When to Close Your Eyes During Stranger Things Season 4, Vol. 1
To my fellow anxious movie-watchers, don’t worry. I’ve got your back. Season 4, Volume 1 of Stranger Things hit Netflix on May 27th, and it’s being promoted as the “scariest and darkest” season yet. There’s even a rumor that this new installment originally received a TV-MA rating before landing to the TV-14 rating it has now.
If you’re like me and you LOVED the first season of Stranger Things because it perfectly toed the line of too-scary-for-sensitive-people, I hope this article empowers you to follow the Hawkins gang to the bitter end without sacrificing your mental health.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. NOT EVEN REALLY PLOT RELATED. JUST SPOILERY SPOILED SPOILERS!! SO PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON ME.
Yes, the new season of Stranger Things is gorier than the previous ones.
However, the violence comes in bursts, so you can definitely close your eyes to avoid most of it. Generally, there are several scenes where there’s blood spatter on people’s clothes and surroundings. There are a handful of jump-scares, but I would guess you can sense them coming.
One of the most gruesome trends in this season has to do with eyeballs … or more like … lack of eyeballs. I know that can be extra disturbing for some folks, so consider watching with a friend who’s already seen it so they can give you a warning!
Episode One of Stranger Things Season 4 was the most shocking.
At least, in my opinion! Netflix even added a warning to the beginning, saying that the violence against children depicted could be distressing to some viewers in light of the recent horrific school shooting in Texas.
HEED THE WARNING!
Clearly, the show’s creators aimed to demonstrate how high the stakes for this season are, so … yeah. I won’t go into detail! The opening scene is a lot, and can be skipped.
Here’s a list of other times to close your eyes during Stranger Things Season 4:
Written by a person who closed her eyes a lot during her own viewing experience. May not be all encompassing, but I hope it helps!
- Episode One:
* The very beginning and the very end. Pretty much every time a character’s feet leave the ground because they are floating!! - Episode Two:
* Beginning has brief torture sequence.
* When Nancy and Fred (her newspaper buddy) are first stopped by a police officer.
* Fred’s little forrest stroll.
* When El picks up the rollerskate like it’s a gun.
* Fred’s misadventure, part two. - Episode Three:
* The police gather at a crime scene on the highway. - Episode Four:
* Hopper’s ankle request, and later in his cell.
* When Robin and Nancy meet Creel. Especially if you don’t like eye stuff.
* Basically, whenever Hop takes off his shoes.
* Creel’s flashback is pretty rough, but in my opinion, gave warning music cues. 🚨The end of the story is extremely violent.🚨
* There’s some blood when they are in the van.
* In Max’s big vision, there are some flashes of corpses.
Episode Four was my favorite, and reminded me of tough times during my own mental health journey. I will be listening to this song for the next month!
- Episode Five
* At the beginning, there’s some blood.
* During El’s memories, there are some flashes of bloody violence.
* When the basketball guys are swimming in the lake — there’s lots of warning. - Episode Six
* Beginning shows a dead body.
* The bats. - Episode Seven
* The bats, continued.
* The prison fight contains some gnarly (unnecessary!!) graphic violence, but the timing is predictable.
* When Nancy spots something in the pool.
* There’s a violent sequence in El’s Big Flashback (you’ll know what I mean), but I would compare it to the sort of anti-gravity violence from season one.
* The Evil Monologue (again, you’ll know), close your eyes when you see the bunny. The rest is pretty predictable.
Even though it’s gruesome, Season 4 of Stranger Things is worth the watch.
As someone who hates scary movies and avoids most violent media at all costs, I can’t believe how invested I still am in this frickin’ show.
Is this helpful? Let me know in a comment!
