The final episode of Stranger Things season three cut deep, with the fallout of Hopper’s supposed death leading to Joyce – very understandably – leaving life in Hawkins behind.
This meant we also saw the departure of Will and Jonathan, as well as the currently powerless Eleven, left parentless once again without Hopper’s gruff yet affectionate guidance.
With the gang fractured and dismantled, it made for a tear-jerking culmination to the fun and fear of the third season. But true fans knew – especially with that post credits teaser – we hadn’t yet seen the last of our favourite group of monster slayers.
The Stranger Things Twitter account just dropped this:
Earlier today a mysterious Instagram story was uploaded by the official Stranger Things account:
Turns out we were absolutely right. There will indeed be a season four of Stranger Things, bringing plenty more nostalgic adventures, scary bits and hopefully more Dustin/Suzie duets.
The first hint of season four news emerged on September 29, with the Stranger Things social media team tweeting two cryptic emojis: a clock and an upside down face.
The upside down face was evidently a nod to the upside down world, the alternate dimension where all sorts of creepy – and indeed strange – things lurk beneath the small town of Hawkins, Indiana.
The clock emoji has been interpreted in various ways. Some regard it to be symbolic of a countdown which has now begun to the next instalment. However, others perceive it to be of far greater conceptual significance to the upcoming story line…
With the official Stranger Things Twitter account now bearing a darkened clock as a profile picture, it appears there could well be a substantial time theme within the next season.
The same creepy timepiece can be seen in a Stranger Things Instagram story, and appears to be located within the shadowy realm of the Upside Down.
Intriguingly, one of the clock hands appears to be stuck at 12. Some have noted this could be a reference to a child who was experimented on after Eleven, suggesting they well be making an appearance in the upcoming season.
Remind yourself of the events of season three with the following trailer:
With plenty of references to Back To The Future sprinkled throughout season three, I personally wouldn’t be surprised at all if time travel was introduced as the narrative continues to get stranger and stranger.
Sadly, this could well be our final return to the Upside Down, with the Duffer brothers having previously suggested they only intended for a four or five season run, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.