Why ‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 Will Probably Give You Nightmares To Last Until Season 3

It feels like it has been a lifetime since the first season of Stranger Things dropped on Netflix and awakened the dormant 80s horror/sci-fi fan in all of us. New episodes of Stranger Things will stream on Oct. 27, just in time for the spookiest holiday of the year. How scary is Season 2 of Stranger Things, though? The show has a lot to live up to in terms of Season 1 frights.

In Season 1, the series utilized the right amount of gore, eeriness, and just a smattering of perfectly placed jump-scare moments. Stranger Things isn't akin to a slasher flick, and, if Season 1 is any indication, fans won't be subjected to over-the-top carnage. Every bloody or chilling scene propels the story forward and has a purpose.

According to early reviews of Season 2 of Stranger Things, fans will be taken to a more complex and frightening place. Catherine Gee writes for The Telegraph, "The Duffer brothers have promised that this season will be bigger, darker and scarier — and they deliver in spades." Still not convinced? Dustin actor and fan favorite, Gaten Matarazzo recently confirmed to GQ that the second season was going to take things to a new level. Matarazzo said, 'It's going to be scarier and darker than the first series. We're going into new territory."

What kind of new territory? A lot of new scary themes and storylines are certain to be explored in the second season. Here are some of the spooky additions that fans can expect from Season 2 of Stranger Things:

A New & Bigger Monster

That's right. Fans may have thought the Demogorgon was a force to be reckoned with, but this season, it looks like there may be something even bigger for your favorite gang of misfits to battle. In the trailer above, it is clear that a massive creature with sprawling tentacles has made itself known in the town of Hawkins. By the looks of it, the monster is consuming the town in a storm-like invasion. Um, that's pretty scary.

Possible New Villains

There are some new faces in Hawkins this season. Per Time, a pair of siblings named Max and Billy will befriend Dustin and Lucas. Billy is described in an Entertainment Weekly article as "hyper confident" and Vulture called his character borderline "sociopathic", with an aggressive streak that could spell real trouble. Could he be an actual, in-the-flesh villain this season? One thing is for sure: that is one sweet mullet.

What Happened To Eleven?

When fans last saw Eleven, she was sacrificing herself to rid the world of the Demogorgon, like the true badass heroine that she is. It seemed like she was a goner but then the season finale shook things up by revealing Hopper leaving Eggo waffles (Eleven's snack of choice) in the woods, presumably for her to take. She is clearly back in action from one look at the trailers for Season 2, but where did she go? Is she going to be changed? By the looks of things, she is definitely pretty angry.

Emotional Trauma

Will was taken by the Demogorgon and was in the Upside Down for essentially the entire first season. The poor kid was living out his days covered in slime, being subjected to some serious nightmare fuel. Obviously, he is going to be dealing with unimaginable emotional trauma. Couple this with the fact that everyone was made to believe he was dead from drowning and now returning to life as a middle schooler will likely be slightly traumatic. This season will likely be toughest on him and his fragile psyche.

Grief

Barb is dead, guys. The reality of the situation is that beloved Barb is no longer among the living. Poor Nancy has to now deal with the fact that her best friend in the world was murdered by an otherworldly monster, and it happened on a night when she was paying more attention to Steve. The grief that Nancy will be dealing with is going to have to play a pivotal role in the second season. What could be scarier than the idea of losing a loved one in such a horrific way?

Get ready, Stranger Things fans, because the second installment of the series looks like it is going to blow us all away.