As Dustin, Nancy, Mike, Eleven, Lucas, Max, and their classmates danced the night away to The Police’s stalker-y classic ‘Every Breath You Take’, viewers of ‘Stranger Things’ were teased with the site of the Mind Flayer flickering in the sky above Hawkins, Indiana. But with ‘Stranger Things’ nothing is ever certain, so fans were left to wonder when this creature from the Upside Down would resurface to plague our heroes. It turns out the wait won’t be long, as the new companion book ‘Worlds Turned Upside Down’ reveals that the Mind Flayer will be back in Season 3.
Introduced in Season 2, the Mind Flayer appears to be the ruler of the Upside Down and the hub of the hive mind between all of the Demogorgons and Demodogs.
In an excerpt from ‘Worlds Turned Upside Down’ it states:
The Mind Flayer hasn’t lost interest in Hawkins either. The tentacled creature continues to loom near Hawkins inside the Upside Down, and its malevolent influence isn’t absent from the new season. “We ended season two with a clear signal that the Shadow Monster was not eliminated, and maybe he’s even identified his foe,” says [producer Shawn] Levy. “And that darkness, and the battle that it will require, grows in season three.”
‘Stranger Things’ Season 3 will take place in the summer of 1985, just months after the events of Season 2, which kicked off with the kids going back to school in fall 1984 and ended at the Snow Ball winter formal. Just as ‘Ghostbusters’ had a presence in that season, the creators have teased that ‘Back to the Future’ will be the boys’ latest cinematic obsession.
On a more personal level, as previously revealed in a promo video, Steve will have graduated high school and now works at Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop, inside the new Starcourt Mall, alongside new character Robin played by Maya Hawke.
As for the younger kids, Mike and Eleven are an official couple, as are Lucas and Max. As series co-creator Matt Duffer says in ‘Worlds Turned Upside Down’, “Our kids are naturally growing up and maturing.” According to his twin and co-creator Ross Duffer:
“It’s really the final summer of their childhood. They’re dealing with growing up, with these complicated new relationships. They’re starting to fall apart a little bit, and maybe they don’t love playing Dungeons & Dragons as much as they used to. Naturally, that’s going to generate conflict.”
What else can fans expect? “There are horror movies and horror masters that we haven’t really paid tribute to as much in previous seasons that we are definitely going to get into this season,” Ross Duffer teased. Expect homages to John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’, as well as the works of David Cronenberg and George Romero.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 3 is now filming and is expected to wrap by the end of November. Of course, there will be several months of post-production to craft the Mind Flayer, Demogorgons, and Demodogs, plus any additional beasts that the Duffer Brothers choose to unleash.
The first two ‘Stranger Things’ installments arrived in the fall, around Halloween, which was fitting, but perhaps the new season’s summer setting will mean that the show could arrive earlier in the year. Fingers crossed!
Until then, the book ‘Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down’ is now available with an MSRP of $36.
Source: Screen Rant
