The trailer for Stranger Things Season 5 dropped recently, and suddenly, all that frustration about the long wait it took to get here has disappeared. The nostalgia is hitting hard, the heavy soundtracks, the ‘80s aesthetic, the calm before chaos. It made me reflect on the moments that made the show unforgettable. These are the Stranger Things scenes I still can’t stop thinking about.
1. Max’s “Running Up That Hill” Moment
No scene captures the emotional weight of Stranger Things quite like Max Mayfield floating midair as Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill plays. Vecna had her trapped in his twisted realm, feeding on her guilt and fear, and it looked like the end. Then, through her headphones, came the one song that could pull her back, a song that instantly became a pop culture anthem.
That sequence was powerful, terrifying, cinematic, and strangely hopeful. It reminded everyone watching that sometimes the only way out is through the things we love most. To this day, no other TV moment has made a 1985 track shoot back up the global charts like that.
2. Billy’s Sacrifice
Billy Hargrove wasn’t exactly the easiest character to root for. He was loud, angry, and often cruel, but Stranger Things always knew how to make you feel for even its most flawed characters. His death in Season 3’s Starcourt Mall battle was so…
When he stepped between Eleven and the Mind Flayer, it was a full-circle moment. The same boy who seemed lost to anger finally did something selfless. The Mind Flayer struck him down, and in that brief moment, the show gave him redemption, while Max suffered heartbreak. It was a death scene and closure at the same time.
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3. Eleven and the Roller Rink Showdown
Everyone talks about Eleven’s powers, but this scene was about her powerlessness. In Season 4, she’s living in California, trying to start over after losing her abilities. When Mike visits, she pretends everything’s fine until a bully named Angela humiliates her in front of him at a roller rink.
What followed was pure bottled-up rage. Eleven, unable to summon her powers, picks up a skate and smashes Angela in the face. It’s shocking, messy, and deeply human. The scene doesn’t make you cheer or condemn her; it just makes you feel that gut-level frustration of a kid pushed too far.
It was one of the rare moments when Stranger Things stripped away the fantasy and reminded us it’s really about growing up under impossible pressure.
4. The Birth of Vecna
Season 4 gave us Stranger Things’ most complex villain yet: Vecna. What made him terrifying wasn’t just the horror-movie design or the bone-snapping kills. It was the slow reveal of who he really was.
Henry Creel’s story flipped everything we thought we knew about the Upside Down. He wasn’t a random monster; he was the origin of it. A child with powers gone wrong. Dr Brenner’s “Number One.” The moment Eleven realised she’d helped create him, that she’d sent him to the Upside Down and watched him transform, was chilling.
It’s a twist that makes you rewatch earlier seasons differently. Vecna was the missing piece of the show’s entire mythology.
5. Will’s Possession
Before the big explosions, Stranger Things had something calmer. A story about fear you couldn’t see. In Season 2, Will Byers tried to face his nightmares head-on, following advice from Bob, his mom’s new boyfriend. Bob told him to confront what scared him. Will tried, and it almost destroyed him.
That moment when the Mind Flayer enters his body remains one of the show’s most haunting scenes. It’s horror done perfectly. The look on Will’s face as the shadow engulfs him is enough to make your stomach drop. From there, the entire season turned into a battle for his soul.
It’s easy to forget how much of Stranger Things started with Will, the boy who vanished and became the key to everything.
As Season 5 Approaches
Now, as Stranger Things heads into its final season this November, the anticipation feels different. We’re waiting for another chapter, but also preparing to say goodbye to the emotions, the nostalgia, and the characters, especially the kids, who grew up right in front of us, in ways that sometimes hurt to watch.
The trailer hints at a darker, more emotional conclusion, with Eleven once again facing impossible choices. If the show keeps up its history of mixing heart with horror, it’ll be a finale worth the long wait.
Until then, these scenes are what remind us why we fell in love with Hawkins, with its weirdness, its pain, and its sense of wonder. One last trip to the Upside Down and then, we close the gate.
