‘Stranger Things’ – Gaten Matarazzo Wants More High Stakes Deaths

While horror fans are eagerly awaiting the return of Stranger Things, the show has finally started rolling cameras on its fifth and final season. There’s so much secrecy surrounding the plot, but that hasn’t stopped fans from trying their best to get information from its stars. At a panel at Orlando’s MegaCon fan event this past weekend, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, and Grace Van Dien were cagey when it came to saying anything about Season 5. However, when asked what if there were any changes they would like to make to the show, Matarazzo stated he would like to see more character get killed, as reported by CBR.

Understandably, when it came to Season 5 updates, fans tried to get something to chew on. As expected, the trio didn’t take the bait, with the only “legal” thing Matarazzo could say being, “we’re making it”. However, the final fan question of the panel was the juiciest as they were asked about if there were any changes the cast would make to the show if they could. Matarazzo responded, “It might sound messed up, but we should kill more people. This show would be so much better if the stakes were much higher, like at any moment any of these kids can kick it. I feel like we’re all too safe.”

This is something that has been stated in the past by other cast members as well as a topic that has been debated about among fans for years. It picked up even more steam after Season 4 which, as epic as it was, only killed off characters that were introduced in that season, like Eddie Munson. Even Max, who went to the literal Upside Down and back, made it out alive. That’s if you consider being in a coma getting off easy. There’s so much planning that goes into a character’s death and if you kill off the internet’s favorite characters, they’ll revolt. However, if you play it “too safe” in their minds, it may also have the same effect. It’s a conflicting tightrope to walk on. As such, it’ll be interesting to see if these comments, that have been echoed in the past, will have any effect on the final mysterious season.

‘Stranger Things’ Has Earned Its Place in Pop Culture

The cast also had some fun comparing the characters to other hit franchises and talking about the one thing they would have liked to seen happen throughout Stranger Things’ iconic decade long Netflix run. When it came to comparing their characters, it was easy for Wolfhard and Matarazzo. Wolfhard compared Mike to Mikey from The Goonies, while Matarazzo likened the entire series to Stephen King’s Stand By Me. If you have seen the series, these are all great comparisons, as Goonies followed a group of young kids on a larger-than-life adventure in small town America and King’s entire back catalog of stories can be seen all over Stranger Things’ DNA.

Dien, who played the ill-fated Chrissy aka Vecna’s first victim in Season 4, couldn’t find a franchise to compare her character to, but Wolfhard pointed her to Nightmare on Elm Street. Chrissy sadly only lasted till the end of Episode 1 in Season 4 and there’s no better comparison to Vecna’s dreamlike wrath than Freddy Krueger. When it came to weapons to fight a dreaded Demogorgon, Wolfhard chose The Infinity Gauntlet from The Avengers, Matarazzo picked a lightsaber praying his aim was good enough, and Dien rightfully went the route of a flamethrower. The latter of which is a common weapon in the horror genre.

There’s no set release date for the Final Season yet, but given that Stranger Things is filming now, sometime in 2025 is a very safe bet. Since production began a few weeks back, there have been more than a few behind-the-scenes images holding fans over. Until we get more tidbits about Season 5, the first four seasons are currently streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.

Stranger Things

When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.

Release Date

July 15, 2016

Creator

Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

5

Studio

Netflix

Watch on Netflix