Stranger Things Season 5 Will Struggle To Top The Show's Most Disturbing Scene

Summary Season 5 of Stranger Things may struggle to top the horror of the Hawkins Lab massacre, but emotional stakes can still be raised.

The strength of Stranger Things lies in its characters, so the final season should focus on their emotional arcs to keep audiences engaged.

More horror isn't always better - the series doesn't need to raise the stakes with bigger scares, but with deeper emotional connections.

Netflix's Stranger Things is set to return to the streaming service in 2025, but with it comes the knowledge that the show will struggle to top one of season 4's most shocking moments. Given everything we know about Stranger Things' final season, the finale for this beloved series looks to be an epic conclusion and a worthy send-off for the kids from Hawkins. The series has consistently been one of the most popular original series from Netflix since its premiere in 2016, with seasons 3 and 4 holding the 9th and 2nd spots respectively on Netflix's Top 10 Most Popular TV Shows list.

Season 4 of Stranger Things received critical praise, sticking the landing with an epic finale that upped the ante from what came before. The season was filled with brutally horrific scenes, surprising deaths, and some exciting twists that have left the wait for season 5 that much more difficult. Now, with the fifth and final season on the horizon for next year, the pressure is on to make Stranger Things even more spectacular. However, despite the anticipation, one of the show's most horrifying moments makes raising the stakes a real challenge.

Related Should Eddie return in Stranger Things season 5? Eddie's death was one of the most heartbreaking of Stranger Things across its first four seasons, thanks in large part to Joseph Quinn's charismatic performance. With season 5 set to close out the Netflix show, many fans have taken to arguing that he should return for the final season, potentially even as a Vecna-controlled foe for the young heroes. With Quinn's star profile now on the rise, bringing him back would feel less like an exciting return and more a desire to capitalize on his popularity to undo his emotional exit.

Stranger Things Season 4 Contains The Most Disturbing Scene Of The Whole Series

The Massacre At Hawkins Lab Is The Series Most Gruesome

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Season 4, episode 7 of Stranger Things takes us back to Hawkins Lab where Eleven was among numerous children being experimented on and trained to use their unusual abilities by Dr. Brenner. This sequence introduces the character of One, played by Jamie Campbell Bower, an orderly in the lab that comes to Eleven's aid before ultimately revealing himself to be Henry Creel; later known as Vecna, the season's antagonist. We get Henry's origins as a villain in further flashbacks that reveal the ultimate catalyst for everything going on in Hawkins was Vecna all along.

In the climax of Eleven's flashback, One kills everyone in Hawkins Lab except for Eleven and Dr. Brenner in one of Strager Things most gruesome and horrific scenes. While the series has never been reluctant to lean into its horror themes, no scene in the series to date has had quite the same death toll, and One's betrayal of Eleven only adds a far more personal twist to the moment. In a final clash, Eleven defeats One, and inadvertently creates the series' greatest villain.

Stranger Things Season 5 Will Struggle To Top The Horror Of The Hawkins Lab Massacre

Where Do We Even Go From Here?

So far, each season of Neflix's horror series has tried to top the last. Season 4 of Stranger Things boasts some truly terrifying moments that prove to be some of the scariest in the series, but having reached that kind of peak already doesn't leave a lot of room to progress. The massacre at Hawkins Lab left audiences reeling and displayed the lengths that Vecna would go to to satisfy his own anger and lust for power, and escalating from that may not make the most narrative sense for the series.

Now is the time to rely on what the series has already set up: emotion and personal stakes.

More isn't always better. Too many horror franchises fall into the trap of pushing the limit beyond what makes sense, opting for more and splashier horror over quality and emotional weight. Vecna already has an impressive body count, so Stranger Things doesn't need to convince the audience that he's dangerous. Now is the time to rely on what the series has already set up: emotion and personal stakes.

The Final Season Of Stranger Things Doesn't Need Greater Horror To Raise Its Stakes

Bigger Isn't Always Better

Image created by Debanjana Chowdhury

One of the strengths of Stranger Things goes beyond its horror or nostalgia elements. At its core, what makes the series compelling is its cast of characters. Over four seasons, audiences have grown attached to the Hawkins kids, with even single-season characters like Eddie Munson becoming fan favorites. With emotional attachment that strong even to secondary characters beyond the series' core cast, the real way for season 5 to raise the stakes would be to capitalize on this even more.

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Season 4 already set this up perfectly with the character of Max. At the end of the season, Max was in a coma with her exact fate left a mystery. Poster Art for season 5 has already teased that Max's story isn't over, and that's only one of the many story threads that could come to a head and provide the perfect heart-wrenching moments in this final season. Stranger Things' strength has always been its characters, and to really raise the stakes and make this finale one the audience will remember, it will need to lean into that more than ever.