Season five Stranger Things: Vecna's New Target and the resurgence of Spielbergian horror
Stranger Things' most recent season has been veiled in mystery and expectation. Fans are keen to see Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Hawkins crew face their biggest threat yet, but Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) seems focused on a different target: Holly Wheeler.
Season 5 Stranger Things: Holly Wheeler Could Become Vecna's Next Victim
Vecna's hold on the central Stranger Things party has loosened with Will Byers' arc ending in season 4. The older and wiser group now needs a fresh target since they have learnt to avoid the terrifying creature. Then enter Holly Wheeler, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Mike's younger sister, who has always been sheltered from the atrocities of Hawkins. Vecna targets her especially vulnerable since she is innocent and ignorant of the Upside Down.
Season 5 Stranger Things: The Spielbergian Influence and the Hazard to Holly Wheeler
Holly Wheeler's choice of a new actress and the behind-the-scenes video showing her terrified in her bedroom as the lights flutter point to a major part for her in the forthcoming season. This sequence suggests a similar plunge into the Upside Down for Holly and reflects Will Byers' story from season 1. Her fragility could inspire the core group to fight Vecna with a fresh desperation as they frantically try to save their younger sibling.
Season 5 Stranger's Things: The Parallels Between Holly and Carol Anne Freeling
The creators of the show have always found motivation in vintage horror movies, especially those of Steven Spielberg. This link is reinforced by Holly's possible victim role, which reflects Carol Anne Freeling from the Poltergeist films. As the Poltergeist series shows, a family battles to protect their small daughter from an invisible power. Stranger Things season five could use this narrative framework, with the central group fighting to free Holly from Vecna's hold.
Season 5 Stranger Things: Rising the Stakes and Final Thought
Stranger Things season five has to raise the stakes more than ever as the show draws to end. The emphasis on Holly Wheeler as Vecna's new goal crafts an interesting story for the last season. Its heart-wrenching and action-packed plot pulls the core group together in a desperate struggle to save someone they love greatly.
Including Holly's narrative gives the last season a fresh layer of suspense that reflects the famous family dynamics found in Spielberg's work. Inspired by the venerable horror movies that helped shape Stranger Things, viewers can expect to see the Hawkins crew face their biggest worries and fight for the future of their town as the epic saga winds up.
