‘Stranger Things 2’ Trailer Breakdown: It’s Judgment Day in Hawkins,

We’re only a few days away from the highly-anticipated debut of Stranger Things 2, and Netflix has dropped one last trailer to promote their supernatural sci-fi hit. You know what that means: it’s time to dive in and try to uncover whatever secrets we can from the new footage…of which there is plenty.

Join us for our final Stranger Things trailer breakdown before season 2 arrives.

The first trailer for season 2 had that terrific usage of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and did a good job of teasing the scope of the new season while still focusing on the camaraderie of the child protagonists as they hang out at the arcade, cruise around on bikes, and dress as Ghostbusters for Halloween. But while that trailer included some fun and games, this one gets serious.

The previous trailer held off on showing any footage of Eleven until the end, but this one kicks off with her out in the snowy woods, retrieving the Eggos that Sheriff Hopper is leaving for her.

After a few mood-setting shots that we’ve seen before, we hear a new voiceover. “On Halloween night, Will saw a sort of shadow,” Mike Wheeler says. We know Will has a much larger role in this season than he did last season, where he spent much of his time trapped in The Upside Down. He’s experiencing flashes to that dimension…and while there’s no sign of the Demagorgon from season one, there’s something bigger – and potentially more dangerous – out in the distance.

The “shadow” they mention is what they’re referring to as “the shadow monster,” a Lovecraftian nightmare that show creators The Duffer Brothers have described as “this inter-dimensional being that is sort of beyond human comprehension.” It’s interesting that we see it here bathed in the blue light of the Upside Down, whereas in the previous trailer it was surrounded by (and maybe even emanating) red lightning. Could there be two of these things out there? Maybe one that’s good, and one that’s evil?

As the next shot fades in, we see Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers entering a dingy room with a bearded guy in the background.

That’s Brett Gelman, playing a conspiracy theorist who’s obsessed with the goings-on around Hawkins, Indiana. He has his own yarn wall with newspaper clippings, notecards, and photos on a bulletin board. There’s a timeline on the left with cards that read, “8:00am Leave Home, 8:15-3:20 School, 7pm Pick Up Nancy Wheeler, 7:30pm Park and Leave Car, 7:45 Harrington house.” It seems like he’s tracking Barb’s whereabouts, since she went missing last season. (Sorry everyone – she’s dead.)

An amusing side note: there’s a sketch of Eleven on the far right side of the board with the word “Russian?” written above it.

Nancy’s boyfriend Steve Harrington, armed with his baseball bat full of nails, is out in the woods with Dustin, Lucas, and Max, the new female character that’s making her debut this season. The three in the back are arguing about something.

Jumping ahead a few shots, we see Mike and Will sitting in Will’s room looking down at something. Notice the sweat around Will’s neck – that kid is not doing so well these days. And those drawings all around the room aren’t just harmless sketches, either…

Will knows the shadow monster is out there. “These are not nightmares,” Hopper says. “It’s happening.”

“And it all leads back to here.” Fans of season 1 will recall the Hawkins National Laboratory, where Eleven was experimented on and all sorts of shady shit went down. Even though Matthew Modine’s Martin Brenner is gone, they’re still up to their old tricks inside this secret facility.