Freddy Krueger Joins Stranger Things Season 4, Kind Of

Compared to a few months ago when details about Season 4 of Stranger Things and its overall status were still largely a mystery--filming began in February this year just before COVID-19 impacted countless productions--there is now a deluge of news: Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, is among the new cast members that have been announced. The news comes via The Hollywood Reporter, which is also reporting that Jamie Campbell Bower (The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones, Sweeney Todd), Eduardo Franco (Booksmart, The Binge) and Joseph Quinn (Catherine The Great, Howards End) will also become new series regulars on the Netflix show.

Casting Englund is consistent with the show's overall catnip-like nostalgia for all things '80s--though the actor playing Victor Creel, a "disturbed and intimidating man who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder [he committed] in the 1950s." In tandem with the teaser trailer that was released earlier this year--see below--we know that Season 4 will somehow involve Russia, Russians, and now, also a psychiatric hospital.

Recently, co-creator Matt Duffer observed there was a silver lining in the pandemic's pause in production: "We've had a lot more time to work on the scripts. For the first time, we have all the scripts written and we're able to look at it as a whole piece and make adjustments."

Before COVID, Season 4 was originally expected to be released during the 2020-2021 television season. Matt and his brother Ross Duffer have expressed an interest in branching out with different types of shows, though are committed to Stranger Things and have also indicated that Season 4 will not close the series out. Season 4 is now finally back in production, though no premiere date has yet been set. At this rate, it's probably best to wish them well while they--safely--take their time.