna, throughout the season, is 90% practical. We wanted a presence on the set that our actors could react to, whereas in season 3, they were reacting to a beach ball. We wanted something there that we could actually film, and I just think that that makes this villain scarier and more real and tangible and we’re just really excited for people to see him this season,” Ross Duffer said.
Imagine having to deal with green screen props for several seasons, then suddenly, the crew members spring the Vecna on you. That must have been quite the day on set, and come to think of it, it may have led to some interesting deliberations by the young cast, things that they’ll no doubt share as the marketing machine for season 4 picks up speed in the following weeks.
Stranger Things season 4 will serve as the show’s penultimate outing, with the crew coming back one more time to film the fifth and final chapter in the near future.
The first part of this forthcoming outing, consisting of four episodes, will start streaming on Netflix on May 27.