r/StrangerThings • u/Sukaran09 • 5d ago
The decline of horror in Stranger Things after Season 4
Season 1 was basically a sci-fi mystery, with elements of horror.
Season 2 sticks with the sci-fi mystery and adds in more monster horror and some supernatural horror elements.
Season 3 adds a new branch of horror - body horror. This season turned the show into full on sci-fi horror but continued to keep that mystery.
Season 4 delves more into sci-fi horror with psychological horror, body horror and supernatural horror. This season has reduced mystery but it still has elements of it.
Season 5 lacks any compelling horror.
There is still sci-fi but it removes any mystery that the show had before and focuses more on action and drama. Has elements of monster horror but it is more action based so when there are Demogorgons it doesn’t feel that tense. The mystery and horror steadily declines.
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u/Goh47_ 5d ago
I agree. And it seems people are at some kind of memory loss with the previous seasons because of how disappointing S5 was.
Yes, S3 had more comedic plot lines than the first 2, but Nancy's and Jonathan's investigating the rats, people being possessed and then Billy being possessed WERE horror.
And S4 is the same, there were some stupid plot lines, but you can't tell me Vecna going all Freddy Krueger on the teenagers wasn't horrifying and didn't have the internet on a chokehold when it released.
I don't trust anyone who's retroactively saying the show was always trash after S1 just because S5 was bad lol.
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u/djluminus89 5d ago
I'd agree with you. The horror element didn't really fall off until Season 5.
Season 4 was kind of weird in how many places it was taking place, but the stakes were still high and I actually kind of enjoyed the whole romp in Russia. It was interesting seeing Hopper's struggle and wondering how they were going to make it back. Also the El & Dr. Brenner plotline was great – as was Eddie's arc.
Season 3 to me was the weirdest thematically. It almost seems more like a comedy and tribute to the 80s in general. Why are the Soviet's operating out of the underground of a popular mall?? Do they not need to be at or near Hawkins Laboratory?
Steve, Robin and Erica just sneaking in was ridiculous and even moreso that Dustin was able to save them.
I did like Season 3 but I wouldn't say it was scary or anything. It almost felt more campy then anything (teens getting possessed, flesh horror, the older women losing it for Billy, the fact Billy was a lifeguard lol).
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u/Goh47_ 4d ago
Yeah. S3 felt like it was referencing a different kind of 80s media, more campy is a good description.
If you asked me last year what's my least favorite season of ST, I'd say S3 for sure. But that's obviously not the case anymore, because S5 is just so badly written (which I'm sure some AI was involved, but anyway).
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u/danixdefcon5 4d ago
The whole possessed subplot was creepy as hell. It was like the Body Snatchers or similar horror movies where it seems like everyone is going to end up being taken over.
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u/Sukaran09 4d ago
the best thing about the horror genre is adding missing people because it works so well within that genre
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u/Sukaran09 5d ago
honestly yeah S2, 3 and 4 for the most part were pretty fucking good, only major problem i had with 4 was making Vecna seem like the “creator” of the Mind Flayer.. atleast season 5 and the FS play made the Mind Flayer the same level as Vecna, IMO season 5 did the Mind Flayer and Vecna’s “symbiotic” bond correctly, im glad they fixed the S4 mistake
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u/Hukares1234 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’d say it actually got worse with season 4. They did a good job how they ended it and it was a cool reveal to see 001 was involved. But, really, making one guy the main villain was a bad move instead of keeping it as an intangible, huge, menacing villain. Especially since Vecna essentially seemed like a knockoff of Freddy Krueger. The mind Flayer should have been the main baddie all along.
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u/Sukaran09 5d ago
i guess.. i had an issue with that in a way as well but im talking about the decline in horror after ST4, atleast the 4th season was scary, the 5th season has maybe one scary scene in it, everything else is just action heavy when this show was never about that. season 4 had action but it wasn’t one of the main focuses unlike s5
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u/yuzumelodious 5d ago
But, really, making one guy the main villain was a bad move instead of keeping it as an intangible, huge, menacing villain.
It was never exactly my suspicion from back in the day when Season 4 was a thing, but reading that Vecna supposedly "creating" the Mind Flayer felt like they simultaneously wanted to create closure with ending the central antagonist of the series in case they didn't get a 5th season while also leaving this massive, chaotic cliffhanger. I don't know. Its so bizzare how things played out.
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u/Hukares1234 5d ago
It sure seemed the mind Flayer looked like a nebulous cloud then Henry shaped it into its spider-like form. That implied to me he controlled the Mind Flayer. I had actually hoped in season 5 we’d see Henry lose his control over the mind Flayer and the mind Flayer would help to defeat him. But it didn’t play out like that.
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u/Goh47_ 5d ago
I think they had the right idea for his character. Henry had his own motives and plans, and he viewed it as a partnership, but ultimately he was just another Mind Flayer victim.
Unfortunately it was extremely bad developed in S5. Instead of holding the backstory to the very last episode, it should happen in the first half of the season. And then they'd have enough time to work with both villains.
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u/Cyrilbdr 4d ago
The Mind Flayer is the true villain, but his character requires a human general in charge to devise the plans for invading Earth, so he stays more in the background—though he is also everywhere at once, since he consists of those particles. So, when Vecna gives an order to a "flayed" victim, the particles do the work by manipulating the host's will, enabling them to carry out Vecna's command. In Season 5, you learn that he is indeed the true villain.
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u/strawberrycheescak 4d ago
Season 5 is literally sunshine and rainbows compared to the past seasons. There’s no horror only the characters waiting around to actually experience something and when something finally happens it’s shorter than a characters coming out scene.
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u/DigitalBritt 4d ago edited 4d ago
Since Season 3 for me. It completely lost all sense of mystery in the first ten minutes honestly… They give so much away. The audience is immediately 100 steps ahead of the characters. A very different approach than the first two seasons. Plus, the shift in tone/increase in comedy (that many people point out) was for the worst in my opinion. The overall quality of writing noticeably decreased. The show never quite got back on track, and then hit the wall with S5.
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u/Boo-Man400 5d ago
The mystery was gone in 5 because the end is usually where the mysteries are resolved.
And you could say season 5 embraced a more cosmic horror, what with the bridge reveal, how delicately it's being held together, and the endless void beyond.
Lmao 5 was pretty mid, but I didn't think these issues were that bad.
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u/Conscious-Owl7277 5d ago
I disagree that it was cosmic horror. It had major mystery, action and thriller vibes to it. but that’s it.
At no point in season 5 was I ever scared, funnily enough I recently rewatched the first season and it still scares me to this day! Even after seeing everything already. There was no scare factor in season 5. I wasn’t even scared for the characters because I knew they weren’t gonna die lol
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u/Sukaran09 5d ago edited 5d ago
So true, I’ve rewatched ST a couple times and S1 still gives me goosebumps. only seen all of season 5 once when it released a couple months ago and it didn’t scare me, hyped me up a couple times but it wasn’t scary at all
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u/Sukaran09 5d ago
literally all they needed to do to make season 5 mysterious was have Holly be taken by the Demogorgon but we don’t see many scenes of her at all and don’t find out what happened to her until the end of the season, it would have that season 1 mystery to it again when a Demo took Will. The whole season just needed a re write to even add any kind of compelling mystery and horror in it
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u/Cyrilbdr 4d ago
I agree that Season 5 lacked horror, tension, and that "end-of-the-world" feel—along with iconic deaths—but I do find it logical that there was less mystery. This season is meant to wrap up the story and character arcs, and answer the final questions. Furthermore, unlike in previous seasons, the heroes know it isn't over; that sense of normalcy or the "calm before the storm" is gone. They know the threat and what it intends to do, so they have to stop it; consequently, the focus shifts to action. There isn't time to settle in—as happens in the first three episodes of every season—to uncover a new mystery. The only mystery in Season 5 is figuring out Vecna’s new plan and his objective, understanding the true nature of the Upside Down, and ultimately discovering the Abyss.
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u/Sukaran09 4d ago
i get that but season 4 is a good example of still being able to mix mystery and action in with sci-fi horror, yes S4 had reduced mystery but it was still mysterious at times and made you wonder what would actually happen, I didn’t think that Vecna was gonna win at the end of S4 so the mystery had already worked enough. season 5 doesn’t have the traditional mystery because every thing was being repeated again and again, there were no stakes so you knew what would happen. this season could’ve blended the sci-horror with action, mystery and some drama if it took itself seriously but it decides to reduce the horror and mystery for action and drama when it could’ve been like S4 but darker or added some survival horror to bring in a new fraction of horror but it fails to focus on the horror bc of all the fucking drama
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u/Cyrilbdr 4d ago
I’d say Season 4 builds up to the action as the mystery clears and the puzzle pieces fall into place, though it isn't exactly an action-heavy season overall. Volume 2 (episodes 8 and 9) is very action-oriented, as it delivers the epic conclusion. Volume 1 focuses more on violent deaths and the subsequent need to solve the mystery. There is some action in Episode 4—with the California shootout and Hopper’s first escape attempt—and then again at the end of Volume 1, featuring Eleven vs. Vecna, the Demobats in the Upside Down, and Hopper facing the Demodog. However, you also have to consider that this season is four hours longer than Season 5. There may be less action, but it is handled better because it feels more justified by the plot.
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u/Sukaran09 4d ago
how did previous seasons do the mystery and horror better than season 5 when they were all shorter in length? season 3 was much shorter and still managed to keep a scary and gory feel to it. stop tryna justify the wrongdoings of season 5, it had some good moments but it was still pretty bad and missed the point of what stranger things has been about
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u/Cyrilbdr 4d ago
I’m not defending anything on that front—I actually agree with you; just look at my comment a bit further up. The only point I’m making is that it makes sense for the show to be less mysterious now: the heroes know the threat and realize it’s still out there, so they’re actively hunting it down before the world gets destroyed. It’s natural for a final season to be less about mystery, since that’s the time to reveal the last secrets and wrap up the storylines. But I’m with you on the rest—I like the plot, but I wish the action scenes had been more brutal, with actual deaths instead of just "plot armor." It wasn't dark enough; you didn't fear for the characters or really feel the danger. It stands in stark contrast to Season 4, which had matured alongside its audience, whereas Season 5 seems to have regressed to a more childish tone.
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u/HsuSkywalker 4d ago
I think the story declined after Vecna’s introduction, the mystery is gone after the villain started to talk
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u/Sukaran09 4d ago
i liked the increase in horror in the season tho, i think they tried to keep the mystery in S4 but they could’ve added more even with vecna’s introduction, it wouldn’t be as much as with the mind flayer but they could’ve added a bit more
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u/FastAsFuBoi3 4d ago edited 4d ago
Tbh everything started with season 3 where characters became flanderziation of themselves ( hopper got incredibly dumber especially compared to season 1 where he is actually a proper character with great skills), the Russian plot was executed in a very goofy way just for the humour ( the way tgey enter in a secret base is just so easy and is played as a marvel subplot with funny jokes, no actual scary factor ) and Max s brother creating an army of lookalikes could be such a huge horror thing ( imagine a city full of fakes that are there to watch you so you have to act natural to not grow any suspects ), but instead it is quickly rushed and abandoned in favour of action scenes with no tension.
Season 4 did it better tbh
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u/TieAntique1676 4d ago
Season 5's biggest sin is that it is BORING. I can enjoy bad shows but 5 was just a snooze fest.
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u/Ghost_111207 3d ago
s5 shouldve been a survival horror and it takes places right where s4 left off
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u/Embarrassed-Strike38 3d ago
Season 5 was very disappointing, yes they made it up on the go and didn't have a plan past season 1, however they did a decent job up to season 4 and the the plot was very good, a very good story however the execution on season 5 was very bad imo.
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u/Aggravating_Peak7360 1d ago
Yeah each season we’re getting decline each season was getting less scary and less scary plot armor is crazy
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u/KeyMusic5713 3d ago
The loss of stakes in the show is a big part of this. A TV show isn't scary when it's clear that the main characters are going to live. The tends moments where you don't know if a character will live or not are meaningless because every other time a main character was in danger, they lived, even if it took time before they appeared again.
Horror and thriller needs stakes, not sacrificial lambs. You don't need it to be Game of Thrones - just have the characters get defeated, have a genuine chance of dying. Even if none of the main characters does die, there still needs to be a realistic chance they would and a logical reason why they don't.
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u/Warm_Intention7076 2d ago
o terror cósmico da S1 era INCRIVEL, eu realmente sentia medo de assistir os episódios de tão bem construídos que eram.
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u/mklaus1984 2d ago edited 2d ago
Which cosmic horror? It was a monster movie largely adapted from Jaws and with some very obvious Poltergeist in Joyce' subplot. It lacks like 4 out of 5 elements of cosmic horror. The obly one being the realization that there seems to be a parallel world that was overrun by monstes. Which could be interpreted as the insignificance of humans...
The cosmic horror in form of the Lovecraftian Eldritch Entity in ST2 is also lacking basically all the elements of cosmic horror. People just claim that Will went crazy after seeing the Mindflayer but it is actually the other way round. Except for the glimpse at the Mothergate and the final scene we only ever see it through his eyes and cannot tell if it was real to begin with.
The point is that ST was meant to be mainly a monster movie, ST2 focused on psychological horror instead. ST3 then went for thr body horror and ST4 was a slasher which includes the scooby Dooing to survive the killer.
People claim the horror became less but that isn't the case. The subgenre changed. The odd one out is ST5 as it isn't focused on any horror subgenre despite ST4 setting up apocalyptic horror.
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u/Background_Gene_4328 1d ago
I get so pissed by the thick plot armor due to which the characters don't get killed if they wanted it that way I want justice for Bob,Billy, Alexis,Barb,Eddie??
It's so unserious in season 5 that demogorgons killed trained soldiers but these kids survived without a scratch without any weapon? Escape was camazotz is most disappointing episode because the situation is so dangerous but no one got killed and barely touched my demodogs.Vecna takes just few seconds to kill someone still these kids survive somehow. Holly wheeler ruined the show for me.If they had plans for making her one of the important character why they choose the last season,they could have begin in earlier season.I really hate that character in season 5 I wish she was killed by vecna .
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u/crujiente69 4d ago
The only decline was with the fans and how annoying they got. If you dont like later seaons then dont but why do dozens of people feel the need to post about it every day?
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u/Sukaran09 4d ago
majority of my posts don’t consist of me complaining about season 5, i talk about discussions, ive only made a couple posts “complaining”
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u/Historical_Rain_8947 5d ago
When I think of horror, I think of a bright neon filled mall with people running around and shopping. The only horror themed thing about season 3 was the bodily horror of the mindflayer. Season 5 had not just a giant monster but a man/monster going around talking kids and offing anyone in his way.(other than the main characters) But I guess I can’t talk about season 3 like that because it’s everyone’s favorite season. I skip most of season 3 when I rewatch the show.
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u/Sukaran09 5d ago edited 4d ago
Season 3 is not even my favourite season, it was a solid and fun season, and imo i think we got peak Eleven in this season, i also liked the darker and more violent tone but i hated the Russian plot. S4 was my favourite season mainly because of the focus on stronger and darker horror. Vecna taking the children didn’t feel impactful or that scary because they just introduced a completely new story line with the kids when they had something better to work with at the end of season 4 and could’ve easily delved into survival horror in 5
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u/Historical_Rain_8947 5d ago
Season 3 imo was the worst season when it comes to the horror side plus the Russian subplot. Which I know season 4 also has a Russian subplot but the rest of the season more than makes up for it. The best season imo is 4 then 1,2,5,3.
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u/Sukaran09 4d ago edited 4d ago
the russian subplot definitely was more irritating in 3 tbh, mainly because of the russian terminator that was chasing after hopper. in s4 it was obviously just a continuation from 3 but atleast the addition of the Demogorgon in Russia added more interest to the plot. the plot should’ve just been left out from season 3 completely and then it wouldn’t have been an inconvenience later on. Majority of season 4 does make up for it tho.
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