With the attention to detail found in Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things‘ it is just as likely as a shot would be a pop culture reference as an Easter Egg so when the Super Bowl trailer was released people have been combing through it and there is a very subtle nod to Ravenloft in it. The shot that includes the reference is a blink and you miss it moment but it ties so well into the story which we’ve been presented so far that it almost seems like it has to have been intentional.
First off, the blink and you’ll miss it the moment. Let’s take a look:
Clearly, the ‘Ravenloft’ connection that inspires the monster on this page there is obvious right? No? Okay, I’ll be honest. I didn’t catch it either. But, a sharp-eyed fan alerted /Film about this bit of Easter egg. Let’s take a closer look.
Now it all makes… Sense… No, it still doesn’t. However, that small scrap of circled page looks as if it translates into:
Okay, now that lines up. So it is page 8 from the 1983 Dungeons & Dragons module ‘Ravenloft’ which was written by Tracy & Laura Hickman through TSR. I mention this because Tracy Hickman is one of my personal favorite authors from co-creating ‘Dragonlance’ so this has an extra sense of approval for me.
Now, the module itself features Count Strahd von Zarovich who is a vampire that wishes to reunite with his lost love. The land that this takes place in is Barovia which is a nation surrounded by a deadly magical fog and is governed from Castle Ravenloft. Yes, the vampire who has made a blood pact with Death to live forever.
Part of the adventure takes place when you are kidnapped and taken to this plane where you must gather two weapons to destroy the vampire. As we don’t know much about the plot at this time it almost seems like something that could tie into things. That and the Upside Down did seem to have a lot of fog in it.
If the Demogorgon is truly dead much theory is said that the boys would be going up against the Dungeons & Dragons monster Thessalhydra which was also mentioned but this could lead them in another direction or even be a subtle setup for the third season.
Are you looking forward to the second season of ‘Stranger Things’? Do you feel that we’ll be seeing a vampire as the main villain or something else entirely? Share your thoughts below!
Start stocking up on the Eggos as all 9 episodes of the second season of ‘Stranger Things’ will stream on Netflix starting October 31st, 2017!
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
