: Reviewers highlight a significant shift toward 80s slasher and supernatural horror , with clear nods to A Nightmare on Elm Street .
: This episode is noted for being significantly more violent than previous seasons, specifically regarding "Facial Horror" and broken limbs. Watch Stranger Things S04E02 WEBRip x264-ION10 1
: Mike Wheeler reunites with Eleven and Will in California. Eleven's attempts to hide her bullying at school fail spectacularly when her rival, Angela, humiliates her at a roller rink. In a moment of uncontrolled rage, Eleven retaliates by striking Angela in the face with a roller skate. : Reviewers highlight a significant shift toward 80s
The episode concludes with a second victim falling to " Vecna's Curse ." Fred Benson is lured into the woods by the sound of a and haunting visions of a car accident he was involved in. As Eddie and Dustin officially dub the monster "Vecna" (after the D&D lich), Fred is levitated and killed in the same bone-snapping manner as Chrissy. Cinematic & Cultural Notes Eleven's attempts to hide her bullying at school
: Flashbacks reveal that Jim Hopper survived the Starcourt Mall explosion by jumping to a lower platform. He is now a prisoner in a Soviet labor camp in Kamchatka, while Joyce and Murray receive a mysterious ransom note from a guard named "Enzo". The Emergence of Vecna
: Look out for posters of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Teen Wolf , plus musical references to Footloose .