‘Stranger Things 4’: Netflix Issues Content Warning In Wake Of Texas Shooting - People are losing their shit over the opening

‘Stranger Things 4’: Netflix Issues Content Warning In Wake Of Texas Shooting​

By Denise Petski
May 26, 2022 4:40pm

UPDATED with Stranger Things‘ premiere preview removed from YouTube: Ahead of its midnight premiere, Netflix has added a content warning to the fourth season of Stranger Things following the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

The warning card 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.”

The warning card will be on the service when the new season premieres at midnight PT tonight. The card appears before the Season 3 recap that auto-plays at the beginning of season 4, episode 1 for viewers in the U.S. only.


Netflix also has edited the description for episode 1 to include: “Warning: Contains graphic violence involving children” and also has added “disturbing images” to the show rating advisories.

The card was added given the proximity of the launch to the Texas tragedy, and because the opening scene is very graphic, we’re told.

Additionally, original video of the first eight minutes of the Season 4 premiere, which contained graphic images of dead children, was removed from Stranger Things’ YouTube page following the shooting. Deadline and other websites had previewed the sneak peek clip last week and the video is now unavailable and the clip marked “private.”

Nineteen children and two adults were killed Tuesday in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX.
In Season 4, per the logline, it’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.

Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, Stranger Things is produced by Monkey Massacre Productions & 21 Laps Entertainment. The twin brothers serve as writers, directors, executive producers and showrunners on the series alongside executive producer/director Shawn Levy and exec producer Dan Cohen of 21 Laps and exec producer Iain Paterson.


The first seven episodes of the nine-episode fourth season, which will air in two parts, will drop at midnight May 27 and the final two episodes will be released on July 1.

 

[Agent of Z.O.G.]

Stranger things season 2 and 3 were mediocre and bad, respectively. I was expecting the episode to end in the school getting shot up but instead episode 1 is lame

Yeah, I thought the DND REFERENCE was gonna make someone do a Columbine and I would have at least tried to watch clips of that on youtube but this is just nothing.

 

[Agent of Z.O.G.]

So what actually happens in the episode?

Note well that I gave up on the show halfway through season one so I don't actually care.

"In a flashback to 1979, Dr. Brenner is shown to be experimenting on several other children possessing supernatural abilities until a mysterious incident kills all of the children except Eleven, which Brenner blames Eleven for. In 1986—six months following the events at Starcourt Mall—Joyce, Will, Jonathan and Eleven have moved to California, where Eleven struggles with the loss of her powers and is bullied by other students. Joyce receives a porcelain doll in the mail, seemingly from Russia, and finds a note hidden inside stating that Hopper is alive. In Hawkins, Mike and Dustin have joined their high school's "Hellfire Club", a Dungeons & Dragons-themed society led by the eccentric Eddie Munson. As a result, they miss seeing Lucas win the basketball team's championship game. Max, who has broken up with Lucas, struggles to grieve Billy's death. Chrissy Cunningham, a student on the cheerleading team, is haunted by visions of her family as well as of a ticking grandfather clock. While buying drugs from Eddie, Chrissy is possessed and killed by a sentient, humanoid creature from her visions."

 

[Internet War Criminal]

How can you have nostalgia for the 1980s when you were born in 1999, for fuck's sake.

that's why I hate it when you see like 15-20 year olds who are wearing atari or nes shirt it's like, shut the fuck up you're not fooling anyone

 

[Sex Cannon Lupa]

Was there a shooting in the show? The article didn't tell me what was actually the problem.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

Was there a shooting in the show? The article didn't tell me what was actually the problem.

theres a bunch of kids who get murdered by one of the kids

 

[Wormy]

But whatever, I didn't even like Season 2, the fuck am I going to watch 4 for?

 

[Black Light Red Panic]

Retro 80 Aesthetics started with Hotline Miami and died with King Fury. Doing anything except listening to Pertirbator or being depressed and staring, glossy-eyed, into your monitor an hour into 10 hours of a rainy city skyline set to low-droning synth while in reality you live in a suburb is pushing it at this point.

 

[blablabla]

"In a flashback to 1979, Dr. Brenner is shown to be experimenting on several other children possessing supernatural abilities until a mysterious incident kills all of the children except Eleven, which Brenner blames Eleven for. In 1986—six months following the events at Starcourt Mall—Joyce, Will, Jonathan and Eleven have moved to California, where Eleven struggles with the loss of her powers and is bullied by other students. Joyce receives a porcelain doll in the mail, seemingly from Russia, and finds a note hidden inside stating that Hopper is alive. In Hawkins, Mike and Dustin have joined their high school's "Hellfire Club", a Dungeons & Dragons-themed society led by the eccentric Eddie Munson. As a result, they miss seeing Lucas win the basketball team's championship game. Max, who has broken up with Lucas, struggles to grieve Billy's death. Chrissy Cunningham, a student on the cheerleading team, is haunted by visions of her family as well as of a ticking grandfather clock. While buying drugs from Eddie, Chrissy is possessed and killed by a sentient, humanoid creature from her visions."

So this season they are ripping off from nightmare on elm street?

 

[Unpaid Emotional Labourer]

I actually liked one aspect of the third season a lot, which was Steve and the lesbian. I could’ve just watched their antics and been happy. Chemistry was off the charts.

 

[Brahma]

that's why I hate it when you see like 15-20 year olds who are wearing atari or nes shirt it's like, shut the fuck up you're not fooling anyone

It's part of the yay science! commodification of geekiness. See also NASA t-shirts, that bazinga show etc etc

 

[Rupin]

I just finished the first Episode. Man, time has not been kind to these kids. I mean yeah they are supposed to be playing middle schoolers and high schoolers but they are all in their twenties and thirties and they most definitely look it with bags under their eyes.