Stranger Things creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, discuss the importance of the clock seen throughout season 4's trailers. After almost a three year-hiatus due to the pandemic, Netflix's beloved supernatural series is set to return for a fourth season on May 27, which will be split into two separate volumes. In recent days, Netflix has been amping up its promotional campaign with the release of the official trailer for Stranger Things 4.
The upcoming fourth season picks up six months after the events of season 3, which ended with the battle of Starcourt Mall against the Mind Flayer. Billy sacrificed himself to save Eleven, while Hopper seemingly disintegrated while trying to close the portal to the Upside Down. Months later, Eleven moves to California with the Byers as their friends remain in Hawkins. Season 4's trailers have revealed that Hopper is still alive in a Russian labor camp, while the gang investigates the mysterious Creel House in Indiana, which is home to an ominous grandfather clock that appears to be at the center of it all.
The Duffer brothers recently sat down with IGN to break down season 4's new trailer, which includes multiple glimpses at the creepy Creel House and the mysterious grandfather clock inside. Ross attempted to explain the importance of the antique without giving too much away, revealing "it's a really core part" of season 4's central mystery. Matt also suggested that any character who merely sees the clock will experience some sort of detrimental effect. See what the two shared below:
Ross: It’s a really core part of the mystery that our Hawkins group is trying to solve. So I don’t want to give away too much other than to say this clock plays a very, very important role moving forward.
Matt: And you don’t want to see the clock! If you see the clock, it’s not great.
The Duffers' decision to explore the new location was inspired by their desire to lean into the show's horror inspirations in season 4, which manifested itself in the haunted house subplot. The Creel House was first revealed in a teaser trailer released last year, which shows the gang breaking into the abandoned house in search of clues, ending with some imagery suggesting the grandfather clock and the Upside Down are linked in some way. The recent season 4 trailer also revealed Robert Englund as Victor Creel, a man who murdered his family in 1959 and has been interred in a mental hospital since. However, the Upside Down likely played some role in his actions.
Netflix chose to do a 24-hour livestream featuring the Creel clock in the lead-up to the release of the recent trailer, really driving it home as a central object in season 4. The Duffers' recent comments help understand its importance a little more, though the antique timepiece is still largely an enigma. It will likely remain that way until Stranger Things season 4 premieres next month.
Source: IGN