Editor's note: The following contains major spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4.
It’s hard to believe that the long-awaited fourth season of Stranger Things has been out for a week now, and fans of the popular Netflix series cannot stop talking about Volume 1. In typical Stranger Things fashion, the series is breaking records and giving new life to classic songs. A major part of this season’s success so far is the franchise's new big bad: Vecna. This Freddy Kruger-inspired nightmare has such a cool design, and now that the season is out, we're getting some behind-the-scenes looks at how Stranger Things brought Vecna to life with practical effects makeup.
The series’ makeup artist Barrie Gower took to his Instagram to give fans three different looks at the villain. The first image Gower shared was of the makeup test for Vecna where he confirmed that is indeed actor Jamie Campbell Bower under that scary face. In this particular post, he called Bower, “an incredible actor whose great humour and stamina made this makeup possible.” Of course, anyone who has watched Volume 1 knows of the jaw-dropping multi-layered twist that not only saw Bower’s “friendly orderly” turn out to be Vecna, but also Victor Creel's (Robert Englund) son and One — the first gifted child experimented on at Hawkins Lab. If that wasn’t enough, we also learn that Eleven is the reason why this fleshy monstrosity looks the way he does. This makeup test shows how much detail is involved in this villain's spectacularly creepy design. In an industry that arguably over relies on CGI, it’s just nice to see this throwback horror show fully embrace its 80s roots.
Gower also shared a short clip of Bower in full makeup testing out moving his mouth and speaking in full costume. The video is cool because it starts off under one of Vecna’s exposed fleshy veins before zooming out. The latest images the prosthetics makeup designer shared of Vecna are of the villain’s first sculpture that Gower presented to The Duffer Brothers in pre-production. The heavy shadows in these images really showcase the villain’s menacing presence along with just how detailed the character’s charred skin is. This is such a memorable design that now has a permanent residence in every horror fan’s head.
Season 4 Volume 1 masterfully set up Vecna as the best villain that Stranger Things has seen to date. The emotional cliffhanger fully revealing his relationship with Eleven has significantly raised the stakes for the final two episodes of the season. Whether it has been the brilliant makeup work or just Bower’s eerie performance as One, Vecna has propelled this series to new horrifyingly fun heights. Depending on how this season ends, we may be considering Vecna as this generation's Freddy Kruger —that’s how good he has been thus far.
While we wait for Vecna’s reign over Hawkins and his revenge on Eleven to continue, you can view the test makeup shot from Gower's Instagram down below. You can also binge Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 on Netflix before Volume 2 finishes off the penultimate season on July 1.