Sadie Sink's Max looking horrified at a red light in Stranger Things season 4Credit: MovieStillsDB
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Ash Crossan
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Shawn Levy has helped to create some of Stranger Things' most iconic imagery, but the executive producer/director has a few specific scenes he loves the most. The Netflix sci-fi horror series marked Levy's first major return to the world of television, having shifted his focus from such '90s shows as the live-action Animorphs adaptation to film with the likes of the Night at the Museum franchise and Real Steel in the 2000s.
Levy was actually on the ground floor of the series before making its way to Netflix, with his 21 Laps VP Dan Cohen having brought him the Duffer brothers' pilot script and subsequently acquiring the rights to produce the series. Since making its premiere on Netflix in 2016, Levy has directed eight released episodes of the series, and two of Stranger Things season 5's episodes, including the volume 2 finale, "The Bridge", which was also directed by the Duffers.
Now, in anticipation of the show's return, ScreenRant's Ash Crossan interviewed Levy to discuss Stranger Things season 5 volume 1. In reflecting on his time with the series, the executive producer/director was asked if he had a favorite moment of the show, which he acknowledged being difficult to narrow down.
Levy began by pointing out the climax of season 4's "Dear Billy", in which Sadie Sink's Max races from the Upside Down to escape Vecna targeting her, as being a career standout for him, specifically pointing out the way those "last 10 minutes hit global culture" in massive fashion:
I've had success — and I've had it even recently with Deadpool & Wolverine — but that was up there alongside any experience I've ever had, seeing something that I helped make land in such a resonant and global way. That will always be something that means the world to me.
From there, Levy looked further back to near the end of season 1's "The Monster", in which Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven narrowly saves Finn Wolfhard's Mike from jumping off the cliff at the quarry at the behest of a pair of bullies. The executive producer/director pointed out the "insane storytelling" behind the episode that saw Mike nearly leap to his demise to sacrifice himself for Gaten Matarazzo's Dustin:
We not only got away with it, but then it coalesces in this group hug that is utterly unironic and utterly cynical. But that's the heart of Stranger Things. In the midst of all this loud, dark genre storytelling, you can have these earnest, beautiful, warmhearted moments. And that is my favorite stuff.
Across its near-decade run, there are a number of scenes that are sure to still be in audiences' minds when it comes to Stranger Things. Whether it's El using her powers to launch one of the Hawkins Lab's vans over her and the rest of the teens as they ride their bikes away from them in season 1, or Winona Ryder's Joyce being warned by Noah Schnapp's Will through the Christmas lights to run, or David Harbour's Hopper seemingly sacrificing himself in the season 3 finale, the show has remained visually memorable.
But to Levy's point, the ending of "Dear Billy" in Stranger Things season 4 remains one of the most-talked about scenes of the series. In addition to garnering critical acclaim, the song also helped repopularize Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", topping numerous musical charts, including making it back onto the Billboard Hot 100 and seeing an increase of over 9,900% in plays on Spotify.
As for his season 1 pick, the quarry scene marked an important emotional moment for El and Mike's Stranger Things relationship at the time. The group was mostly fractured over Mike and Caleb McLaughlin's Lucas having different outlooks on El's powers and seeming connection to Will's initial disappearance, and not only did he and Dustin decide to go look for her, but she also saved them in time to confess her belief of having opened the gate to the Upside Down, to which the pair helped her overcome her guilt.
Though it may be somewhat best remembered for its lengthy gaps between seasons and increasingly bigger episodes, it's hard to deny Levy and the Duffers have sought to ensure Stranger Things always balances its "dark" set pieces with "warmhearted" character development. And while season 5's three-part split does create a question as to whether they'll be able to fully maintain this balance to close out the series, at the very least, with a budget reportedly costing upward of $480 million, it's sure to deliver more iconic imagery.
Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 premieres on November 26 on Netflix, followed by volume 2 on December 25, and the finale event on December 31.
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Stranger Things
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Mystery Horror Science Fiction Release Date 2016 - 2025-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Directors Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz Writers Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
7 Images
Eleven looking into an opening of the Upside Down with pink light in Stranger Things season 1
Jim Hopper (David Harbour) grabbing Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) shoulders in Stranger Things season 1©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
Eleven with cables all over her head in Stranger Things season 4
Vecna looking towards Will in the trailer for Stranger Things season 5 (2025)
Max and Eleven in Stranger ThingsNetflix
Stranger Things season 2, episode 2 "Trick or Treat, Freak".MovieStillsDB
The Upside Down in Stranger Things season 5Courtesy of Netflix Close
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Millie Bobby Brown
Jane 'Eleven' Hopper
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Finn Wolfhard
Mike Wheeler
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