After a much anticipated wait, Season 4 of Stranger Things has finally made its way to Netflix.
Volume 2 is expected to release on July 1, and we'll all have to start brainstorming our fan theories as we count down the days to find out what will happen next.
Until then (and while we also wait for the fifth and final season to eventually come to life), here are some behind-the-scenes facts about the all-new episodes. Take a look:
🚨 WARNING: Spoilers ahead! 🚨
1. To start, Gaten Matarazzo spoke about the "unorthodox form of shooting" as they navigated being on set amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. To bring the locations of Hawkins, California, and Russia to the screen, the crew filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lithuania.
3. Producer and director Shawn Levy described Vecna as a "villain unlike any before."
4. Surprisingly, only five CGI shots were used for Vecna and it often took up to nine hours during the prosthetic process.
5. It wouldn't be the '80s without iconic tracks from KISS, Talking Heads, and Musical Youth being used throughout Season 4.
6. Almost four decades later, Kate Bush's 1980s single, "Running Up That Hill," quickly topped the iTunes music charts after becoming Max's (played by Sadie Sink) soundtrack of choice.
7. No expenses were spared as each episode had an estimated budget of around $30 million.
8. Jamie Campbell Bower went into his audition for the show knowing nothing about the character he would later be cast as.
9. Horror enthusiasts will recognize Robert Englund, best known for his role as the terrifying Freddy Krueger, appearing as Victor Creel this season.
10. Time has flown by because Millie Bobby Brown, aka Eleven, started the show when at age 12 but she's now officially an adult.
11. In a surprise cameo, Dacre Montgomery, aka Billy, made his return after dying in Season 3. He posted a behind-the-scenes photo on the 'gram noting he was able to film scenes in his hometown of Perth, Australia, and get directed on Zoom by Shawn Levy.
12. When it came to outfitting Argyle, the costume department worked with Quiksilver for the California-inspired look.
13. Not to mention, Vans and Converse also created custom-made shoes for some of the most notable Stranger Things characters.
14. Scrunchies were an '80s fashion staple, so each one was custom-made, that way the hair accessory would match any given character's costume flawlessly.
15. Priah Ferguson, who plays Erica Sinclair, joins the Hellfire Club and calls herself Lady Applejack. The inspo for the name? It was none other than My Little Pony, a nod to a Season 3 interaction between Dustin and Erica.
16. Lukiškės Prison, a centuries-old, real-life location that ceased operations in 2019, was used as the backdrop where Hopper is seen in a jail cell.
17. In an effort to kill time between takes, Millie Bobby Brown and her costar Noah Schnapp would compete in fruit by the foot eating contests.
18. If you're patiently waiting for a post-credits scene to appear after you binge Volume 1, you don't need to worry because there isn't one waiting for you this time around.
19. And finally, fans will be in for a treat once Volume 2 of the season airs later this summer. Episode 8 will have more than a two-hour run time, which essentially makes it as long as a full-length film.
Stranger Things fans: What's your honest review of the latest season? Share your thoughts in the comments!
