Gaten Matarazzo says Stranger Things season 4 is the “scariest” yet

We’re having to wait longer than usual for the next season of Stranger Things, but when it comes, it sounds like it’ll be worth it.

It’s been over a year since we last entered the Upside Down in Stranger Things, and we might have to wait a little longer for its much-anticipated fourth season. Apart from a couple of details — such as Hopper’s mysterious return — we still don’t know all that much about what’s in store. Happily, Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) is here to clue us in.

The third season of Stranger Things gave Dustin a heartwarming ending where he finally managed to talk to his girlfriend Suzie, proving her existence to his friends. In the midst of trying to save the world from the “Evil Russians,” Suzie forces him to join her in a rendition of the theme from The NeverEnding Story, and in return reveals to him Planck’s constant, which he desperately required at the moment. It was cute, funny, endearing, and a perfect way to grow Dustin as a character while also entertaining the bejesus out of us. However, the next season might see Dustin confront much greater fears than the embarrassment of singing in front of his friends.

Speaking to Us Magazine, Matarazzo used just one word to best describe what fans can expect from season 4: “Yikes.”

"I think most would probably say it’s the scariest [season] out of the previous three, which I love because it’s very fun to film."

It remains to be seen whether the new season will introduce us to more Dungeons & Dragons monsters. After facing down the Demogorgon and Mind Flayer, you’d figure our child heroes could use a break.

Matarazzo also talked about how long it took the cast to realize that Jim Hopper (David Harbour) was alive and back in season 4, despite sacrificing himself to save everyone in the season 3 finale. It looked impossible for him to survive… but he did, although he’s clearly not in a good place:

Apparently, they were always hopeful, but didn’t know for sure until things got proper underway:

"I guess most of the cast had a pretty good idea that he might be making a return, but they weren’t too sure about it from the beginning. By the time we had gotten to the table read [and] we had all started reading together, it had been pretty clear. But it was great to have it confirmed when we saw David there."

Also, watch that season 4 teaser closely and you’ll notice Game Of Thrones veteran Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H’ghar) playing a Soviet prison guard. Could he play a big role in season 4?

It’s currently unclear when Stranger Things season 4 will drop. Production was shut down due to COVID-19 last year. Netflix has not released an official release date, nor is there a full trailer. Fingers crossed we get to watch it later this year!

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