Netflix Gives Stranger Things Season 4 Premiere a Violence Warning After Texas School Shooting

Alexandra Schonfeld
·2 min read
STRANGER THINGS
STRANGER THINGS
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Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix has made a last-minute change to the next chapter of Stranger Things.

Following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas Tuesday that killed 19 students and two adults, the streamer has added a warning card to season 4, which premieres on the platform Friday.

The warning appears to viewers in the U.S. prior to the third season recap that auto-plays at the beginning of season 4, episode 1 and reads: "We filmed this season of Stranger Things a year ago. But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of episode 1 distressing. We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable violence, and our hearts go out to every family mourning a loved one."

Netflix has also edited the description for the episode to include the note, "Warning: Contains graphic violence involving children," and added "disturbing images" to the show rating advisories.

Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, and Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley in STRANGER THINGS.
Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, and Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley in STRANGER THINGS.

Courtesy of Netflix

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The streaming platform released the first eight minutes of the season's first episode last week which depicts a massacre that involves Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and shows the dead bodies of several children covered in blood, Variety reported.

This season will be split up into two parts, with the first seven episodes dropping this week and the final two episodes streaming July 1.

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Per Variety, episode 7 has a 98-minute runtime and episode 8 goes for 85 minutes. The season finale nears the two and a half hour mark.

"Given the unprecedented length, and to get it to you as soon as possible, Season 4 will be released in two volumes," series creators Matt and Ross Duffer said in a previous letter to fans, noting that season 4 is "bigger than ever."

Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler in STRANGER THINGS
Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler in STRANGER THINGS

Courtesy of Netflix

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The Duffer Brothers also used the announcement to share that Stranger Things will conclude after its fifth season.

"Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons," they wrote. "It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you'll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurling toward our finale."

Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016. The acclaimed sci-fi drama series stars Brown, 18, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke and Priah Ferguson. Dacre Montgomery was a part of seasons 2 and 3.

The first seven episodes of Stranger Things season 4 drop Friday on Netflix, with episodes 8 and 9 premiering on July 1.