Stranger Things Season 2 Comic-Con Trailer

Netflix has released a new trailer for Stranger Things season 2 online, following its premiere during the show's San Diego Comic-Con 2017 panel. This is the first year that Stranger Things has had a presence at the annual event; in fact, the show's first season had only premiered one week before the International Comic-Con took place last year. Stranger Things has since taken off in popularity, thanks in no small amount to its nostalgic 1980s sci-fi/horror movie aesthetic/setting and its beloved human characters - including of course, the telekinetic young girl known as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

All of these elements will come back into play during Stranger Things season 2, while the show itself will be exploring darker themes and pushing further into the horror genre realm than even season 1 did. Both the cast and marketing materials for the second installment in the series have been touting that for a while, with the latter building hype for the introduction of another monster (seen here in the Stranger Things season 2 poster) - one that presents a much larger threat (literally) than the vicious Demogorgon in season 1.

With the rip in the fabric of reality that links our world to the Upside-Down still being open at the end of Stranger Things season 1 - and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), upon his return to his family, having not yet discovered in full how he was affected by being in the Upside-Down for so long - it comes as little surprise to learn that new dangers will be making their way to the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. While some residents of Hawkins may be better prepared to deal with those threats this time around, the trailer for Stranger Things season 2 suggests they will still need all the help that they can get.

If it wasn't already clear that Stranger Things season 2 is Halloween-themed - between the previously-released season 2 images of the show's characters dressed as Ghostbusters and the season's late October release date - then the Comic-Con trailer drives that point all the way home. Not only is the footage here accompanied by Vincent Price's famous narration from the music video for Michael Jackson's song "Thriller" (a fitting choice, given the show's 1980s backdrop), but there is very much an ominous and creepy atmosphere that pervades throughout the trailer. (Not to mention, of course, season 2 itself literally takes place around Halloween.)

As for the footage on display here, it only raises more questions about what to expect when Stranger Things returns, as opposed to answering the ones that we already had. Will not only continues to experience visions of the Upside-Down (despite being back in the everyday world), he's also hearing a sinister voice that belongs to... someone. This trailer also teases the return of Eleven, showing that she makes her way back to our world from the Upside-Down... though how she got there after her battle with the Demogorgon, remains to be seen. Likewise, new character addition Max, as played by Sadie Sink (American Odyssey), makes a brief appearance here, but her greater role in the plot of season 2 is still a mystery of sorts, for the time being.

That being said, Stranger Things season 1 thrived in no small amount because of the unexpected twists and turns that its storyline took, with now-beloved characters to guide viewers along the way. Stranger Things showrunners/creators Matt and Ross Duffer are clearly attempting to recreate the success they had with the show's first installment in season 2, while adding some fresh twists to the series' formula. So far, fortunately, they and their collaborators appear to be on the right track to do just that.